After months of absence from my sewing machine, I was really itching to try out my new FMQ ruler. I also needed a small Valentine's Day table topper for the small table in my foyer. Why not kill two birds with one stone? I took some small pieces of Valentine's Day fabric, pieced a small topper and set about learning to move my fabric AND the ruler at the same time. Oh boy was it "awkward"! After making gently arcing lines, my jaw, fingers, arms, neck and back began to cramp. Agh....relax, relax!! I gave up on ruler work and decided to do "scribble quilting" in the open space to make the triangles really pop. Cue the music! For anyone who has not yet heard the tip, listening to music while quilting helps you to maintain a consistent flow of stitches as you unconsciously match your movement to the beat of the music! If you sing along, an additional benefit is gained as it is really hard to grind your teeth while singing!!!
While certainly not perfect, the finished topper was plenty good enough for display. First attempt at ruler work complete and I'm sure the more I practice the easier it will become! I'm hoping for more sewing time in the near future!
Toodles...
