A quilt border doesn’t have to be an afterthought—it can be one more place to have fun with your quilting!
This rainbow border is cheerful, flowing, and easier to quilt than it may seem at first. In this video I’ll show you how I stitch the design and keep the rainbows moving smoothly across the border.
Don’t worry about making every rainbow exactly the same. Small differences give free-motion quilting its personality and make the finished border more interesting.
Give it a try on a practice sandwich first, and then add a little rainbow fun to your next quilt!
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Check out my new, ONLINE, ON-DEMAND Free-Motion Quilting Course
This border design is in the same vein as last week’s “Dancing Branches” border design, except we are quilting loops instead of branches.
The loops don’t have to be perfectly shaped or exactly the same size. Simply travel along the border, forming one double loop after another. Once you step back and look at the finished border, all you will notice is the wonderful texture!
I had the pleasure of being part of the Q&A sessions on all three days of the FMQ Summit. Although I was there to help ANSWER questions, I came away with so many NEW IDEAS!!
My number one takeaway was that I need to explore more types of thread. Several people talked about using an 80-weight thread in the bobbin, noting that the thread sank into the back and provided great texture. Consequently, I got online and bought a sample box of DecoBob Prewound Bobbins
I can’t wait to try them on my next bit of free-motion quilting!!
They also talked at length about using different threads on the top…..from a 100 wt silk thread to a heavy, 12-wt thread.
Right now, I am content with what I am using, but when I have some time, I truly want to explore further and see what I can achieve with other threads!
We also talked about needles and most of the quilters are SO good about changing their needles regularly….like after 8 hours of quilting. I truly need to up my game on this!!
Someone asked a question about basting using pool noodles, and Mary Davis (sponsor of the summit) said she had a YouTube video. I checked it out…..
I love this, especially since it means I won’t have to be scrabbling around on my garage floor!!
The one thing that we ALL agreed on is that you just have to make a start, not expect to be perfect the first time, relax and ….
I thoroughly enjoyed my three days at the FMQ Summit -2026 and can’t wait for next year!!
Thanks Mary for organizing such a wonderful event.
