The Brick Wall-A Free Motion Quilt Tutorial

Good Morning, Quilters!

The quote above made me laugh!…Do YOU know anyone like that?   I think we ALL do!

Today we are building a brick wall.  Not like the quote above…a pretty brick wall.  The kind on which you can balance a flower pot or a bird can perch…

I can imagine this brick wall with ivy appliquéd over it…a little out of the ordinary from the normal appliqué and quilting order…

Doodle along as you read this tutorial.  Though it may seem complicated,  it is really quite simple.  Once you doodle it a few times it makes sense!

Let’s begin.

THE BRICK WALL FMQ TUTORIAL

Begin by drawing several parallel lines.  After experimenting a little, I liked the proportions created when the lines were a generous 1/2 inch apart.

Each Brick is stitched 1 and 1/2 times around in a counter-clockwise then clockwise pattern much like Dots and Dashes were stitched.

Begin stitching on the top line.  Stitch down to the bottom line and create a rounded rectangle, approximately 1 inch long.

Stitch down the short side and along the bottom line.  Stop before beginning the next brick.

This time, stitch a clockwise rounded rectangle.

Stitch around the block’s short side and top side, then drop down to begin the next brick.

At the end of the line, drop down to  begin the second row of bricks.

At the beginning of this row, stitch a “half brick”.  This ensures that the vertical lines are offsetting in adjacent rows.

After stitching one “half block”, begin stitching full sized blocks to complete the row, ending each row with the size brick that fits.

Continue row by row to complete a beautiful brick wall.  If you’d like to add more interest, occasionally add a brick that drops down two rows:

When stitching this Brick Wall, continue row by row.  Stitch around each over-sized brick to fill in the rows in order.  Otherwise, you will have a wall even Humpty Dumpty won’t sit on!

ITS OKAY TO BE MESSY

The nice thing about this motif is that it looks great if you stitch neatly over the previous line of stitching, and just as nice if you are off and stitch in the “mortar” lines.  The extra lines just add more texture and don’t detract from the overall look of The Brick Wall.

I think this is one of my new favorites!  (Do I say that every week?)

Later this week, I will show you a mini quilt with The Brick Wall.

Tomorrow:  The Mystery Quilt-a-Long Continues…

The Mystery in the Corner!

Happy Stitching,

Lori

PS.  This tutorial was stitched on my BERNINA 820 (without a stitch regulator) using Sulky 40 wt Rayon on top and Aurifil cotton 50 wt in the bobbin using Warm and Natural cotton (unwashed) batting.

PPS…All tutorials, images and information are the property of Lori Kennedy at The Inbox Jaunt and are intended for personal use only.  Feel free to re-blog, share or pin with attribution to The Inbox Jaunt.  For all other purposes, please contact me at lckennedy@hotmail.com.  Thanks!