One of the biggest questions that I get when I am teaching Free-Motion Quilting classes is “How do I quilt MY quilt?”
My answer is ……
It can be daunting to stand in front of your finished top and see it as a WHOLE. The trick is to break it down into sections and….
Start with what you know!!
If your quilt is laid out in blocks and sashes, you probably want to do some “in-the-ditch” stitching to stabilize the quilt sandwich. So….do that first!!
It doesn’t matter if you have NO idea what you are doing next!!
I can almost guarantee that, as you quilt those straight lines, your mind will be playing around with other designs in the quilt and you will get an idea of what to do next!
When you get stuck again, lay the quilt down on a table or the floor, or hang it on your design wall. Step back from it and have a good look at it, asking yourself these questions…..
- What do I want to emphasize on this quilt?
- What do I want to HIDE on this quilt?
- What other shapes appear (blur your eyes or squint at it)?
- How much quilting do I WANT to do on it? If it is a quick quilt, pull out the walking foot and quilt fast!!! If it is a fancy quilt, spend more time on the quilting.
The takeaway here is to JUST START!!!
Are you in a rut with your machine quilting? Sure, you know HOW to do FMQ and you have 4 or 5 patterns that you do well. BUT, you are bored with those designs and need a push to try some new things. If so, please join “MOVE-IT…. a Free-Motion Quilting Boot Camp”!! I will take you on a FREE 10-week journey to learn new designs and become more comfortable with just MOVING IT!! You can sign up by clicking HERE