Free Motion Quilting | susies-scraps.com

Quilting Daisies

Hello Dear Friends and Readers,

Free motion quilting is a really great way for Home Quilters to quilt their own quilts. I think this is especially applicable if the quilt is made to be used, for example;

A utilitarian quilt. A quilt which has been made to be well utilised by the recipient, not just for display.
A very scrappy quilt. Making scrap quilts can mean that the quilting may be a bit lost. It may be more about the patchwork than the quilting. Here, the main role of the quilting is to hold the layers together and to give the quilt texture.
If finances are tight, quilting ones own quilt certainly can be an option.
A baby quilt. Heavy quilting is not necessarily desirable. It’s an easier project to handle.
Just for fun.

Personally, I just like it. I believe that it gives the quilt an artistic expression. It makes it unique. I think it gives the quilt a personality of its own. It certainly doesn’t have to be perfect (unless you are planning to show it). Once the quilt is completed, any minor anomalies are lost, because the overall effect is just lovely.

Free Motion Quilting Part 4 – Begin FMQ

It’s important to know an expensive machine is not necessary. All of this quilting has been done on a vintage Singer.

Vintage Singer 201K and FMQ

Getting back to the daisies now. I love to quilt daisies. This is one of my very very favourite motifs to use for free motion quilting. It’s a simple design. I adapt a “quilt to fit” strategy.

Here is an example. For this quilt I decided to quilt small dasies at the centre of the quilt. The space for quilting between the floral fabrics was not that large, so I thought small dasies would be appropriate.

As I moved to the outer part of the quilt, I used larger dasies to fill the larger space. You can see the smaller dasies in the background.

Then when I got to the border, I created a “daisy chain” pattern to go around their edges.

Rolling Scroll and Daisy Chain Free Motion Quilting

So you can see the design is adaptable while still having a coordinated theme. All of this is truly free motion quilting. I do not mark the fabric at any stage.

When I quilt the dasies, I use five petals – odd numbers always look better. I use a curved line to leave the daisy and approach the next one. I always prepare for free motion quilting by drawing the continuous line drawing on paper to prepare my mind.

Free Motion Quilting Part 2 Sewing Set Up