Good Morning, Quilters!
Last week, our machine quilting tutorial was for these adorable ghosts .
While it’s fun to personalize our quilts with character motifs, we also need a variety of background fills and allover patterns to complete our quilts.
Today’s machine quilting tutorial, The Honeycomb, is a great example of an easy and quick background or allover fill motif.
CHOOSING THREAD
If you want the Honeycomb pattern to show, use a heavy weight thread in a contrasting color.
On the other hand, if you only want a honeycomb texture, use a lightweight thread in a matching color
BETTER THAN STIPPLING!
The Honeycomb is a great motif to use in place of stippling or meandering. And don’t worry if your wavy lines aren’t perfect! This motif will look still look great!
YOU DON’T NEED A STENCIL
One other note before we get started…Some quilters might use a stencil for this motif. I don’t recommend it. It’s too much work to draw every wavy line and too limiting–you can only stitch one size–the size of the stencil.
I only recommend stencils for patterns that are too complex to learn by doodling. (Though you might want to use a straight line stencil to help draw the parallel lines.)
(Follow along on page 134 of More Free Motion Machine Quilting 1-2-3-or order YOUR copy on Etsy today!)
HOW TO STITCH THE HONEYCOMB
Begin by drawing parallel lines. The lines can be any distance apart–from 1/2 inch to 2 inches.
I like to use a ruler and the Dritz Cartridge Chalk Holder-one of my favorite tools with white chalk only! (Here is the Amazon link–but look for it in YOUR store–I’ve never paid $34 for it!–argh!–or try one of the other brands offered on Amazon.)
Begin stitching on the second line from the left.
Stitch a tapered scallop. (One of the Six Essential Doodles in More FMMQ 1-2-3!)
Continue to stitch tapered scallops to create a wavy line.
At the top, stop and stitch back down–stitching the mirror image.
NOTE–If you have trouble seeing the mirror image as you stitch the whole line, try to think and stitch this as individual tapered scallops that are connected.
Depending on YOUR quilt, it may be easier to stitch this from right to left and left to right rather than from bottom to top and top to bottom as shown.
Continue in the same way to fill a large area quickly!
Try stitching the Honeycomb motif in different widths!
Once you get stitching, you won’t want to stop!
Of course, now that you have a honeycomb, you might want someone to help tend it:
Find The Bumblebee machine quilting tutorial HERE:
And if YOU thought that was fun! Wait till you see what we add to The Honeycomb next week!!!
YOUR Busy Lori-Bee
Happy Stitching!
PS…All tutorials, images and information are the property of Lori Kennedy Quilts 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!
18 comments
Susan Ulrich
I’m new to quilting & am still very apprehensive. I’Ve played it safe & stuck with straight lines to date. I do like this pattern & have a sandwich ready to quilt. Will definitely draw straight lines first. Thanks for the ideas.
Needle and Foot
Love this one. Definitely want to try it out.
Rosemaryflower
This is Beautiful!!!
I love it.
Ellen
Lori, I just ordered your second book! I didn’t have either for a long time, thinking that I wouldn’t use it because I had the tutorials online and your Craftsy classes. But I actually use it a lot! So much easier to have it sitting by the machine while I practice than having to worry about knocking my laptop over. And I love curling up on the couch with it for inspiration late at night when you’re not supposed to be looking at a computer because it makes it harder to sleep later….
And most of all, thanks for the spiral binding so it will lay flat!
Janette
Your right Sandi, l also was sketching this. Lori always makes it look so easy. Lol! Practice, practice, practice…….just like the little train, l think l can, l think l can, l know l can! Yaaaaaa!
Pat Foht
This is so cool looking and much better than meandering. I am going to start practicing and see how to get the rhythm. Thank you so much.
Glenda Reece
Hi Lori,
just love it, you are always coming up with such new mofits to try. Hey looked up the Dritz Quilting Chalk Cartridge Set on Ebay there it is for $8.99 they did have one set for $33.10 from the U.K. ??? I have learned to shop all around, I do not like Amazon taking over like they have (to-big) I just ordered Con-tact self paper from Zulily,-first time, but they had good prices for what I was looking for. No one should have to pay Amazon $34.00 for a plastic pencil with some chalk sticks.
Just a note…
-shop around (not real fond of Amazon), but I do like lower prices if found.
Sandi Bidewell
In sketching it I’m finding it’s harder than it looks!! Almost need a grid! You make it look so easy, Lori!
Deborah Gallett
I really like this pattern. I will definitely be trying this.
Linda B
Oh I like this one too…and so much nicer than stippling. I wonder if it would be simple to modify it to look like chicken wire…? Thanks, Lori!
Debbie Kanavel
I like how you’re using the motifs from your books, linking them to a related one. I’m not sure how I’d go from right to left though. Do you mean by rotating the sandwich sideways?
Carolyn S
Lori stitched this vertical, bottom to top and bottom to top. You could also stitch it horizontally, right to left and left to right. Rotating is not necessary and I believe she spoke to the problems of rotating the quilt yesterday. Enjoy your quilt journey.
Becky Shaffer
I’m anxious to try this. It looks like a great background fill. Thanks, Lori!
Carolyn Schomaker
Love the honeycomb pattern. And the bee is great. I’m doing the Save the Bees quilt along and I think this will help with quilting ideas when we get to that point, thanks
Brenda @ Songbird Designs
Cute honeycomb AND that little bee is adorable!!
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