Today is Tuesday and at The Inbox Jaunt that can only mean one thing–it’s free motion Tutorial Time!
I hope you have had a jolly time stitching The Holly Leaf and The Candy Stripe free motion quilt motifs. The Pine Bough is a great addition to Christmas quilts as well. The Pine Bough free motion quilt pattern can be stitched in a row, or in a group with a few berries…and it looks great paired with The Holly Leaf.
Begin by drawing three”rails” equidistant apart. In the sample below, the rails are 1/2 inch apart.
Begin stitching on the center rail. Stitch a straight line at approximately a 45 degree angle to the left rail. Stop and stitch back to the center rail.
Repeat and stop at the center rail. You now have two “needles” on the pine bough.
From the center rail, stitch at a 45 degree angle to the right rail. Stop here.
Stitch back to the center rail and repeat to create another “needle”.
Continue to the left with two more needles.
As you stitch toward the top of the bough, make the needles a little shorter (don’t stitch all the way to the right and left rails). This gives the bough a nice shape.
At the top of the pine bough, stitch one center needle–straight up and down on the center rail. From here, you may begin the next pine bough by stitching right and left again, (see photo above)…Or close the bough by stitching to the tip of the needle below (see photo below)
Or stitch through the center of the bough to begin a new leaf at the base. Add a few berries, The Holly Leaf and a ribbon twist….
Wouldn’t this look lovely on the corner of a napkin? or in the corner of any Christmas quilt? Hmm… If I get the house decorations all up today… I could embellish a few… 22 days…
***FYI–This tutorial was quilted on my Bernina 820 (without a BSR). I used Sulky 40 wt on top and Aurifil 50 wt in the bobbin.
Later this week…Stocking Stuffers for Quilters, Works in Progress, and I have several fabulous GIVEAWAYS for December!
Stay tuned…
Lori
PS…All photos and tutorials are the property of Lori Kennedy at The Inbox Jaunt and are for personal use only. Any commercial use requires permission of the author…
PPS…Yes, I AM working on THE BOOK...writing every day and investigating publishers….