Mod Times Quilt

My Mod Times quilt is finished!(No, the ladies of Twin Fibers haven't yet posted all of the Mod Times Quilt-Along instructions. I decided to forge ahead anyway. And no, I haven't yet finished the quilt for my own quilt-along. The logic escapes me, too.)But, you guys! I free-motion quilted this one! For real!I've always had this irrational fear of FMQ. I can't really explain it. I tried free-motion one time when I first started quilting, and the results were freakishly bad. But here's the thing: I spent maybe five minutes on the attempt. Based on that five minutes—at a time when I could barely sew a straight seam, much less do something more complicated—I convinced myself that I just couldn't do FMQ, and I never tried it again.I know. Whatever happened to try, try, try again? Whatever happened to practice makes perfect? My mother will be horrified when she reads this post.At any rate, here I was, piecing this Mod Times top. I wanted to give it as a baby gift that is way overdue, so in the interest of a quick finish, I pushed ahead of the quilt-along (hopefully that's okay with the Twin Fibers girls). I really love how the top turned out, considering this was my first experience with set-in seams. But it is a bit wonky in places—those set-in seams aren't always quite straight, and I thought straight-line quilting would draw attention to that. Diagonal lines might have been okay, but I guess I was too lazy to mark the top.So, I don't know what finally made me do it, but I pulled out some scrap fabric and gave FMQ another try. First attempt in three years. And you know what? I have no idea what I was so afraid of all this time. After a little more practice, I was stippling this quilt! It might sound ridiculous, but this was one of the most exciting, triumphant moments of my sewing career so far. I have finally overcome my FMQ phobia! Yes, my stitch length is wildly inconsistent, and I know my stippling could be smoother and curvier. So, it could be better. But it could also be a whole lot worse!I feel like such a doofus for not trying FMQ again until now. The last time I tried it, I'd never done a block more complex than a four-patch. I didn't even know how to miter corners on binding. So something tells me that three years of general quilting experience was a huge factor in my relative success this time around.Lesson learned: Try things again. Who'da thought? Okay, my mom. And probably my 4-year-old too. : )Quilt stats: Size - 41" x 37". Fabric: Aviary 2 by Joel Dewberry and Kona White. Back: Henna Garden with some Aviary 2 pieced in. Quilting: FMQ stippling by me (whoop whoop). Design by Twin Fibers—thank you, ladies, for a fabulous design and wonderful quilt-along! (Wonderful enough that I just had to jump ahead!)I'm linking up to Sew Modern Monday.P.S. Sorry for the awful pictures. Another dreary, gray day around here.