The Spinning Square – A Machine Quilting Tutorial

Machine Quilting, Tutorial, Lori Kennedy, Spinning Squares

Good Morning, Quilters!

Have you been out for a walk yet today?  Perhaps a Yoga Class or even Spin Class?

Make a plan for moving more today and set an alarm–#NoExcuses!

The hardest part is ripping yourself away from whatever you’re doing…Once you’re moving…it’s easy—just like today’s motif!

THE SPINNING SQUARE

This motif looks difficult, but it’s really easy once you get started.

Start by drawing a square.  In the sample below, the square is 3 inches.

Stitch counter-clockwise all the way around the square.

Begin the next revolution, by offsetting slightly.

Machine Quilting, Tutorial, Lori Kennedy, Spinning Squares Continue stitching counter clockwise around the square, angling in each time.Machine Quilting, Tutorial, Lori Kennedy, Spinning Squares

Machine Quilting, Tutorial, Lori Kennedy, Spinning Squares

Each successive revolution will be smaller…

Machine Quilting, Tutorial, Lori Kennedy, Spinning Squares

 

Machine Quilting, Tutorial, Lori Kennedy, Spinning Squares

Tie off in the center.

Machine Quilting, Tutorial, Lori Kennedy, Spinning Squares

This technique works well for any shape.

Divide your square into to triangles for example.

Machine Quilting, Tutorial, Lori Kennedy, Spinning SquaresThis motif would work well on a plain square, or on a log cabin.

Remember-doodle first and then give this a try!

Lori

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

18 responses to “The Spinning Square – A Machine Quilting Tutorial”

  1. I took a class on zentangle quilting a couple of years ago, and went through this pattern (Rick’s Paradox? Someone’s paradox, anyway, LOL). The secondary patterns possible are so very pretty, and look so complicated, in spite of being made entirely from straight lines.

  2. I was making microwave bowels for the family and found a version of this motif easy but elegant

    1. Spell check has now gone too far !! Is that towels or bowls? Sometimes my daughter and I exchange the boo-boos it makes in our typing… Hilarious! I used to think American people couldn’t spell, but decided it is our Spell Check who cannot spell. Dear Connie, your “speller” gave me a good chuckle to begin my day!

  3. Love all of your ideas, Lori, BUT my question is – how do you machine (using a domestic machine) quilt these designs on large bed size quilts? (Twin, Queen)?
    Lillian K

  5. I have been doodling this for the past couple weeks; can’t wait to try it on the “real deal”.

    1. Great question–and always a dilemma! I cut off at the center and started over. You could retrace a line back to the next square or triangle depending on the weight of the thread. I tried to design a way out of this, but it always looked too messy and you lost the look of the design.

      1. Thanks, Lori. I love all the motifs you show – especially the nautical ones.

  8. Wonderful! It is also a great design to use in pieced log cabin — using the corners of the logs as your “hit” points. Allison C. Bayer, Plano, Texas USA

  11. I found this design in Angela Walter’s Book “Shape by Shape” along with her wavy line variation. The wavy lines are easier because you don’t have to keep your lines straight. It turned out very nice. It looks like a square rose.

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