After a few days away, I am back to the FMQ on my Quilt by the Numbers quilt. I have officially exited the honeymoon phase of this quilt. Five blog posts later about this quilt, I only want to be finished. Having completed the circle FMQ on my quilt from the Zen Chic Figures fabric and Kira pattern from my FMQ planning post (4/5/22), I now moved on to the diamond FMQ on the other half of a block. What follows might not make sense if you have not read my FMQ post about the circular FMQ (4/9/22), so let me at least repeat my terminology and the quilting pattern for a diamond portion of a quadrant. After all, it has been four weeks since I posted about this quilt, although I have been plugging away at it, in sporadic sewing sessions.
I reasoned that the diamond half of the block would be easier since the circles would be corralled between straight lines, not arcs. This time I used 1.25" diameter circles (20 in the outer diamond) and 1.0" diameter circles (8 in the inner diamond), fewer than in the circle quartets. The diamond quartets are not much speedier to FMQ, though. I learned one still takes me close to an hour to FMQ. With 16 diamonds total – 9 diamonds center + 12 x ½-diamonds edges + 4 x ¼-diamonds corners – I could optimistically expect to be finished in 16 hours. It did take me longer, especially adding in some time for picking out serious goofs. When the FMQ completion was in sight, I was relieved. Closeups are intended to show the details at different stages of the work in progress.
I did get better as I pushed on and here is a closeup of two full diamonds in turquoise thread against a backdrop of two different color ways.
The FMQ of the edge diamonds was easier since I did not have a bulky portion of the quilt in my lap and because access was easier than those in the center. I was, however, bored of diamonds by this time. To amuse myself I kept playing the tune in my head from the classic 1953 movie Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, in which Marilyn Monroe sings Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend. It helped me forge on with FMQ of partial edge diamonds with a renewed positive attitude. If you do not want to watch the YouTube video, here are the lyrics to the song. They are quite amusing.
These diamonds were NOT a girl's best friend!
Wow. This quilting is so ambitious, but so lovely. I get dizzy just thinking of all those circles: and I do describe to the theory that if you can't FIND your mistakes after you finish a quilt, then you don't have to *fix* them. And, instead of thinking of FMQ patterns as "too advanced," just figure that the time required to practice and achieve perfection is longer than you are willing to spend on this particular quilt (or size of quilt).
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