Day 9 - 21 Days to Free Motion Quilting Success!

Good morning all! My sincerest apologies for not posting yesterday! My husband and I ran the 5th grade cookout yesterday, as well as attended my oldest's 8th grade promotion! When it rains, it pours!


Let's get back to free motion quilting! Before we start on a new exercise, here's a tip that I have found extremely helpful: When you need to take a break, stop with your your needle down. When you start again, stitch in the same place and then keep going. In the past, I tried to move right away from my stopping point, but that would result in long uneven stitches at that point. But now, I take a few stitches in place and then get going again and this seems to have eliminated the problem. Try it!


Today we'll work on a shape that is so versatile: leaves! We'll be sewing these along in row, but they are easy to do in a meanering fashion also. So, let's get started!

Do this vertically to start.

Make one leaf shape, going up one side and down the other.

Add one vein in the middle.

Travel down from here and add a leaf out to the right and add a vein, then repeat to the alternating left and right.

You have a leafy vine! I find this is a nice border treatment. You can expand this by using more intricate shapes for your leaves and adding more veins. The choices are endless!

Happy quilting! -Kris