"FMQ": Free Motion Quilting Although my posts to this blog have been infrequent since my arrival back in France mid March, needle and thread have not been completely idle. There are currently "boutis" works in progress, some new, (more on that at a later date), and the "little sister" Bernina has been out for a spin around some placemats. Just prior to leaving Vancouver, I had assembled and pieced these 8 placemat tops so they were ready to be machine quilted. ( see my post of March 8/2013 ). Tops are pieced and backing is cut to size. The quilting design had also been completed back in March. The amount of detail that I include in the designs for free motion quilting (FMQ) varies with each project. Sometimes I prefer to draw just a few basic registration lines on the quilt and let the needle and thread inspire the quilting, other times, when the look is more formal, and balance and symmetry are important, I prefer to use a fairly detailed patte