Why So Many of Us Can’t Stipple or Meander…

March 5, 2015

Free motion Quilting, Stipple stitch, Meander stitchAs I have mentioned many times, I want to Ban the Stipple quilting stitch and it’s larger cousin, the Meander stitch.  Now, I know many of you like these stitches, and it’s nothing personal…it’s just that every beginner is told to “just stipple”…

I did a quick Google search of how to stipple and here are some of the descriptions and directions:

  • “Stippling is closely spaced, random quilting lines that do not cross and are gently curved.”
  • “Draw Amoebas”
  • “It should look like a jigsaw puzzle.”
  • “Stitch a wiggling, meandering line that doesn’t cross itself.”
  • “Wiggle but don’t cross’

REALLY???? No wonder so many beginners get frustrated and quit Free Motion Quilting!

Stick with me a minute…while I share a story…

When my daughters were in high school, they were all life guards at our local swimming pool. Whenever one of the little Tykes started running on the wet pavement (very dangerous)-the life guards were instructed to shout “WALK!”… They didn’t shout “DON’T RUN!”…

Here’s the reason:  Our brain works fastest when we tell it what we SHOULD DO, not when we tell it what NOT to do…

Free motion Quilting, Stipple stitch, Meander stitch

Now back to quilting…

Instructions like:  Start on the bottom line, stitch straight up.  Stitch a half circle…we can all follow these directions….(especially when there’s a photo to go with it!)

Whereas instructions like:  Stitch amoebas, don’t cross over, wiggle…are much more difficult to follow.

So if you’re one of the many people who has trouble with Stippling or Meandering…you are NORMAL!  Just move on…there are so many choices…

Doodle to Design on Craftsy

 Happy Stitching,

Lori

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

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