FMQ Friday - Whoop Whoop for Trying Something New

Today is Free Motion Quilting Friday over at Leah Day's Free Motion Quilting Project.

The rules are simple:

1. Link up with a post that features something about Free Motion Quilting (FMQ). 
2. Somewhere in your post, you must link back to Leah's site, or you can just post the FMQF button in your sidebar. 
3. Comment on at least a few of the other FMQF links. Share your love of free motion quilting and make this weekly link up a fun way to connect!  

Today I made some Frankenbatting and pin basted my big star surround block.  I am really happy that I have made this quilt entirely from my stash and not bought a single thing...and I like it!  Nice to know those things aren't mutually exclusive.

First I stitched in the ditch around the star and the surround.  Now I just have to decide what to do in all that glorious white space.  One thing I've been wanting to try is those rows of "pearls" but I thought I would have to mark it and ain't nobody got time for that.

But then Lynn from What a Hoot! told me that she didn't mark hers so I decided to just go for it.  I freehanded a double wavy line that will be the stem for some feathers later on and started quilting little circles.  It worked!  I can't believe how simple it is when you just have those two guidelines to stay between. 

And then I broke a needle.  I think I hit a spot where the Frankenbatting seam got a little bulky and just snapped that sucker off.  I'm taking that as a sign to take a break, make dinner, and try again in a little bit.

I just wanted to show you this tee-niny little bit of FMQing today to say...you know that thing you've been not doing because you're afraid of messing up your quilt?  JUST DO IT! 

Thank you, Lynn, and special thanks to Leah for this link up every week, which makes me FMQ for at least a few minutes every week, and for giving us all permission to make something that isn't perfect the first time. 

I'm also linking up with Can I Get a Whoop Whoop? because Sarah's posts make me so happy and I'm doing the happy dance over these little quilted pearls.  What's making you smile today?

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