Baptist Fan Pattern
 

Seen many beautiful quilts on the net quilted with the Baptist Fan pattern. Have searched the internet for a marking template so I can use it on a quilt I will do on my home machine....no real luck. I've been told that the marking tools out there are for long arm quilters. Can you use this tool on your home machine or is there another way to mark your quilt and then use a walking foot to quilt it?

If you are planning on using a walking foot you will have to turn the quilt when you get to the end of every arc. May be difficult on a larger quilt. Having said that, I know that folks quilt this pattern on a domestic machine. I'm sure someone with experience will chime in with info on how they did it.

There are tons of stencils out there if your goal is to mark your quilt with a marked line to follow while stitching. I don't know anyone who's done a Baptist fan with a walking foot, though. It's usually done with a darning foot as a continuous line (FMQ) design.

Here are some links to some stencils, though, in case they may be of some help to you. You may have have to make your own stencils, though, in order to get the fans large enough to do with a walking foot. You might try the Golden Threads papers. Or else I've made templates with a hot knife (avail at local craft store) and standard template plastic before. Just draw your lines & cut.
https://www.fulllinestencil.com/shop...7-baptist-fan/
https://www.connectingthreads.com/to...n__D82321.html
http://www.quiltbug.com/notions/quilt-stencils-3.htm

Here's one that's a single Baptist fan template, but larger:
https://www.amazon.com/Wrights-2-Inc...tpmotherhoo-20
Don't Call Me Betsy website claims it's big enough to do with a walking foot.

Many years ago when I would go to quilting club with my mother, the ladies quilted baptist fans using a template my father had made. He took a piece of plexi glass about 12" or more long (can't remember that far back) and about 2-3" wide then he drilled holes in it the distance apart my mon wanted. To use it she put a tack or something like that in the hole in the end, then put a pencil in each hole drawing the arc where she wanted. She was way ahead of her time. Sure do miss her.

I found the stencils for sale at Amazon and Esty:
https://www.google.com/search?q=bapt...sQsAQIJw&dpr=1
You can't quilt this stencil with a walking foot. It has to be FMQ.

Bonnie Hunter has a tutorial on her site on how she does this.
http://quiltville.blogspot.ca/2010/0...s-on-fans.html

Here's a tutorial to mark using a circle cut ruler.

http://www.dontcallmebetsy.com/2012/...tist-fans.html

How about this??

http://www.dontcallmebetsy.com/2012/...tist-fans.html

It's a tutorial for FMQ Baptist Fans.

Hope it helps!

This is my quilt that I machine quilted on my DSM recently. I marked the entire top with a stencil from the stencil company, and then quilted it. I tried to mark it using the circle ruler, but it wasn't working for me. I think using a walking foot would be pretty tedious on a DSM.....

https://instagram.com/p/BDoFbv5s9eK/

Thank you ladies. Would you believe that I've had the Circle Cut by Sharon Hultgren/EZ Quilting all along and never thought about it? Sometimes when you have too much stuff you forget what you already have. Everyone's help was greatly appreciated...and I'll be using the free motion foot and NOT the walking foot!!

boy i did one years ago and don't remember how. did not fmq it though, i know that.

One of my Mother's favorite quilting design was the baptist fan...she used a piece of thing and a piece of regular chalk...as she finished one line, she would take her thumb and finger and go up on the string to make it shorter and mark the next quilting line...I watched her do this many times...and she would hand quilt quilts for people for $25...working on a quilt frame hung from the ceiling..I have several of her hand quilted quilts...which I treasure...I miss her so much, she lived to be almost 94 and had quilted her whole adult life...

Your quilt looks great, and thanks for the information, especially that you would pre-baste so you don't get puckers. I'd like to know why the Circle Cut didn't work for you and how that is different from the one you bought special for the project.

Good for you that you are not going to try to use a walking foot.

Linda, i started marking my quilt top with the circle ruler, and it was taking me forever. I just couldn't seem to get into a rythm. The stencil I purchased had little register marks and was much easier for me to use. Give your ruler a try though! You may find that it works great for you!

I use a very old method to mark my quilt if I'm doing the baptist fan. I have a pencil on a string. I hold one end firmly in place and draw the fan by pulling the pencil the distance I want the lines apart and draw an arc. I mark as many arcs as I want( a6-9) then move the string to the outside line edge straight across from the starting point and begin the arcs again. I have tied small knots in the string so I get even distances between the lines at times. The pencil has always washed out. If I was afraid it wouldn't, now I use frixion pens and have had no problem with them not washing out.

Linda, so glad you already have what you need to mark it.
It wasn't clear from your post ... have you ever done FMQ before? If not, I'd definitely recommend getting a yard or 2 of scrap fabric & batting so you can practice first. I generally hear it takes about 8 hours of practice to learn to do basic FMQ designs ... that's probably about what it took me to get something even halfway decent. Going with a 8-10" design will help, but all the back and forth turns in the Baptist Fan design take a bit to get the hang of.

If I've assumed wrong & you are a practiced FMQ'er, please forgive me. I guess I've just seen too many posts on the Board from people who thought their expertise with the walking foot would translate to FMQ work ... and were intensely disappointed to find it is a whole different skill set.