FMQ Challenge 2015/ June

This post is linked up with Quiltshopgal over here...http://quiltshopgal.com/2015-free-motion-quilting-challenge/

We are mid year...hard to believe, and we've had very little spring like weather yet. For this months challenge, our instructor is Diane Gsaudynski, another wonderful quilter. we had several options, but I chose to combine 2 of them together.

We had a tutorial on feathers and one on swirls...so I put them into one pillow.I used a fairly dark cotton fabric and a variegated thread, so it would stand out. I was experimenting with Aurifil Mako'NE.50/2 weight.

This is the first time I quilted with this, and didn't have a great experience with it...I'm afraid.

I like the colours which go from a shiney white to dark brown. Now it worked great on larger areas at a medium speed, but when it came to trying pebbles or scribbling....a mess of eyelashes. I'm not saying it is the fault of the thread....probably just that I need to play more with it and tension and needles...and I will do that!

Here is the pillow...

Another look...

Now, the feather went great...I liked the way the spine turned out, too. the large swirls were fine, but I didn't enjoy all the stopping and starting for this method...so won't use this much.

the scribbling was planned to be pebbles, but the thread couldn't handle them....so scribbling. it was still fun, and a good way to try new threads.Aurifil is a wonderful thread, and we just need more tweeking...lol