The Sweep–An Essential Quilt Doodle

October 13, 2016
FMQ, Doodles, Lori Kennedy

Quilt Doodles

Good Morning, Quilters and Doodlers!

We’re back to doodling today with a doodle every machine quilter should know–The Sweep. 

The Sweep is the building block of a wide variety of motifs like Twisted Rope, Feathers, Braided Wheat and many more.  You use “The Sweep” any time you stitch from one line to another parallel line.  The key is to develop YOUR SIGNATURE “Sweep”.

The basic Sweep would look like this:

Quilt Doodles

But that is too mechanical looking…not pretty for quilting.  To achieve a prettier look–doodle, doodle, doodle–until you get your own Sweep.  This may take 1000 repetitions over several sessions.

Quilt Doodles

I prefer to practice this on lined paper and draw from the bottom toward the top–so I rotate the paper.

Start with the left to right Sweep.  Start on a line and “sweep” to another line as shown.

Quilt Doodles

Once you’re comfortable with the Right Sweep,

Try the Left Sweep.  (1000 times or until you get YOUR SWEEP!) 

Quilt Doodles

Once you can Sweep left and right, try bigger and bigger Sweeps.

Quilt Doodles

And then try “echo-doodling” back to the center line after each Sweep.

Now it’s starting to look like quilting!

Quilt Doodles

Be sure to practice Sweeping (not dusting or vacuuming) this week...we’ll be adding on next Thursday.

screen-shot-2016-10-12-at-12-38-07-pm

Happy Quoodling,

Lori

PS…All tutorials, images and information are the property of Lori Kennedy at The Inbox Jaunt and are intended for personal use.  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!

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