If you’re like me, you shudder when you hear the words, “Quilt as desired” in the pattern instructions. This is so not helpful for someone who has never quilted a quilt before. How could you be expected to know what you should quilt on your first project? You would think that the pattern design would have some idea about what would look good on their design.
So not fair!
Choosing a quilt motif can be intimidating for even experienced quilters. I recently was talking with Sharon Blackmore of Love Shack Quilts about just this topic when we were doing some filming at my studio for my online club, The Quilter’s Way. One of the most surprising comments that she made to me was that even the most proficient quilter, like Sharon, still feels some uncertainty and anxiety when deciding how to quilt a show quilt. Fortunately, Sharon has lots of experience and she can fall back on her tried and true formulas to get amazing results. She has a system that she uses that helps her make these choices.
I also have a system you can use to help you decide what quilt motif to choose and I’m going to share it with you now. It’s very simple, but it works for most situations:
Contrast Works in Quilting
Use a quilt motif that is contrasting to the type of piecing or designs in the quilt. This makes for a much more interesting finished quilt even if you are just adding the quilting for texture. If the quilt has straight lines in it, try some curvy quilt motifs. If the quilt has curvy lines in it, try some straight-line quilting or could even do walking foot quilting.
Consider the Fabric
If the fabrics in the quilt top are really busy, there’s no point in doing custom quilting with a variety of motifs and quite dense quilting. You won’t see it, so don’t waste your time doing it. Stick to a simple repeating design.
Consider the Use
I also like to consider the use of the quilt before I decide on a quilt motif and even how much quilting I put into the project. A child’s quilt doesn’t merit dense custom quilting, but you do want to be sure that the quilting you do will stand up to multiple washes and lots of dragging around the floor. A 50th anniversary wedding quilt is one of those special, once in a lifetime projects, that definitely merits dense, custom quilting, but only if you don’t expect to use it on a bed.
It isn’t as hard to choose a quilt motif for your quilt when you have some guidelines in place. If you would like to browse some books for ideas you should visit my Free Motion Quilting Books kit where I have gathered together all my favourite books about free motion quilting. Just click here.
Keep practicing!
Creatively,
Download the free Get Out of the Ditch! guide to learn how to start free motion quilting by clicking here.
P.S. Do you strive to improve your quilting skills? Do you want to have fun doing it? Do you want to meet other quilters in a supportive, safe environment? If you answered “yes” to these questions, you need to join The Quilter’s Way. The Quilter’s Way is the only quilting membership site that includes both training and an active, supportive online community. It’s not your grandmother’s quilting circle! Don’t wait another day! Join now.
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