Category: Free Motion Quilting

A Ribbon Candy Border for your Quilt

Ribbon candy isn’t just a sweet treat—it’s also a lovely quilting design!

With its flowing curves and repeating folds, this free-motion quilting design adds movement and texture to a quilt border. I love the way it creates a decorative finish while giving you a chance to settle into a stitching rhythm.

In today’s video, I’m demonstrating a ribbon candy border so you can follow the movement and try it on your own practice sandwich.

VIEW VIDEO HERE

Before you start stitching, try drawing the design on paper. Practicing the path with a pencil can help you become comfortable with the changes in direction.

Give yourself permission to practice without making every curve identical. You’re building confidence, and that comes one ribbon at a time!

Where would you use ribbon candy quilting on your next quilt?

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You’ve finished piecing your quilt top. Now comes the big question: How am I going to quilt it?

In my on-demand free-motion quilting course, I’ll help you get started, practice at your own pace, and build the confidence to quilt that top yourself.

Explore the Free-Motion Quilting Course

Quilting Waves: A Little More Time, a Lot of Texture


Some quilting designs take a little more time, but when I see the texture they create, I remember why they are worth it!!

This wave design is one of those.

The flowing lines add movement to the quilt, but the TEXTURE is what really makes me smile. Something about those repeated curves makes me want to run my hand across the surface!

It does take a bit longer to quilt. This isn’t a design that I can rush through, so I settle in and enjoy watching the waves develop.

VIEW VIDEO HERE

And as the quilted area grows, the payoff becomes clearer. Those individual lines work together to create a surface with wonderful depth and movement.

Would I use it on every quilt? Probably not. But when I want the quilting to add outstanding texture, this wave design is definitely one to remember!

Sometimes a little extra quilting time makes a BIG difference!!

Do you have a quilting design that takes longer but is always worth the effort?

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Want more ideas for quilting your own quilts? Subscribe to the blog and get each Free Motion Friday post in your inbox.

An accidental Braided Border

I sat down at my machine to learn a quilting border I had seen. Somewhere along the way, my stitching took a different turn—and suddenly I had a braided border design that I really liked!

In the video below, I show you the design and stitch it so you can follow the movement. Watching the lines develop is much easier than trying to explain every turn in words.

VIEW VIDEO HERE

Why I’m keeping this one…

I love a border that adds movement around a quilt, and this braided effect gives me another option when I want the border quilting to be part of the design. I’m looking forward to trying it on a quilt!

Have you ever been practicing one quilting design and ended up discovering another? Tell me what happened in the comments—I’d love to hear about your happy accident.

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You’ve finished piecing your quilt top. Now comes the big question: How am I going to quilt it?

In my on-demand free-motion quilting course, I’ll help you get started, practice at your own pace, and build the confidence to quilt that top yourself.

Explore the Free-Motion Quilting Course

Wobbly Lines Are Where Confidence Begins

It is easy to watch an experienced free-motion quilter create smooth curves and beautiful designs and think, “I could never do that.”

But here is the truth:

Confidence doesn’t arrive before you begin. It grows with every practice sandwich, every imperfect curve, and every design that looks a little different from the one you imagined.

Those early wobbles aren’t failures—they are evidence that you are learning how to coordinate your hands, your machine, and your ideas. Gradually, your movements become smoother, your designs feel more natural, and the lines begin going where you want them to go.

And even experienced quilters still make the occasional wobble. We’ve simply learned to keep quilting and let it become part of the design.

So, lower those feed dogs, take a breath, and start stitching. Your lines don’t have to be perfect.

They just have to begin.

For Free-Motion Quilting ideas, be sure to check out my YouTube channel…… https://www.youtube.com/c/francesquilts/videos

Is It a STAR or a SNOWFLAKE?

Some quilting designs are easy to name. You look at them and immediately know exactly what they are.

This one? Not so much.

Is it a star? Is it a snowflake? Maybe it is a little of both!

That is one of the things I love about free-motion quilting. A simple design can take on a completely different personality depending on the fabric, thread color, and surrounding designs. Quilt this one with white thread on a wintry blue fabric, and it might look like a snowflake. Stitch it in gold thread on a dark background, and suddenly it becomes a sparkling star.

The design begins in the center and works outward, building the points one section at a time. It may look intricate when it is finished, but it is really just a series of simple movements.

VIEW VIDEO HERE

So, what do you think?

Is it a star or a snowflake?

Honestly, I don’t think there is a wrong answer. Just keep quilting and let the design become whatever works for your quilt!

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Want more ideas for quilting your own quilts? Subscribe to the blog and get each Free Motion Friday post in your inbox.