Today’s Topic: Design Your Own Custom Quilting
Welcome to Lesson Twenty Five of The Better Machine Quilt-a-long based on my book 25 Days to Better Machine Quilting.
Find all of the previous Lessons HERE.
Sign up for emails of the class HERE.
Join the private Quilting with LKQ Facebook Group HERE
Good Morning, Quilters!
This week we will finish up the bar quilt project we created in Lesson 21.
(Page 106 of 25 Days to Better Machine Quilting)
The assignment for Lesson 21 was to create a bar quilt-or row quilt–with half square triangles, flying geese triangles, square block, alternating with solid fabric rows. To practice outlining, we stitched all of the pieced blocks with matching color thread.
It is time to go back to that project and design your own custom quilting in the solid fabric rows.
Doodle a Few Designs
For your design, remember:
Solid fabrics reveal quilting. This is a great opportunity to show off your free motion quilting skills with a fun motif.
Use your transparent overlay to audition several motifs. Your first idea is rarely the best idea.
Doodle the motifs in different sizes. For example, if you are stitching circles, play with a variety of sizes. If you are stitching a flower, experiment with spacing.
Thread and Motif
Experiment with thread: weight and color.
Check out the tutorial I stitched for BERNINA’s We All Sew–Free Motion Quilted Hearts.
(The tutorial includes a short video of me stitching it on my Q20-tabletop long arm.)
The hearts would be perfect in the rows of this quilt!
For the BERNINA tutorial, I used 12 wt cotton thread which is tricky for most domestic sewing machines. Use a size 100 or 110 needle and stitch slowly. The tension on the back is not great, but I love the effect overall. If your machine gets cranky–use 28 wt or 40 wt thread. The high contrast color will help the motif stand out.
Samples!
Sample a few different threads. Samples are the answer to disappointing results! While you are testing threads, you also have the opportunity to practice stitching the motif.
YOU Are Creating a Custom Quilt
By choosing different motifs for each section of the quilt, you are creating a custom quilt!
As you can see, it’s not necessarily harder to quilt a custom quilt, though it does take a bit more time to design.
Take Your Time
Don’t rush the design phase of quilting. You’ll be amazed how many options there are for any quilt block.
And if you can’t choose between two or more–
Make another quilt!
What about YOU?
Have YOU been keeping up with the lessons?
Would YOU benefit from a refresher course?
Should we start again?
We’d LOVE to hear YOUR ideas for the next 25 weeks….
Happy Custom Stitching!
Lori
PS…All tutorials, images and information are the property of Lori Kennedy Quilts and are intended for personal use only. Feel free to re-blog, pin or share with attribution to LKQ. For all other purposes, please contact me at Lori@LoriKennedyQuilts.com. Thank you!
Visit my Etsy shop: LoriKennedyShop for all of my books! They are ALL bestsellers!
15 comments
Polly D
I tried to stick with you for a while but then inspiration for my son’s quilt took hold and I only followed the emails. Thank you so much for the habits of drawing my ideas on Strathmore drawing binder. I have a great place to keep my mistakes and try out designs before I test my machine quilting skills! I no longer am timid about machine quilting thanks to you!! Plus I now have a valid excuse to doodle!!! Much thanks and ❤️ for your care for us these many weeks!
Susan J
Yes! Do it again! I haven’t really been able to do the lessons this time but I enjoy reading them & am hopeful for the future!
Marilee
I recently got the Blackboard by Boogie Board and enjoy using it for doodling, but it doesn’t have a case to protect it when not in use, so I’m going to use one of the quilted practice sandwiches to make a sleeve to keep it in. They’re the perfect size! Thank you Lori for all the effort you put into this class during a stress filled year. You’ve helped to keep us smiling!
Valerie
YES!!! PLEASE HAVE ANOTHER CLASS! I haven’t even been able to start this class. I would love another class.
Kathie Banks
I don’t know how you can work with Bernie sitting on your machine. And his dirty shoes are on your quilt! I have to admire people that can be so patient with pets and politicians in the sewing room.
kath2020
So disappointed you’re bringing politics into quilting.
kath2020
My comment was intended for Lori sorry
Sally B
Oh Lori, I would love to start again with you and a group. I had shoulder surgery mid July and couldn’t fmq til recently. And it’s HARD to go at it again on my own. It was so great to start with all of you.
Lynn
I find quilt-alongs very helpful. They push me to try new motifs. How about something with trapunto? Maybe something fun and different like a fidget quilt with a variety of “things” to quilt around or under?
Beverly
Please start again!
Bobbie
Lori, I would love it if you do a repeat. I couldn’t participate in the last few lessons because we remodeled my sewing room! I love it, we took out the bed and put in a Murphy bed, put hardwood flooring in, and now I have so much more room. But I got behind. You are my hero, Lori, and you have kept me motivated during this pandemic. I could not thank you enough.❤️
Cheri
Do Bernie visited u too🤣🤣🤣
Geralen Fitzsimmons
I would love a repeat of this course. I have made a move to live on my daughters ranch in Texas after being born and living my whole life in the SF Bay Area of California. We have been here 3 months and are pretty much settled now. But it came about smack dab in the middle of your course. So a repeat would be great for me. I do have your book so could do it myself. But more fun with a group!
Lori Kennedy Quilts
Geralen–I hope you are enjoying Texas! I will consider a way to do the class in a new way–while still making it fresh…
Debbie
You are very inspiring,thank you so much
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