Today’s Topic: Start Quilting Today!
Welcome to Week 2 of our 2021 Quilt-a-Long, Even Better Machine Quilting
This FREE multi-week tutorial is based on my books available in my Etsy shop: LoriKennedyShop
Sign up for emails of the class HERE.
Join the private Quilting with LKQ Facebook Group HERE
Find the 2021 QAL links HERE
Find the 2020 (25 Week) QAL links HERE
Good Morning, Quilters!
Welcome to the second week of our 2021 Machine Quilt-a-long! I have updated my home page to include both the 2020 and the 2021 quilt-a-longs. (See photo above)
When you are on the Home page of Lori Kennedy Quilts, you will notice the top navigation bar…
QAL. ABOUT. SHOP. etc…
If you click on the arrow next to QAL, there is a drop down menu where you will find both the 2020 and the 2021 quilt a longs. I will update the 2021 page regularly, though not daily. (You still have access to the lessons by scrolling through the latest blog posts.)
Also note the “Search” function in the top right corner. This is a great way to find info on my site.
Start Quilting Today!
So far, we have:
set up our machine for quilting,
and started doodling.
Now it’s time to start quilting!
Create a Day One Quilt
It’s really important to chart your progress by creating a “Day One Quilt”. I absolutely guarantee, if you do the quilting lessons over the next several weeks, your machine quilting skill will improve!
To prove that to yourself, you need to have the “Day One Quilt.”
Use one of your quick quilt sandwiches and any thread.
Fill the quilt with free motion quilting. (Leave a two inch margin around the edges.)
Don’t think, just quilt!
Quilt scallops from the doodle exercise and quilt YOUR doodles.
When you can’t think of what to quilt, stitch wavy lines–just fill the quilt.
Complete the project by free motion quilting your name and date.
Bring Up the Bobbin Thread
In order to prevent thread jams, it’s really important to bring the bobbin thread to the top of the quilt before you begin quilting.
- Hold the top thread taut, while you lower the presser foot.
- Keep the top thread taut, and lower the needle
- Raise the needle
- Tug the top thread
- Pull the bobbin loop until you find the end of bobbin thread
- Hold both the top and bobbin thread as you begin to stitch.
View the procedure on my Curlicue Knot Video HERE
Start Quilting Today
The best way to learn to quilt is to quilt!
Action!
Review your quilting–don’t judge it!
Don’t compare YOUR work to other quilters. From now on, compare all of your work to The Day One Quilt.
We are on our way!
May YOUR day be filled with happy quilting!
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. Thankyou!
Visit my Etsy shop: LoriKennedyShop for all of my books! They are ALL bestsellers!
8 comments
Kat
In case this helps someone, I had a lot of skipped stitches. I was following my manuals directions of having my stitch length set at 2.5. I changed it to 0.0 and problem solved. My stitches are beautiful. I needed this 20 yrs ago. Toopid me! I’m excited to start quilting/doodling.
Kat
Boy I hope my machine and I become friends by the end of the month! My sample design wise looks good but I need practice to figure out why I skip stitches so much. Sometimes I think I’m moving my hands too fast, other times my machine speed is too slow and then too fast. All three seem to make me skip stitches. It’s hard to be observant of when it happens. Grrr.
Elizabeth Bennett
Could you please remove the background doodles from your web page? They are very distracting and almost give me vertigo as I try to read the words.
Lori Kennedy Quilts
Hi Elizabeth
Changes to the website requires hiring a web developer. I hope to budget for that in 2022. Until then perhaps you could try reading the site on a different computer or phone.
Jennifer
And you don’t bring your bobbin thread up at the either to cut both off?
Nancy
I also would like to know this. I have to go to the backside of the quilt to tuck into the batting after the work is done and sometimes it gets stitched over which is very frustrating.
Marilyn
Hi, I watched the video on knotting. Am I correct that when you finish your quilting you just clip the thread? No stitching in place or anything? Marilyn
Lori Kennedy Quilts
I stitch over a previous line of stitching to create a knot and then snip. There is a way to bring up the bobbin thread. I will create a video when we cover knots in a later lesson.
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