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The next challenge: a Double Wedding Ring! There's everything I can't do: Y-seams and curves.

For a start I bought the templates. They come with a big booklet with instructions. Very scary.

I made a sampler-block of scraps and tried to do everything as instructed.
From far away it doesn't look too bad.

And as I was into 'try something new' I put the block on the background fabric with the sewing machine, using a satin-stitch (I never used that stitch in my life!).  Wow - this does look good even from close!

And now the details.

The curves were not so difficult. The bend is not so intense on this scale. I used the 3-pins-method (put 1 pin at the beginning, one in the middle and one at the end). And then I sewed only a tiny bit (needle-down-position), readjusted the fabric, sewed a tiny bit, readjusted... it works!

But the y-seams did not meet very often. This has to be better.

I used this block to practise feathers with freemotion quilting.

I totally screwed up. If I want to do this on a real quilt I have to practise a lot on paper and sampler-quilts!

I tried two different methods on my Pfaff, the sensormatic- and the spring freemotion-foot. I prefer the freemotion-foot.

The figures and texts on the top and the back document the different methods of FMQ and feet.

The last technique:  facing instead of binding!

For a placemat or a mug-rug a standard binding is rather thick.

At Pinterest I found an excellent tutorial for a facing by Victoria.

This is how it looks finished - very flat - I will use that one from now on!

And yes, the colour for the handsewing should match the fabric of the binding/facing, not the colour of the backing...