Choosing a quilting design
03-12-2025, 07:57 AM
#11
Super Member
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Ballwin, MO
Posts: 4,621
Lovely quilt!
The most important thing I learned when starting to machine quilt was, you have to go easy on yourself and not have expectations of perfection. Excellent idea to do some practice first!
Personally, I'd start with something simple! You'll need some kind of guidance system if you're going for straight line quilting (drawing lines, using tape, etc). I would suggest starting with some slightly wavy lines, which you could do free-form, placed somewhere within your larger squares. I would stay away from stitch in the ditch, it's not that easy. Doing outline quilting (a short distance away from the seam) is easier than in the ditch, imo.
The most important thing I learned when starting to machine quilt was, you have to go easy on yourself and not have expectations of perfection. Excellent idea to do some practice first!
Personally, I'd start with something simple! You'll need some kind of guidance system if you're going for straight line quilting (drawing lines, using tape, etc). I would suggest starting with some slightly wavy lines, which you could do free-form, placed somewhere within your larger squares. I would stay away from stitch in the ditch, it's not that easy. Doing outline quilting (a short distance away from the seam) is easier than in the ditch, imo.
03-12-2025, 09:51 AM
#12
Power Poster
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Houston, TX
Posts: 10,741
Lovely quilt!
The most important thing I learned when starting to machine quilt was, you have to go easy on yourself and not have expectations of perfection. Excellent idea to do some practice first!
Personally, I'd start with something simple! You'll need some kind of guidance system if you're going for straight line quilting (drawing lines, using tape, etc). I would suggest starting with some slightly wavy lines, which you could do free-form, placed somewhere within your larger squares. I would stay away from stitch in the ditch, it's not that easy. Doing outline quilting (a short distance away from the seam) is easier than in the ditch, imo.
The most important thing I learned when starting to machine quilt was, you have to go easy on yourself and not have expectations of perfection. Excellent idea to do some practice first!
Personally, I'd start with something simple! You'll need some kind of guidance system if you're going for straight line quilting (drawing lines, using tape, etc). I would suggest starting with some slightly wavy lines, which you could do free-form, placed somewhere within your larger squares. I would stay away from stitch in the ditch, it's not that easy. Doing outline quilting (a short distance away from the seam) is easier than in the ditch, imo.
03-12-2025, 10:02 AM
#13
Power Poster
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 18,358
I totally agree. I'd do something simple for your first quilt. Quilting a larger quilt on a domestic machine with a small throat can be a challenge so definitely do something simple. I did echo quilting (quilting close to the seams) a lot at first. It's easy and effective.
While in the early stages of learning, stay simple and remember, less is more!
Choose your batting, so that it does not have to be closely quilted.
Each brand/type will tell you what the minimum quilting distance is.
When you are ready for something a little more difficult, start with something smaller than a big bed sized quilt. Larger quilts add extra challenges ... weight, bulk ... and stuffing it through the small opening of a domestic machine! Thus, better to start with a wall hanging, or a small baby quilt.
Good Luck ... ENJOY the process, and don't beat yourself up when something doesn't go perfect in every way!
03-12-2025, 04:14 PM
#14
Super Member
Join Date: May 2012
Location: S.E. Queensland, Australia
Posts: 1,580
Perhaps this circle meander would look good, and be very forgiving regarding perfection. My sketch isn't perfect either. If using a home sewing machine put your stitch length to 0 and lower the feed dogs. You may need to get an embroidery or hopping foot, and use some scrap sandwich and practice.
03-12-2025, 07:51 PM
#15
Junior Member
Join Date: Aug 2021
Location: Seattle
Posts: 227
Ditto to what Joe's and Cash's moms said. Stitch in the the ditch is HARD when you're starting, I think. Any stitch wavering from the ditch jumps out at you in a way that won't happen if you're not trying to stitch on top of an exact line. Both wavy lines and "echo stitching" are my friend (I'm still a beginner).
My first big quilt was a disappearing 9-patch too, different design from yours though. I'll post pictures here and hope the quilting is visible. This was my first attempt at machine quilting and I did diagonal lines so there was no chance whatever at having it be "off" a ditch. I used painter's tape and it took some tweaking and constant checking to make sure the tape was straight. Even with help of a ruler to lay the tape out, it still tends to "bow" out and not be totally straight. I was pretty happy with the overall look for a first attempt at quilt-by-home-machine though. The tiny mistakes are completely unnoticable when you stand back.
My first big quilt was a disappearing 9-patch too, different design from yours though. I'll post pictures here and hope the quilting is visible. This was my first attempt at machine quilting and I did diagonal lines so there was no chance whatever at having it be "off" a ditch. I used painter's tape and it took some tweaking and constant checking to make sure the tape was straight. Even with help of a ruler to lay the tape out, it still tends to "bow" out and not be totally straight. I was pretty happy with the overall look for a first attempt at quilt-by-home-machine though. The tiny mistakes are completely unnoticable when you stand back.
03-13-2025, 07:03 AM
#16
Member
Join Date: Dec 2018
Location: central Kentucky
Posts: 39
Just Get It Done Quilts (Karen Brown) has a video with a number of easy beginner-friendly quilting ideas using a domestic machine:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2Uv5rCcvH4U
My favorite is the big swooping wave - you only have to mark one wavy line and all the others echo that line more or less. I'm terrible at free motion quilting so I love that this design is curvy but uses a walking foot so the stitches stay uniform.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2Uv5rCcvH4U
My favorite is the big swooping wave - you only have to mark one wavy line and all the others echo that line more or less. I'm terrible at free motion quilting so I love that this design is curvy but uses a walking foot so the stitches stay uniform.
Last edited by Hemlock; 03-13-2025 at 07:11 AM.
