Reading 1820 Blogs Daily!


December 11, 2023
Able to thread a needle! from Quilting & Learning

Welcome to week 459 of Free Motion Mavericks. I don't have any FMQ, although I've been thinking about it and practicing my designs on paper. The results of that effort will be for next week's post. This week I'm so grateful to be able to thread a needle and do some embroidery. It's going to keep getting better from here

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December 2, 2023
Diversions on Free Motion Mavericks from Quilting & Learning

Welcome to week 458 of Free Motion Mavericks. While travelling, we were able to go to the McMichael Canadian Art Collection. It's one of my favourite art galleries, located in a beautiful wooded area in the northern part of Toronto. I have a few photos to share as well as some lovely photos taken at the Toronto Zoo, which was open and not busy - my kind of place!

McMichael Canadian Art Collection


We took a tour of their latest exhibition, Conversations. It was very interesting. My daughter took photos of the David Milne (1882-1953) art for me. I love ...

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T-shirt Quilt FMQ on Free Motion Mavericks from Quilting & Learning

Hi and welcome to week 457 of Free Motion Mavericks. I'm still travelling so it will be a short post. Before I left, I finished  FMQ (free motion quilting) a few of the t-shirt blocks on the quilt. 

A Few More Blocks


I finished these three blocks. 

FMQ both the sashing and the t-shirts

FMQ feathers in the sashing and loops on the sweatshirt

I FMQ the sashing on the next t-shirts. I'll have to change my thread and quilt the t-shirts next. For these two t-shirts, I quilted stars in the sashing. I'll be FMQ something ...

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November 26, 2023
Updates on Free Motion Mavericks from Quilting & Learning

Welcome to week 456 of Free Motion Mavericks. I've had to do some travelling and haven't done much in my studio, or even in the car. Good news though, the snow is gone and the temperature is a little higher. I hope you're having a good autumn

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November 12, 2023
FMQ the T-shirt Quilt on Free Motion Mavericks from Quilting & Learning

Welcome to week 455 of Free Motion Mavericks. November has brought us snow in Ottawa. It probably won't stay but it is pretty. I guess that it's time to put away the patio furniture! I hope that you're enjoying whatever fall is bringing you.

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November 9, 2023
Progress on Swirling Leaves 3 for Free Motion Mavericks from Quilting & Learning

Hi and welcome to week 454 of Free Motion Mavericks. I hope you had a safe All Hallows' Eve! It was uneventful here except for the snow on the ground in the morning. Of course it was all melted by the afternoon! I guess we know what's coming! ⛄ 

Swirling Leaves 3


I am making a third edition of Swirling Leaves for Danielle, my daughter's friend who got married on the weekend. 

Final (?) leaf placement

After making the first two, I wanted to see what would happen if I used a lighter background. I was a little nervous about ...

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October 30, 2023
Fall Fling Market on Free Motion Mavericks from Quilting & Learning

Welcome to week 453 of Free Motion Mavericks. I have been busy getting ready for the Out of the Box (OOTB) Fibre Artists' Fall Fling Marketplace. This will be the first one held in the Fall. 

Fall Fling 2023


Fall Fling 2023 - a marketplace

The organisers had a major challenge when they found out a few weeks ago that the location that they thought they had rented, was not available. A new, even better venue was found but the posters and advertising with the old location are out there! We've all been doing our best to spread the word ...

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October 23, 2023
FMQ Journal Covers at Free Motion Mavericks from Quilting & Learning

Welcome to week 452 of Free Motion Mavericks. I have finally done some Free Motion Quilting (FMQ), but not on my niece's quilt yet. These were fun squirrels that I pursued for the upcoming Fall Fling marketplace with Out Of The Box (OOTB) Fibre Artists.

Making Journal Covers


The Fall Fling is like our Spring Fibre Fling except that everything on exhibit is for sale. I've been slowly getting ready for this event and am finally ready. Here are my first two finished journal covers.

Blue and Green Journal Covers

The fabric for these first two covers is ...

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October 16, 2023
A Journal and More Notepad Cases from Quilting & Learning

Welcome to week 451 of Free Motion Mavericks. There hasn't been any FMQ here but I have been busy making journals, refillable notepad cases and cards. 

Fabric journal with long and link stitches

My brother and sister-in-law are here from Denmark and I made them some birthday gifts. For my brother's 60th birthday party, I made him a plaid fabric journal. Here it is!

Fabric journal with long and link stitches

I'm so happy when I can add fabric to a journal.

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October 10, 2023
T-shirt quilt top done on Free Motion Mavericks from Quilting & Learning

Welcome to week 450 of Free Motion Mavericks. I've been very busy putting together my niece's t-shirt quilt top and it's now done - only 4 days after my September One Monthly Goal. I'd forgotten how huge a queen size quilt is! 

