The Mushroom Motif-A Machine Quilting Tutorial
Good Morning, Quilters!
If you can’t find any morels–there’s always the Mushroom Motif to quilt! For now, that’s how I am consoling myself.
In Minnesota, if the lilacs are blooming, it’s time for morels! Time to go foraging in the woods and mushroom hunting. Though its been a banner year for morels here, I haven’t had the time to do much hunting. No morels for me!
However, my daughter came across a few morels while strolling her neighborhood walking path!
The Mushroom Motif, Step-by-Step
Begin on the bottom line of the border. Stitch along the border, then add a pear shape, ending near the bottom border.
Closely echo stitch the left side of the stem, stopping 3/4 of the way up the side.
Add a peanut shape, over the stem and end on the right side of the stem.
Stitching from right to left, add a mushroom cap. Any shape will work. End on the left side of the stem.
Add radiating lines within the “peanut shape” to add texture to the mushroom cap.
Finish filling in the “peanut”, then closely echo-stitch the right side of the stem to complete the Mushroom Motif
Mushroom Motif Formula
The fun thing about mushrooms and stitching mushrooms is the variety! There are 10,000 varieties known in North America and probably many that haven’t been identified!
So you can’t go wrong when stitiching mushrooms. Start with the basic formula–stem, peanut shape, cap and create YOUR own variety!
Mushroom Books
I have two books on mushrooms I recommend. The National Audubon Society Field Guide to Mushrooms is considered the ultimate field guide. It is loaded with color photos of more than 700 mushroom varieties. Lots of quilting inspiration!
For more practical advice on mushroom hunting, I recommend Mushrooming Without Fear, A Beginner’s Guide. Great tips on what to look for–and more importantly–what to avoid. It also includes a lot of great color photos!
YOUR Mushroom Hunt
Are YOU a mushroom hunter?
Did YOU find any morels or other edible mushrooms this year?
Do YOU prefer your mushrooms sauted or stitched?
Do YOU have mushroom book to recommend?
We’d LOVE to hear!
Signed,
Missing Morels in Minnesota,
Houby 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 Lori Kennedy Quilts. For all other purposes, please contact me at Lori@LoriKennedyQuilts.com. Thank you!
PPS…This tutorial contains affiliate links. If you choose to purchase-at no additional cost to you–I may receive a little “pin-money”. Thank you for supporting LKQ in this way!
Sweet!! Does anyone else hear the Disney Fantasia music while the mushrooms begin to dance?
Hi Lori,
I am not answering any of today’s questions but just wanted to say THANK YOU. Over the years you have taught me to be brave . I hated quilting. I was afraid to try. But reading your blog I am beginning to try to quilt my quilts. Your visual is logical to me. I try what you post and finally my brain gets the movements. I watched you again with Nancy (miss her) again and something just clicked. I have almost 100 quilt tops that I can keep practicing on.
SO AGAIN, THANK YOU for all you do!
My husband loves to hunt mushrooms, however he hasn’t been able to hunt for a few years and really misses it. We love to eat them (sautéd in butter) and I love to draw them (learned that from you), so I guess I’m going to have to make him a mushroom quilt! I doodled lots of your mushroom ideas last year in my notebook but never got them onto fabric; so that will be my goal for this year!
When I was a little girl growing up in Michigan, every spring we would go mushroom hunting. It was a big event in our family. Aunts, Uncles, Cousins and Grandparents would all go with us. We’d rent a house in Cadillac, MI. and hunt all weekend. Those were some fun times!!!
Love mushrooms, but only hunt them in the grocery store!
You are such an artist. I love your motifs, thank you so much for sharing!
Never hunted for any mushrooms except those in the grocery store. Love your quilting design.
In Michigan, morals are ready for hunting when the asparagus is coming up in the spring. Can’t have a better meal than morals, fresh asparagus and steak.
Morning Lori, I tend to hunt mushrooms in the store, favorite place is at the Keg and Case in St.Paul. Love all you do Thank you Renee
The morels are so cute!! We hunt ours out of the frying pan with bacon and onions! And sometimes summer squash. My husband’s parents were avid houby hunters in mid Wisconsin every Spring. Ate some, froze some! Ate all Winter. It was cause for great celebration to bring in a huge haul. That warranted many photographs; to be admired with family and friends for years to come. We inherited their Audubon field guide. And yes, I hear Fantasia !
Your mushrooms are adorable!
I would never be game to eat mushrooms gathered in the wild in my part of the world. Every year here people die because they ate something they thought was an edible mushroom but it was actually deadly.
I live in Australia, I love your post but what is a moral