The Crabapple Blossom-A Free Motion Quilt Tutorial
Good Morning, Quilters!
I hope you all enjoyed the long Memorial Day Weekend–the official kick off to summer! The weather was a mixed bag around here–a little sunshine, a little heat, a lot of rain…all while seated in the bleachers of a high school baseball tournament. (My favorite activity–even over quilting!)
Now that summer is here, and the garden and outdoor activities have been beckoning, I’m having a hard time keeping up with My LIST-the daily TO DOs-so I may not post as often this month.
In addition, I have several BIG PROJECTS on which I’m working…I’ll fill you in later this week…
For now, the garden comes inside with beautiful Crabapple Blossoms from my tree.
THE CRABAPPLE BLOSSOM FREE MOTION QUILT TUTORIAL
This tutorial is for an all-over or fill pattern. With a little doodling, it could easily be stitched in a vine to fill a border.
Begin by stitching a stem and curving in to create the center of the flower.
Echo stitch the stem to begin the first petal.
NOTE- All of the petals in the Crabapple, are slightly angular.
Continue adding petals, leaving a gap between the petals and the center circle.
Stitch the last petal and echo stitch the stem back into the center of the flower.
Stitch jagged lines into each petal and back to the center. Use the small gap around the center to travel between each petal.
You may echo-stitch around the entire blossom.
Use the echo stitching to to travel to the next area on the quilt to be filled–You may echo stitch the entire flower or a partial flower depending on where you need to fill.
While stitching the petals on subsequent Crabapple Blossoms, alter the shape of the petal to fill in very close to the adjacent flowers. Don’t worry that some of the petals are oddly shaped–they will appear to be underlapped.
The overall look is very beautiful, even if some of the flowers are cut off or “squashed” in the bouquet.
A new favorite!
A BUSY WEEK AHEAD
So much more quilting in the next several days…
ONE of THE BIG PROJECTS revealed…
A gander at a new FREE Paper Pieced Pattern from Peggy…Can YOU guess what it might be?
Doodle Lessons,
More from Quilt Market 2015,
A little gardening…
and I might have to clean my sewing room–I think a Twister went through it!?
May your stitches be happy,
Lori
PS. This tutorial was stitched on my BERNINA with Sulky 40wt Rayon on top and Aurifil 50wt cotton in the bobbin with a size 90 Topstitch needle on Kona Cotton (Robert Kaufman) with Warm and Natural cotton 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!
A new favorite indeed Lori! Our crabapples were just in bloom last week and you have captured how they look beautifully! Thank you for sharing this great design.
I love it! Thank you so much for the tutorial. I am definitely going to try this soon
Yum!!! That’s a keeper..don’t know when or where yet but I love it! Spring blossom is a favorite. I did a pictorial cherry blossom and bird box quilt for DGD and freemotioned 60+ blossom motifs using a more basic flower shape so have some of the muscle memory already!
Maybe a quilt just for me???
Thanks Lori
Freda P
UK
Love the design! Can’t wait to try it!
The move from SC to TN has been wonderful except all our beautiful Crab Apples were left behind & apparently the new homeowners cut them down because of the messy, falling petals so today’s post is a good one. Love it. Will be sure to practice this one. Thank you ever so much Lori.
Oh, this is cute.
Have fun in the garden.
In Northern Virginia, the humidity is on the way, —
and those ding dang tiny flies
that buzz around your ears and eyes.
They are coming here today
They are arriving here to stay.
(okay, more coffee)
Rosemary you are quite a poet (among your many other talents!)
Love this..it is a perfect overall filler! Thank you! Would you mind sharing the approx size of flowers? Also, how would you accomplish this on a larger quilt, lap or larger? Would you work in sections, one corner and work up and out, or..just work at random until you bump into another flower? This is a process that has kept me guessing for quite awhile! In most demos, books, videos, online classes…the sample is stitched on a small sample. EASY! But accomplishing the look on a large quilt is still a mystery to me! Any suggestions you have would be hugely appreciated!
Let’s discuss this on Open line Friday! Great questions
Thanks, Lori. I’m s l o w l y FMQ a queen size quilt with simple large blocks of flower fabrics and trying to use as many flower related designs as I can, a different design on each block and sashing. This will fit in well!
Thank you Lori – nice design! I love crabapple blossoms, both color and scent. I’m also having trouble finding time to stitch with all of the outside work this time of year, plus new puppies! But today is rainy, so fingers crossed.
Love this! So pretty stitched out! Thanks!
Leaning about this free motion skill that is so intriguing and beautiful. Your tutorials teach me into developing this skill.
I like this one a lot! You make it look so easy, but I know it takes practice, practice, practice!!
I love it ,thank you, Lori
Another beautiful design, Lori — thank you so much for sharing it! Now to give it a try!
This is beautiful! Thank you so much!
Lovely. Great instructions. I teach FMQ and will be directing students to your site. Would you mind if I incorporate a similar design with attribution to you in my lessons?
thank you for your tutorials.
That would be great!