I can't remember if we were making a new sub board for the SOM or not, so feel free to shift it if so!
First Sandwich of the Month - I know you've all been looking forward to this
General Notes:
So Free Motion Quilting - FMQ. It's great fun, and very liberating. I'm going to be starting with easy ones, tips and tricks, and work through to more complicated ones.
I will mention now that FMQ is easiest when you have your machine stitching reasonably fast. Too slow and your lines are jerky and your stitches widely different lengths. Too fast and you lose control. Happy medium means reasonably fast, regular rhythm and this allows for the smooth movement of your sandwich.
What to make with your SOMs? They can be anything really - pot stands, oven mitt things, blocks for a sampler quilt, placemats, etc. Mine will probably end up as a very scrappy sampler quilt.
PLEASE NOTE fabric and thread choice is important. The ones I choose for the tutorials are chosen to best show off the design and how to make it so it shows up in pictures. Be aware that lots of FMQ is in a matched or close matched colour, unless it is the quilting that is the highlight of the block. If you need help picking a colour of thread just let me know and I'll help.
I'm using up bits of fabric for this so I've got a variety of sizes, but I suggest everyone uses a 10" square top fabric. I will indicate what size stuff I'm using in each tutorial.
THREAD CHOICE Please please please stay away from metallic threads. They really like shredding and often make a right mess. You'll be much better off with a shiny rayon a little brighter than you think and you'll get a similar effect. You can use embroidery weight thread as your top thread, but never use a heavy thread in your bobbin. Invisible thread is a favourite of mine and I'll give plenty of info when it comes up.
You need an FMQ foot or darning foot. I never bother popping the feed dogs down, and I never bother with gloves, but I have pretty grippy hands so up to you what you like to use. I don't change tension on top thread unless it is a special thread (like heavy embroidery or invisible).
AUGUST SOM
This is a lovely easy design that is really flexible and can be used almost anywhere - the stipple! It is sewn in rows so that you don't miss anything out and can be made larger or smaller depending on what sort of look you want. It is a really effective texture maker when matched to the fabric colour, and can be used around feature designs to make them really stand out.
Here is the tutorial - enjoy! Any questions just ask away
https://goo.gl/photos/Gq1QEVA2WfnRZ1Gz8