Good Morning, Quilters!
Thank you so much for your thoughtful responses to yesterday’s post, How to Ruin Your Quilt with Stippling. It was meant to be provocative. I want to nudge everyone to spend a little more time thinking about the quilting design. Quilting should not be an afterthought. Quilting should be considered during every phase of the quilt-making process, from pattern and fabric selection onward. Continually ask yourself questions like: “How will I quilt this? What color thread will I use? What motifs will look best?
LOUD AND CLEAR
It is obvious from your responses that we need to go beyond the step-by-step Tuesday Tutorials. We need to see the motifs in action. Choosing “the right motif” is a challenge for everyone. I don’t have a quick answer for you, but I am formulating some ideas on how to best teach this important skill. Stay tuned…
BEYOND STIPPLING
Here are a few ideas to get you started:
Choose the Right Thread for Stippling
If you have chosen an allover motif–an Edge to Edge pattern as the long-armers call it- I assume your quilting goal is to create a light texture. You don’t want to see the quilted line. In this case, use a light weight thread (60wt or finer) in a low-contrast color. This will provide the effect you seek. If you choose a heavy thread, in a contrasting color, the stippling will be very obvious and will fight the piecework or appliqué below. (More coming soon-in How to Ruin a Quilt with Thread)
Choose a Motif with Character or Personality
If you plan to use an allover or edge-to-edge motif, choose one that matches the quilt, the recipient, or is personal to you. For example, stitch Flower Power (it’s’s easier than stippling) on any floral or girl’s quilt. Or try the more sophisticated, Nora’s Rose on the quilt for your Grandmother. Need a boy’s motif or stitching a Halloween quilt? Starry Night is a perfect motif and easier than stippling! Again, be sure to use the right thread for the job–lightweight and low-contrast for a texture-only effect.
Walking Foot Quilting
If you’re not ready for free motion quilting, use a walking foot to stitch straight lines, wavy lines or concentric circles. This type of quilting adds interesting geometric patterns and has a Modern flair. Stitch converging lines to create focal points and highlight areas of the quilt. Grids are another example of walking foot quilting and are often used on Traditional quilts including appliqué quilts.
For more on these techniques, try Jacquie Gering’s Craftsy video: Creative Quilting with Your Walking Foot. (50% off – for a limited time for readers of The Inbox Jaunt) Jacquie is a phenomenal quilter and a great teacher. She covers everything from the parts of the walking foot to how to manage a large quilt on a small machine.
Machine Tying
Tied quilts conjures up images of polyester quilts with acrylic yarn ties…(Don’t, laugh–I bet a few of YOU made one too!)
Let’s set that image aside for a moment and consider how we might quickly machine tie a baby quilt. Stabilize the blocks with stitch-in-the-ditch quilting or free motion quilted wavy lines over the seam lines. Stitch from border to border horizontally and vertically. Then add a small motif in the center of each block to act as the “tie”. Use one design in the center of every block or stitch a variety of motifs like The Butterfly, The Dragonfly and The Bumblebee. in alternate blocks. Charming!
For a boy, try a single Fish, Star, Sailboat, Anchor, , or a Football.
Two Motifs
If you are ready for something slightly more adventurous, try combining just two motifs-–one curvy and one linear and fill the blocks with variations of the two motifs. Try The Picket Fence with any of the flower motifs like Faye’s Flower Or Triangle lines with The Feathered Leaf or Spirals. By choosing only two motifs, you will be assured the quilt will look cohesive and you won’t be overwhelmed by too many choices. By choosing one curvy motif and one linear or geometric motif, you will be assured there is enough contrast between the motifs–necessary for good quilt design.
For even more ideas…
Machine guided quilting and big-stitch hand quilting, try Susan Cleveland’s Creative Quilting: Alternatives to Free Motion. Use my affiliate link — 50% off for a limited time. Thank you, Craftsy! Susan is an award-winning quilter and a perfectionist. She share loads of tips and techniques for beginners and advanced quilters alike!
Beyond Stippling…
The key is to keep it simple.
Quilting does not have to be complicated to be beautiful.
But if you are going to make the effort…
Small, personal touches can make all the difference!
What about YOU? How do YOU choose the quilting for YOUR quilts? Do you have any tips you can share?
We’d LOVE to hear!
#MeanderNoMore,
Lori
PS…All tutorials, images and information are the property of Lori Kennedy at The Inbox Jaunt and are intended for personal use only. Feel free to re-blog, pin or share with attribution to The Inbox Jaunt. For all other purposes, please contact me at lckennedy@hotmail.com. Thanks.
