Fmq
 

What is YOUR FAVORITE FMQ design?
I am just learning to FMQ and wanting some ideas .
Thanks ahead of time for your help. :)

The one I seem best able to so is loopy swirls. I don't have to worry about crossing lines, because I'm supposed to in this design. Just is a nice easy stitch to do.

I mostly do stipple and not all that well. Still need lots of practice.

Here are 365+ ideas, each with a description and video showing Leah actually doing the stitching.
http://www.daystyledesigns.com/365project.htm

btw, Craftsy is running a half price sale on their classes - including Leah's FMQ class - now only $19.99 (until tomorrow)
http://www.craftsy.com/classes/quilt...eahDay_holiday

I like to do loops with leaves or stars or hearts. As long as the amount of quilting is consistent, any design will look fine. I also do a lot of meandering. The way I keep the size of my turns about the same size is to imagine going around a coin. If I want it to to be big curvy lines, I think about going around a 50 cent piece, first in one direction and then the other. If I want it tighter, I imagine going around a nickel or dime. Good luck! Post back and show us your progress.

I have fun with waves, loops and swirls. I've also hidden names in the meander.

I do a large stipple, I love the looks and I love it.

I do mostly meandering and enjoy it. I made a quilt for my son who is a musician and used a treble clef design in various sizes in some of the border areas. It turned out great and they are fun to do.

I like to take inspiration from the fabrics themselves. If it's a floral, I do simple flowers, etc. I also have one of those really cheap projectors like we used in grade school, the kind that enlarges images on the wall so you can trace them onto a piece of paper. I will copy a fairly simple motif from the print like maybe a butterfly, a pumpkin or a snail. Then I make a stencil from that tracing and mark it on the quilt top with a washout pen. It's labor intensive, I agree, but it adds a unique special touch to each quilt. And I really only have to throw a few of those in amongst the stippling, they don't have to cover the whole thing.

I like Ann Petersen's FMQ class on Craftsy. You learn to do a lot and end up with a wall hanging.

I'm not good at FMQ, so my favorite design is an all over stipple.

do you mean an all over battern I assume you do.

If you mean all over.........it has been my experience as a quilt judge that the all over rmq is the most mis used design the quilter may select. Some designs are not for every quilt - or rather "one design fits all". For example doing a meandering on a 1930 or before reproduction quilt is not appropriate because it was not used in that period. The same for prints. If the quilt is a more masculine look then an all over of roses of flowers or even feathers may not be compatiable with the look of the quilt. However, if one is making quilts for charity then the all over meandering probaby works.
So, I don't think it is a case of one's "favorite" fmq design but carefully choosing the one that enhances the basic quit. It may depend on what the quilt is for and to whom it wil be given.The many many all over designs may be easy to do but they are not always appropriate for the quilt.

When I was starting out I did a lot of stippling, but here's a link to a blog post of mine with pictures of a wallhanging where I did my favorte no-think all over design...

http://pumpkinpatchquilter.blogspot....ay-finish.html

To be honest I have no idea what it's called, but it looks good on just about anything and I love how it looks from the back too. :)

my AhHA moment came when I was watching a DVD by the Pajama quilter (she is great for beginners by the way...very encouraging!) She practices her designs on a dry erase board. don't put your wrist down as you are trying to teach your arm the movement. I had some REALLY ugly designs to start and still go back to that dry erase board when I want to learn a new design. Just use the low odor markers- ask me how I know! lolol