Quilt top finished


Unfortunately when I took this photo this morning, I only had one helper to keep the quilt up. You'll get a better look once it's finished

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October 2, 2023
A Scrappy Improv Runner Reveal at Free Motion Mavericks from Quilting & Learning

Welcome to week 449 of Free Motion Mavericks. Today is the reveal of the happy, scrappy improv runner that I made for my brother. It was a lovely party and he really liked his new runner.

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September 26, 2023
Secret FMQ and T-shirt Quilt Update on Free Motion Mavericks from Quilting & Learning

Hi and welcome to week 448 of the Free Motion Mavericks' linking party. I hope that you've had a good creative week with time at your sewing machine or studio! I've been busy making a runner that I'll be able to reveal next week. I can share the back since it won't give away much and you can see the free motion quilting (FMQ).

Making a runner


My brother is having a birthday/house warming party so I asked him if he wanted a small quilted project. He said that he could use a runner, 30 ...

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September 18, 2023
Update on T-shirt quilt at Free Motion Mavericks from Quilting & Learning

Welcome to week 447 of Free Motion Mavericks. I've started putting together the t-shirt quilt. After doing all of the prep work, I'm finally having fun putting these t-shirts together. A couple more weeks and there'll be some free motion quilting (FMQ) happening.

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September 9, 2023
Scrappy Yellow Placemat on Free Motion Mavericks from Quilting & Learning

Welcome to week 446 of Free Motion Mavericks. I published this a little early so that I can make the September 6th deadline for the Joyful Quilter's August Table Scraps Challenge. Nothing like racing the clock to publish. Thanks again Joyful for this great challenge.

Scrappy Yellow Placemat


August's colour is yellow which is perfect for the second placemat that I will make. This one is for my daughter, who requested yellow. The letters are X and O, which I will add to the free motion quilting (FMQ). If the verb tenses are a little wonky in this ...

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September 4, 2023
Mindful Stitching and a thread sampler at Free Motion Mavericks from Quilting & Learning

Welcome to week 445 of Free Motion Mavericks. I've been doing a lot of slow stitching in the last week as I take care of Poppy at her place. She's still the sweetest dog and we've been taking walks, playing tug-of-war and then she rests while I stitch

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August 28, 2023
More Hexie Fun on Free Motion Mavericks from Quilting & Learning

Welcome to week 444 of the Free Motion Mavericks link up. Thanks for visiting and linking up last time. I went on a short family vacation but I did bring my hexies with me since it's #100hexies100days2023 challenge. This all takes place on Instagram with weekly themes.  Usually I make one hexie flower per week but my Scrappy Hexie Blanket is getting big and I would love to finish it this year, so I'm making more than one hexie flower per week.

Week 3: Notions and a Safari


The theme for week 3 was notions. I took out ...

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August 24, 2023
An Exhibition and Hexie Love on Free Motion Mavericks from Quilting & Learning

Welcome to week 443 of the Free Motion Mavericks linking party. I'm still not spending much time in my studio, but it's because I have a companion who would rather spend time outside or in the living room than in my studio

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August 13, 2023
Stitching and watercolour on Free Motion Mavericks from Quilting & Learning

I don't seem to be ready to get back to my machine, either to sew or to do some free motion quilting (FMQ). I guess I just need to some quiet time. My thread and needles are never far away (although I keep having to look for my scissors!). The weather had been cooler so it's been nice to stitch outside. 

Trying for an abstract watercolour


There is a new workshop in the Textile Artist Stitch Club - this time creating an abstract watercolour piece and then stitching through it. Our teacher, Sam Owen Hull, does very cool work ...

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August 1, 2023
Cottage escape on Free Motion Mavericks from Quilting & Learning

Hi and welcome to week 441 of Free Motion Mavericks. I hope that your summer is going well. It seems to zoom right by, doesn't it? This week I have a couple of things to share with you - including some oldies but goodies! 

Cutwork and Broderie Anglaise


My daughter and I went for an overnight trip to my brother's cottage. We had the place to ourselves and had a lovely, relaxing change of scenery. Of course I brought supplies to keep working on my whitework. I just can't seem to leave it

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July 24, 2023
A Gorgeous Red Basket on Free Motion Mavericks from Quilting & Learning

Welcome to week 440 of Free Motion Mavericks. I hope that you've had a good week. I haven't done much until yesterday but I now have a pretty red basket to share with you.

Making A Gorgeous Red Basket


When I made the microwave fabric bowls in March for the Table Scraps Challenge, I promised one to a friend who said that they were so pretty that she wouldn't use it in the microwave because they might get dirty. Rather, she would use it as a bowl or holder. So, remembering this, I decided to make a ...

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