Silver Needle

Are you planning to quilt this yourself or are you planning on taking it to a long arm quilter? If you are thinking of doing it yourself there is some thin paper on a roll you can get from kingsmen's quilting that you can write or trace on then lay it over your quilt to audition it. As a long arm quilter I like to get the client as involved as possible in the quilt design process. By asking the right questions I am able to help you realize the vision or feel you are working toward.

PaperPrincess

Another book showing different quilting patterns for the same top is Machine Quilting Solutions by Christine Maraccini. The thing I like is that she gives practical reasons for choosing the type and design choices.

Cybrarian

I hope the quilting mag staffs are reading this. Having a couple of suggested approachs and some step by step in how to execute it would be very helpful. Even B&H and Quiltmaker don't go far enough. Thanks for posting!

hopetoquilt

BEST IDEA I EVER SAW... purchase a 20 inch piece of plexiglass. CAREFULLY use a dry erase marker to audition different designs on top of the plexiglass and lay it on the quilt. This gives you a good idea of how the design would work. You can use the books from Leah Day for inspiration or bookmarked quilts from some of your favorites on this forum.

BTW... I firmly believe that just as "cozy" describes a cramped and impossibly tiny home, "quilt as desired" really means they were too lazy to come up with a few decent ideas to display.

BSKTLOFR-QUILTER

Patsy Thompson has DVDs and books on free motion. Leah Day has free motion quilting designs online. I am new to this so am attempting some stipling and feathers. Right now I'm doing a log cabin and want to do a pine cone design. Guess what, I can't find one. So I'm going to start drawing....and I'm NOT an artist. I attended a machine quilting class and it was strongly suggested to get out a piece of paper and start drawing, and drawing, and drawing. Draw a design you like 10 times and that trains your brain on how the flow goes. I believe the key is practice, practice, practice. Okay, I start tomorrow right after I finish cutting fabric for a quilt. There seems to be something else I can find to do. I guess I need to set a time to pick up that pencil and get started.

jaciqltznok

print costs money! Quilt as desired means there are sooooo many choices, and with so few people quilting their own quilts anyway, they figure why waste the ink/paper!

Invest in some of the electric quilt/quiltmaker software that allows you to print off hundreds of quilting designs you can choose from! STUDY quilt books that show quilts done like yours so you can see how others quilted them. Or even Helen's print and use designs. Golden threads also has a CD-ROM with pantographs you can print off to use with the Golden threads paper!

As for tieing..I don't think anyone needs a Graph/chart/pix to show you how to tie..you just aim for intersections and knot!

get some clear folders or the over head projector transparency sheets and draw some designs on them to audition on YOUR quilt!

faykilgore

Some of the older block books had the quilting lines included with the block, which as a new quilter, I really appreciated and followed religiously. I'm still a newbie to FMQ so must practice before I will put the needle on the actual quilt (a standard-throated Bernina). I like making a practice block with fabric scraps, pinning it into a sandwich, then drawing the design on it and doing multiple practice runs. With the drawn-on design, you get an idea of how it will look. The first run gives a better visual, then the rest of the runs are just practice to get the flow going. The key is to do this right before doing the actual quilting. If I have to put it down for very long, I have to get the practice block back out and build back up to it. I really hate taking out quilting stitches.

nstitches4u

I agree with your idea of a book that shows several different quilting patterns to use for each quilt. I can copy really well, but I can't look at a quilt and say, "I know the perfect quilting pattern to use on this.". I need all the help I can get. lol

AliKat

I think the book I am thinking of is: Quilting makes the Quilt. It has different quilts and shows each quilted 4 different ways. It shows there are options.

I just doodle on a plastic sleeve over a print out of the quilt top til I find what I like.

This might make a good guild challenge. Everyone make the same quilt but allowed different fabric and different quilting options. Hmmm.

ali

carla m

i too have trouble deciding how to quilt my tops especially since i quilt by check which means i have to let someone
else decide or suggest since im a semi beginner as well. i see things i really love like charismah curls or beauitful
feathering however i have no idea how it will look on my particular quilt. i just got a baby quilt back from the local quilter and she suggested a tractor pattern since it had farmall fabric and tractors fussy cut and 4 patch squares and a multiple tractor fabric border. i put a rusty marbly red back on it and the tractors quilted on it was perfect. it really pulled the farm theme together. most of the time i just say do whatever you think would look good this time it was perfect and she does a good job im always pleased but it would be nice to have a vision of an alternative.
carla m