Chef Placemats Finished

For the past few days, I’ve been busy free motion quilting (fmqing) and binding the second set of placemats that were part of my 2015 Finish Along Q1 Goals.   They were also my March Goal for A Lovely Year of Finishes.

One of the quilts I intend to finish over the next couple of months is this one:

I ordered that great multi-colored leaf print on etsy from Karen at Cutting Edge Fabrics back in October before our big move.   I think it’s the perfect backing to match the colors in the top as well as the forest theme of the quilt.

I plan to fmq leaves in the plain beige/cream blocks.

As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, I’m using smaller projects to practice fmqing, so all four of the chef placemats were quilted in leaves and vines.

In addition to practicing fmqing this was also a chance to try out some different Sulky Cotton Threads.  Two were done with Sulky 12 weight Gold (#1070) and then for the other two I switched to Sulky 30 weight Blendable Foliage (#4009.)

I was checking to see how the two different weight threads looked in a finished item.   I also wanted to compare using a solid color versus the variegated thread of the Blendable.

Here’s a closer view of the threads side by side:

It was fun, as well, to discover how different each thread was to work with.  The heavier 12 weight took a bit more adjusting of thread tension and I had to refill the bobbin more times than I did with the lighter weight 30.  But I do like the more pronounced look that the 12 weight produces.  It would work best where you wanted your quilting to stand out, whereas the lighter weight Blendable gives a more subtle look to the quilting.

After I’ve had a chance to wash and dry the placemats, I’ll decide which weight to purchase to quilt the above quilt.

The completed placemats are now on the table ready for supper tonight.

I would be so pleased if you chose to share by clicking on one of the buttons below!