Free Motion Quilting Play
Today’s Topic: Free Motion Quilting Play
Good Morning, Quilters!
Today we have a serious topic: play time!
When learning a new skill or honing an old one, play time is essential to developing new ideas and innovating.
Play is the time spent working on technique-without an end goal in mind. The only goal is pure experimentation.
Free Motion Quilting Play Time
For me, play time is a chance to answer questions things I’ve wondered about.
For example, “I wonder how this doodled motif will stitch out?”
or “I wonder how this thread will look on this fabric?”
Maybe it’s something like, “I wonder how this motif will look next to that motif?”
Thread Play Time
For a recent “play date” with myself, I started with a basic composition and a few spools of thread–and just started quilting and changing threads.
I usually choose white thread on medium color fabrics, so I wondered how variegated thread and low-contrast threads would look….
Extended Play Time
Usually I keep play time short, but sometimes I just don’t want to quit…
This quilt is approximately 24 x 30 inches.
I jammed a lot of stitching in the small space, mostly because I didn’t want to stop. I admit I went a little overboard and the design is a bit cluttered looking as a result.
But that’s the nature of play. It doesn’t really matter. The quilt is only an experiment.
Playing with Scale
When I was finished with the original layout, I still had a few inch margin I couldn’t resist!
And I wondered if my scale was just too small. Maybe I should have quilted a little larger….
Yes! I love the scale of this!
But I’m out of playtime for now ….
And out of space on my fabric…
Still it was time well spent:
I found some new thread/fabric combos I like.
Played with a large scale motif that has merit and
I decided we can actually have too much of a good thing (FMQ)
When Was YOUR Last FMQ Play Time?
Do YOU allow yourself FMQ play time?
Have YOU experimented with a new thread lately?
Is scale of motif ever a challenge for YOU?
Do YOU allow yourself play time to innovate in other areas of work or life?
We’d LOVE to hear!
Your Kindergarten Quilter,
Mrs. Kennedy
Room 7- 2nd Floor North Wing
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!
I normally don’t take enough play time when I quilt . I think it’s a great idea, might be a great way to improve my quilting as well as my get more comfortable with new designs and thread varieties. I hate to waste fabric but no reason I couldn’t use the quilted fabric to make small gifts like pot holders, bowl cozies…. Thanks for the inspiration.
So true. I never seem to have enough time I totally relate to what you are saying.
I’m going to start playing more with my quilting. Thanks for the inspiration!
I’m a “new to quilting freemotion on my domestic” girl. I’ve got a very free way of just quilting whatever pops into my head at the time. So far so good. Laying out a specific design is just not what I’m liking right now. I love the inspiration I get from your books and Pinterest posts, so incorporate lots of little surprises midst the flowers and leaves and tendrils. I live in a tiny 360sq ft trailer, so not a lot of space, but I have a lovely nook carved out where my dinette used to be. It’s my fun space no matter if it’s practice or the actual quilt. I’ve got my work on Instagram if you’re curious about my chaos 🙃 @quiltedbysue
Hi Lori. Love your books & motifs. I incorporate into using them on a longarm machine. To practice “play” I get half yards of fabric on sale & load with muslin backing & any type of batting I have left over. I love trying metallic threads & fancy feathers. I love your swirly flowers & leaf with filler as the size can change easily to fit in a space. Your designs are so inspiring. Thanks. Louise
I need to do this more. I want to try more contrast. I think I’m going to do winter window covers for my RV out of the practice pieces. Such a good idea to find a practical use.
I bet you come up with some fabulous designs that way.
I’m so thankful for your books, tutorials, and blog! I just finished a wedding gift quilt, and I relied on your motifs for every inch of it! I have a Bernina 770QE which I have learned to quilt on thanks to your tutorials all last year! They truly got me through the COVID isolation! God bless you, Lori!
I need to do more of this. Usually I only practice motifs when I am ready to FMQ a quilt. I also don’t like to “waste” good fabric which I need to get out of my head since my fabric stash is going to out live me at the rate of which I am buying and using it. I’m going to re-program my brain to see it as play and not practice.
Lorraine, I could have written your post. My sentients exactly. It sounds like we both need to come out and play 😁. Lori, thanks for continuing to guide us down this path of FMQ. It’s a fabulous adventure!!!
Yes! Sometimes it’s hard to give ourselves permission to play and make mistakes and even “waste” fabric!
To Lorraine: You have STABLE….stash… accumulated …beyond…life…expectancy. Not quite sure I got all the words right, but I say I’ll have to live to be 120 to use up all my fabric.
Me too—but that’s only if I don’t buy any more. And I don’t see that happening! Lol
Ditto.
I understand the feeling of waste but I’m sure once you start you will realize creative practice is never a waste of materials!
I don’t play enough either. Question – how many different motifs would you put in a quilt that size? Is there such a thing as too many or too few? Thanks.
I think you need at least three motifs. One as a focus motif and then two other motifs for fill and to provide contrast. Too many can be a problem too. Too many motifs is confusing to look at. I think this quilt has too many motifs. No place for your eye to really rest.
Every time I FMQ is playtime for me. There is something about looking at a plain sandwiched fabric and just enjoying an afternoon of experimenting. Time flies! I have to own that when I am guilting a project, It too feels like playtime. I think that has something to do with being fairly new at all this. I really don’t have a plan when I start. It is just fun to see where the fabric leads me. (That may not make any sense to anyone but me, but it is true.)
Donna, this is exactly how I feel about my FMQ time…it’s fun, it’s creative, it’s always surprising. When I get a sandwiched quilt in my hands…it’s nothing but play time!
Fun!!! Love to hear that!
Makes perfect sense to me!
I love this post. I learn so much from you Lori. Thank you so much for your books and your posts!
I like to play a bit with quilt ideas for each quilt before I start. I’ll leave a generous extra wide section of backing and batting on one side of the quilt when I put it together for quilting. Then, I’ll add some leftover pieces of fabric from the quilt on the wide space. I can then play with thread and quilt design choices.
I love that idea. You get to test your backing and batting too!
Great idea!
When I load a quilt onto my long arm frame, I leave extra backing fabric and batting on the sides. Then I put a “plain” piece of fabric to finish the sandwich along side my quilt top. This is where I can test out thread colors, tension, and designs.