Continue reading for 5 meander practice exercises that will help you learn to put FMQ skills on autopilot so you can focus more on quilting.
I'm teaching a Free Motion Quilting class starting in April at my LQS, Heartstrings and Heirlooms. I finished up the class sample over the weekend. In the class the students will do larger samples, but I needed a small book of designs to advertise the class. As you can see in the above end view, I used three different types of batting for my sample book - Quilter's Dream 100% Cotton, Hobbs 80/20 (80% cotton and 20% polyester), and a 100% wool. I used a tutorial from a recent Quilting Arts Magazine issue (the February/March 2014 issue) to make my little book. The instructions involved drawing some lines on a piece of fabric, then sewing on the lines with a walking foot to make a larger sheet and baste the layers together. Then you quilt your designs and cut the "pages" apart. The tutorial in the magazine was very good. If you are interested in making a book like mine, I suggest you get a copy of the magazine. Below is a collage of designs I plan to cover in the class. Along the top of each page I wrote the name of the design, the batting type and page number from the book I will be using for the class. In case you are interested, I'm using the book Free Motion Quilting with Angela Waters. It has become my go-to book for quilting ideas as of late.
I've had the chance to review the book Free Motion Quilting for Beginners (and those who think they can't), by Molly Hanson. I love that title! I'm a big proponent of quilting your own quilts, as you know, and I've read a lot of books about free motion quilting. I like how everyone presents the information in their own personal way....there is always more to learn! This book presents all the practical information you need to get started. More importantly, it gives you the confidence to jump in and give free motion quilting a try. There are 15 projects in the book that encourage you to start small and increase your comfort level with free motion quilting before you tackle something larger, like a quilt. What I love most about this book is Molly's tone of encouragement throughout the text and the projects. She is great at guiding you though the entire process! I've done a lot of free motion quilting and I love how relaxing it can be. I also know how easy it can be to get in a rut. I challenged myself to get out of my box, so to speak and try some new-to-me, designs. I gave this squared off stippling pattern a try and it went pretty well! I had to slow down and think about where I was going from time to time, but it was fun! I could see doing this all over a whole quilt. I also quilted a few swatches of different designs and I turned them into a set of coasters. Binding them was a little fiddly, but totally worth it! (I can say that now that they are done. Ha!) These are great because I not only used scraps of fabric, but scraps of batting as well. Hurray! I'm happy to count these as scrap project #94/101. If you would like the chance to win an e-book copy of Free Motion Quilting for Beginners, please leave me a comment in this post. In your comment, I'd love to hear what your favorite go-to FMQ pattern is. Or, if you are new to FMQ, I'd like to hear what pattern you would like to master. I will pick winner in a few days!
The best way to get perfect quilting is to transfer quilting designs onto the quilt top before stitching. Continue reading to see how!
Use freezer paper to easily mark areas you want to leave unquilted or transfer motifs onto your project. Quilting expert, Ashley Hough, shows you how.
I sure hope you have learned a thing or two along the way with this series. If you just joined us, start from the beginning.
See my second post on Graffitti Quilting here! Some of you were wondering how I decided which free motion quilting patterns to use, and when, while quilting my "Dyed" quilt . I thought I'd do a few posts on how to create an "improv" or "graffiti" quilted background fi
Do you want to do quilting differently this time? Try and learn how to do FMQ in this post on the free motion quilting tutorial.
Simple and useful tips and tricks from Dara Tomasson for free-motion quilting on your home sewing machine, plus design inspiration and patterns.
Fear of not liking your quilting plan often contributes to large WIP piles. Continue reading for 5 ways to not over-do FMQ on your next quilt
I think we can all agree that as quilters we have this deeply implanted love of creating and being creative, and that creativity doesn’t just stop at piecing a quilt top. Doing the actu…
When it comes to free motion quilting, there's a few main myths that people believe about starting free motion quilting. Here's the truth!
Free motion quilting is still something I get asked about the most. It's so simple, and also so daunting at the same time! I'm DEFINITELY not an expert, and don't look too close at my stitches, but good news....it doesn't have to be perfect, AND it's a great stress reliever! ;) While I was quilting...Read More
When you're done piecing a quilt, do you often wonder how to finish it with free-motion quilting? Discover how to fill setting triangles, blocks, and borders
I am thrilled to have Sarah Vedeler as our November FMQ Expert, for the 2012 Free Motion Quilting Challenge, and deli...
