FMQ Woes to Whoa!

Lots of skipped stitches and inconsistent rhythm

After the FMQ class, I was super excited to practice on my Bernina using the Bernina Stitch Regulator and to progress through Leah Day's "FMQ a Sampler" Craftsy online class.  Yet, my Bernina wasn't feeling so cooperative as it kept skipping stitches, especially when pulling the fabric towards me.  If I went super slow it would sometimes produce stitches, but this really wasn't helping me establish a good FMQ rhythm.  I tried switching needles, threads, reloading, etc.  Then it stopped producing stitches entirely and off to the shop it went for diagnosis and repairs.  Much to my relief, for once it was not due to user error and the machine stitch timing was off and needed to be recalibrated.  Phew!

Stippling Progress before and after repairs

With that frustrating blip behind me I was ready to resume my stippling progress.  The top two rows are from before the repairs and included lots of skipped stitches and issues due to going super slow in certain directions to get stitches.  After the repairs, I reattempted the basic stippling exercises led by Leah Day and not only got nicer curves but I was able to produce significantly smaller and more detailed stitching.  I will certainly have to continue my stippling exercises to achieve a more free form look.

Then I moved onto her Paisley motif and absolutely loved it!  I spent all morning creating paisleys and echoed paisleys...came home at lunch and did some more and finished off the entire fat quarter sampler after work!  In fact, I liked the overall look so much, I decided to bound it for use around the house.

Pretty Paisleys--love 'em!

Whereas during the quilting phase, I often mutter a few choice words, often starting with the letter F, I am happy to report that now I keep musing how much FUN this was!  I've got 3 quilt sandwiches prepped and ready for upcoming techniques:  spirals, clovers, shells, needles, pearls and much more!