Eyebrows and Free Motion Quilting

September 12, 2014
Free Motion Quilted Oak Leaves and Acorns

EYEBROWS ARE SISTERS

Make up artists say that your eyebrows should look like sisters–they don’t have to look like twins.  Read Beauty Tips HERE.  The same is true for free motion quilting.

Free Motion Quilted Oak Leaves and Acorns

FMQ PATTERNS ARE SISTERS, TOO

Whenever free motion quilting a pattern that has a right and left side-like feathers or leaves…it is impossible to make them perfect mirror images–that’s okay!  Don’t fret–our goal is “sisters, not twins”.

Your quilt and your quilting will still look beautiful!

LKennedy.FreeMotionQuilting001Most things in nature are not perfectly symmetrical or perfect mirror images.

For an interesting view of how asymmetrical faces are, check out these celebrity photos on Left Face, Right Face.

If nature is not symmetrical , I would argue, our quilting need not be either…

Lori

You may find the  Oak Leaf free motion quilt tutorial HERE and the Open Leaf free motion quilt tutorial HERE

PS…All tutorials and images are the property of Lori Kennedy at The Inbox Jaunt and are intended for personal use only.  Feel free to share with attribution to The Inbox Jaunt.  For all other purposes, please contact me at lckennedy@hotmail.com.  Thanks!

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18 comments

  • Sisters _ not twins is a fantastic way to approaching faq. Thank you Lori.

  • farmquilter

    I strive for twins…to the point of using lots of rulers in my quilting and I am always flattered when someone thinks my quilting was done by a computerized machine and I love telling them that it was hand-guided quilting only 🙂 But I rarely get twins all over a quilt, but definitely sisters!!! Love those sisters!!! Thank you for this timely reminder!!!

  • Connie

    I really like your two leaf motifs. Have you ever done maple leaves? If not, perhaps it’s time to give it a try. 🙂

    • WordPress.com Support

      I love maple leaves. I will work on it!

  • Very interesting point. I’d not thought about it that way, but you’re right. Thanks!

  • Your quilting and designs are so inspirational. The photos today show more depth than some of the earlier posts. Is there a reason for that? If so, would you share it with us? Thanks.

    • WordPress.com Support

      Do you mean more depth of field from a photographer’s stand point. Or more detail in the quilting?

  • Karen Burchfield

    Well said…and so true. If it was supposed look perfect, it would be done by a machine. I like the “imperfections” that say – someone did this by hand with love.

  • Thanks for this encouragement. I love the twins/sisters analogy.

  • Anne Marsaw

    I l I’ve the reminder! We get caught up w/perfection for judges and wanting to be like long arm digitized automated machines instead of the pure joy of learning to quilt! I must print out this advice and keep it handy.

  • Ramona

    Very interesting with the faces. Love the designs!!! Thank you

  • Nancy N

    Thanks for the reminder Lori. I have always called my FMQ organic because of its idiosyncrasies, and it definitely does not look like some computerized machine made it.

  • Nicely put, Lori. And this is why I am not a fan of computerized machine quilting, especially those horrible all over designs. I find it too regular, too predictable, and it makes all that piecing glory look like a Bed In A Bag product. Less regular quilting, adapted to complement the piecing, gives the quilt that hand made charm we all are looking for.

  • Genie Clement

    Great post! Will try to relax more and enjoy the process.

  • YES!!!! How many times have I told a quilt customer, “nature isn’t perfect or symmetrical”? A LOT!!!! Thank you for this beautiful post – again! You’re amazing!

  • Karen

    Thank you for the OCD among us!!!! I always say that you can tell the hand from the computer because of this I and I appreciate the hand work. Hand work is my quilt…..computer work is computer quilt!!! Just Ducky in NC

  • Diane

    When everything looks too perfect it looks like it is done by an automated machine, not by your two loving hands! IMHO

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