Practice, Practice, Practice.

When I first started with FMQ, all the books said to draw it out first to build 'muscle memory'. But I wanted to stitch, not draw. Then we spent so much time at the doctors' office in the last 10 months and I found drawing out my FMQ designs was kind of meditative and even better, had an incredible improving ability upon my free motion stitching. So, yes, the pros are right: draw!

Today I had a filling done and my head is pounding. I sat for a while at the kids' dry erase board and drew designs over and over again. We are homeschoolers, so we have a very large dry erase board and it is low on the wall so the preschoolers can draw easily or use magnets on it since ours is magnetic. It is the perfect height to sit in a desk chair and doodle away!

I think if I were a long-armer, I think I'd doodle standing up as I notice that my body gets into the act when I draw standing. Hmmmmm.....could I justify a long arm if it counted as exercise? Maybe if I didn't have to add a room or sell a child to make space for it!

Cancer Quilt

Finally done! Just in time for another appointment at the cancer center where I'll be donating this.

Below is the back of the quilt I did for the cancer center where my husband has been getting his treatments. My neighbor insists that this is the better side because you can see the stitching better. In a way, she is right. I learn something from every quilt I make and this one taught me to make sure my stitching will show if it is the star of the quilt.




Once you get far away from the quilt, the stitching blends right in. Where this quilt will be hung though, I think it will be fine. I find that following the designs has a meditative quality. Maybe it will soothe someone at the cancer center.
Doesn't this old shed at the back of our property make a great background for a quilt? I'm sure to get a few bug bites from this photo shoot though!