Welcome to Week Twenty Three of The Better Machine Quilt-a-long based on my book 25 Days to Better Machine Quilting.
Today’s Topic: Circles and Spirals Machine Quilt-a-Long
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Good Morning, Quilters!
Today we will begin work on the Circles and Spirals Machine Quilt-a-Long
This happy little quilt incorporates some of the design principles we’ve discussed this week as well as several techniques we’ve reviewed for the past 24 weeks.
Take your time with this project.
I recommend that you follow along with the Circles and Spirals project, then use this flexible pattern with YOUR favorite motifs and thread combinations to create your own design.
(The directions for this quilt can be found on pages 120 in 25 Days to Better Machine Quilting)
Overview
First we will create a long quilt sandwich. (Spray or pin baste with your choice of batting.)
After the quilt is layered, add marked lines to divide the quilt into a basic framework. (My quilt is 18 inches wide by 40 inches long.)
Next, use matching thread and a machine guided technique (walking foot or dual feed option) to stitch the long straight lines.
Once the framework is set up, we can free motion quilt the tablerunner in any order.
To keep the large central motifs, evenly spaced, measure the spacing and add tick marks.
Similarly, we will ruler mark each of the lines for the side Dots and Dashes.
To mark the large circles on the “endcaps”, use a DVD or small saucer.
And of course, we need to practice the motifs and scale by doodling.
It wouldn’t be a bad idea to make small thread samples….
The Quilt Sandwich and Marking
Create a quilt sandwich using a half width of solid fabric (approximately 22 inches wide) by your desired length. (My quilt is 40 inches long.)
Using chalk and a yardstick, mark the center line of the quilt, both horizontally and vertically. Don’t worry if it’s not perfectly centered, there is some wiggle room here.
We will make all future marks from the center line.
Marking the Short Ends
On the “endcaps” add two lines five inches apart.
(The long lines will not cross into the endcaps.)
Mark the long lines
The quilt is divided into three equal sections (6 inches apart) before the center section is further subdivided.
Referring to the diagram above, mark two lines on either side of the center mark, three inches away.
From each of the new lines, mark parallel lines 6 inches apart.
The quilt is now subdivided into three long six inch segments.
Subdivide the long center segment
Now further subdivide the center segment.
From the center line mark lines 1-1/2 inches away.
This creates a central 3 inch space for the large spirals and two borders that are 1-1/2 inches (The Twist motif).
Stitch!
Set up your sewing machine for machine guided stitching using either a walking foot or the dual feed option.
Thread the machine with matching color, light weight thread.
Stitch all of the long lines first, cutting off after each one–rather than twisting the quilt around.
Stitch the perpendicular lines to create the endcap.
The basic framework is complete!
Doodle!
Practice doodling Spirals, Dots and Dashes and The Twist.
YOUR Quilt
What color will you choose?
Do YOU have a favorite batting?
How Loooong is your table?
I can’t wait to see what YOU create!
Happy Marking,
Lori
Please Join Me!
I will be teaching Easy Machine Quilting at Road to California (Zoom Event) on Saturday, January 23.
Join me as we discuss the Four Skills of Machine Quilting!
(Refer to the “Road at Home” Link)
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!
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4 comments
Cindy Clark
Lori, your pin cushion looks like a bowl of spumoni ice cream!
Arvilla Trag
Wow, what a neat overall design! I love the way the ends of this project tie in to the central motif! This is the tricky part for me – developing an overall design combining different motifs that play well together. Current dilemma – I made a convergence quilt from two panels, one of a sailboat on the water at sunset, one a cityscape after dark (housewarming gift for my travel agent). The panels are both 24″ wide, so I cut them in Fibonacci strips from 1 to 5 inches, leaving 11″ of uncut panel. I want to use different motifs for the two parts of the quilt – right now I think a brick motif for the cityscape (1″ x 1/2″), and and a winds/clouds motif (about 3″) for the sunset on the water. Do you think that will be too much variation in relatively small areas? Would you make an adjustment to the motif size ratio or leave it as is?
Marta
Hope to see that some day, Arvilla…. sounds interesting!
Meg Harmon
Lori, you were my 8nspiration from the beginning of my free motion quilting journey. I now have quilted a lot of quilts this way rather than hand quilted. When I hand quilted I just quilted along the piecing. But this, this FMQ, has freed my artistic side. I now quilt pictures, motifs into my quilts. People love to look at the back of my quilts too. Thank you for releasing that. There is asomeday quilt I want to make where I will piece and quilt completely by hand just because I want to. But for now my gifts to friends, family and charity (Bags of Love, check it out) are keeping me happy. I love to keep learning so many thanks for this series.
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