what's your favorite free motion quilting design?
 

Hopefully no one will find this too silly. ;) For those of you who FMQ what's your favorite design?

I'm most comfortable (and like it the best) when doing a meandering curlique. Not sure if that's even a name but when I first started I played around with what was comfortable and where my hands seem to want to go. Next would be a meandering bow which would be just another loop on the curlique.

I prefer a non FMQ: crosshatching.

I also cross hatch or "on the bank" (aka next to stitch in the ditch) about 1/4" from the seam.

The first FMQ design I used was a cute 3" double heart motif from Quilting Creations (HH19). I was absolutely shocked at how easy it was. The continuous lines had arrows and the whole thing was so much fun. I probably would have given up on FMQ if I had ruined the baby quilt I was quilting, but marking this pattern was the training wheels I needed to get started with FMQ and it is still one of my favorite designs.

I like to do a meander, a meander with hearts and the one I've attached a pic of. I don't have a name for it but it's easy!

My first, and favorite, FMQ design is swirls. They kind of look like waves. My latest favorite is woodgrain.

McTavishing

Flowers: I start with a small tight swirl for the center, then I go around and around, adding several "layers" of petals, not necessarily all the same size, until I get the size I want. I've just finished a quilt where I did this type of flower in the center of each block.

Puzzle pieces and swoops that I call a fleur de lis. Recently I tried curl e q's and that went really fast since I could cross over the threads.

Paisley.

Watson

When I am in a hurry and it is a quilt that needs lots of support for heavy use, stippling all over works great! It depends on the design though. With embroidery work I like free form echo. With a outside border, I like to do a straight lines repeated or channel stitched look. It is a nice look and washes well. All over Cross hatching with a walking foot is a fast and acceptable quilting alternative too for baby quilts.

I am a feather girl! Try it out on a white board still you like your feather shapes and figure out how to get around corners. Make yourself get STUCK in a corner so you know how to get out of there! I could feather everyday....its fun and mesmerizing...

feathers..... They seem to go fast and fill the space well most of the time.

my other favorite, but not used as much is lined pebbles (sometimes I like to do them as the spine of the feathers)

Love to do feathers but I also like loops, pebbles, leaves, paisley, clam shells..... The only one I cannot do is meander/stipple.

Ditto. I cannot do meander/stipple no matter how I try. I started with feathers and enjoy FMQ them. Slowly I am attempting a couple new stitches.

I like things that add texture, so I enjoy doing pebbles and matchsticks a lot, but I also like doing feathers, paisley, clamshell, flowers, loops and spirals. I also enjoy fmqing with rulers as well, I use them when I want circles, curves and straight lines without any wobbling. Come to think of it I like doing just about every Fmq design I've ever tried, though I have to admit that for some reason stippling has never been my strong point. I also like to sit down with smaller (1 yard or less) pieces of fabric or felt and just doodle--- it's a great no stress way to try out new threads, color combinations etc and sometimes end up with a nice little wall piece.

Rob

Cobblestones are my least favorite. I've liked the rest that I have tried. Zigzag echo's are hard but I keep trying.

Before I would even consider FMQ I was fascinated by a large meander. I mastered that, pretty much, and have done some other designs, and will probably continue practicing, but to me there is something satisfying about the meander. It's not all I do, because I still do straight line quilting too.

I like meandering....

Stippling and Feathers.

I like a lot of different ones -- it really just depends on the quilt's design. I love thread painting! So much fun! But I guess if I had to pick just one, it would be feathers. I love seeing how they transform when used in different ways -- wreaths, in corners, as an all-over design, feathered hearts -- the different shapes available, being able to add in little flourishes & curly-cues & paisleys ... there just seem to be so many options!

Feathers on versions thereof

I started with a standard meander, but it isn't any harder to meander with stars or hearts or leaves. I also have done adorable pumpkins on a set of table items for fall. I like headbands (which is what I call the design Diannia posted) when I need a more solid quilting. I am still working on doing a nice ribbon in sashing or borders; I just can't seem to get that one right.

meandering stippling is all I can do.