Continue reading for 5 meander practice exercises that will help you learn to put FMQ skills on autopilot so you can focus more on quilting.
Learn how to use baking paper as an aid for your free-motion quilting. Tutorial includes instructions on how to quilt a stylised flower motif suitable for square blocks. Free downloadable template provided.
Learn how to quilt the Hooked Feather Filler Design in this longarm quilting video tutorial from Angela Huffman and APQS longarm machines.
How to Free Motion Quilt Series. Basic motion and thread tensioning. With video
I am delighted to have Patsy Thompson as our December FMQ Expert, for the 2012 Free Motion Quilting Challenge. Whe...
Make quilting easy and fast for a beginner quilter with these building blocks quilting stenciles from Leah Day.
Sometimes jumping into free motion quilting needs a baby step, and grid quilting is just the thing to do it! Create structured free motion quilting using these 9 grid quilting ideas to dip your toes in and get started!
Did you know that I have an archive of free motion quilting designs ideas on the blog already? Well, it was from my Sewcial Bee Sampler quilt where I made the quilt intentionally with the quilt as …
Burst Block PDF Skateboard Appliqué PDF Pentagon Ball PDF BBQ Apron PDF Guitar/Camera Strap PDF Free Motion Basics PDF Action Figure Organizer PDF Sugar Skull PDF Needle Knowldge PDF Out of This World PDF 3 Dudes Quilt PDF Diamond Dreams PDF Bad Call Ball PDF Dog Bed PDF FMQ Straight Drill 2 PDF 60 Degree Ruler PDF FMQ Swoop Drill 3 PDF RAINBOW DRILL PDF Circle Drill PDF Coming Home PDF Superhero Cape PDF Drawstring Bag Toy Playmat PDF Beach Bag PDF Dancing Dots PDF Fabric Postcard PDF Gears Quilt PDF Trick or Treat Bag PDF Turkey Centerpiece PDF Coffee Kit PDF QuillowRead More →
NOTE : I no longer promote Craftsy/Bluprint as I used to due to the way the subscription is currently being carried out. I had the issue of cancelling my subscription when the company changed hand …
For this edition of Technique Tuesday, I go over Free Motion Quilting and how to be good at it!
Next in our Free Motion Quilting series is Circles and Pebbles!!! This fun motif is perfect for any quilt and can easily be used to fill small areas! Check out the free tutorial HERE!
Yesterday, I practiced free motion scribble stitching around some scrappy fused flower patches. Stitching with black thread was scary, but now after stitching a dozen flowers, I think I'm getting the hang of it. I was prepared to do my practice stitching and throw away my samples, but I really like them. So next week, I'll make them up into little zippered pencil cases. Stay tuned. Want to try it yourself? Here's a link with some tips.
Happy Christmas Eve! I hope you’re kicking back and enjoying all the food, fun, and good times with family and...
Interested in quilting feathers on your quilt but not sure how to include them? Check out these 15 ways to quilt feathers in different shapes.
Although it may seem like a regular sewing machine is not capable of free-motion quilting, the truth is you can do it on a sewing machine. Using a regular
Sometimes jumping into free motion quilting needs a baby step, and grid quilting is just the thing to do it! Create structured free motion quilting using these 9 grid quilting ideas to dip your toes in and get started!
Most quilters start learning how to quilt on a sewing machine not a longarm. Continue for 7 hacks to make using your domestic machine easier!
If you are new to free motion quilting, you will most likely encounter some of these free motion quilting problems listed here. Hopefully, this guide will benefit you, allowing you to enjoy the mos…
How to Free Motion Quilt, and how to set up for freemotionquilting
This past week, I started and finished a fun new Wholecloth Quilt that yielded 36 fun, new free-motion quilting motifs. Not only am I thril...
Solving the 5 Common Free Motion Quilting Problems Designer Amira Saryati Ameruddin of The Little Mushroom Cap shares tips for Solving the 5 Common Free Motion Quilting Problems. Amira:"If you are new
I am so excited to share these Free Motion Quilting Practice Designs with you!! One of my most popular videos is where
Deborah Louie sets herself apart in the quilting world by taking advantage of all of those stitches on your sewing machine.
