FMQ--How Do You Decide What Style to Use?
 

I've conquered stippling and am ready to try something new. I did do a pattern that looked like cursive F's. I'm following a machine quilting class on quilting. She has shown a few different types, but what she said she mostly done is SID. How do you decide?

For me deciding what to quilt is the hardest part of the whole quilt! I had a quilt on my frame for 3 WEEKS once before I could start quilting. I finally figured out what to do for the 1st border...and quilted it. Then I figured out the next border..and quilted it. Once I got started I kept going pretty well. Color was hard for me when I 1st started quilting and now its pretty much second nature. Hoping that the quilting designs will come easier as I go too. I like to look at a favorite machine quilters site to get ideas..I get lost in there!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jessicasquiltingstudio/

I doodle. Often I will print a picture of my quilt and doodle using either tracing paper and pencil or transparency film and dry erase markers. My favorite places to go for inspiration is Google and I search the images for something similar to what my quilt looks like. Pinterest is another great place for inspiration.

You can also take clues from your fabric. If a large print, you can go around the designs. Soften an angular design with swirls, etc.

WOW, great pics!!! Thanks for the link!

Beautiful quilts soccertxi

I like to look at designs and think about the quilt - who it is for etc. to come up with a design. Like a baby quilt I did last year - I quilted clouds all over it. I printed out a design and laid it on the quilt and kept my eye on the design as I quilted. It came out pretty well. Last quilt I did double circles - mostly I do easy patterns. Not able to do feathers yet but want to learn them. Best advice I've received is to practice, practice, practice!

For some of my quilts I try and quilt with the theme so if I did a music quilt I quilted music notes. That being said I want to start getting into feathers and such. They look so beautiful.

I trace out a design on tracing paper and put it on the quilt to see if that is what I want.

I've just started a series of articles on my blog on this very subject! I'm starting by covering what the different types of quilting are, and then some ideas on how to narrow down what to choose.

I've been machine quilting professionally for over 10 years now, and I still get stumped at times. And other times, as soon as the quilt comes in the door, I know exactly what I'm going to do.

It does get easier the more you do it and the more you look at different quilts - online, in magazines & books, at quilt shows, etc.

Andi