When it comes to deciding what quilting designs to use on your quilt, start by identifying the most important part of the quilt. It could be the pattern, the inspiration behind the quilt, or the recipient. But sometimes, it’s all about the fabric!
Tell me if this sounds familiar…..
You finally, finally, finally used that fabric you have been hoarding, I mean, collecting. It was scary to cut into because it’s out of print, but you were brave and carried on and actually used it in a quilt. You patted yourself on the back, because you not only finished a quilt top, but used up some of your stash. But then dread sets in……how do you quilt it? You don’t want to ruin your beautiful quilt top…….so you set it aside until you decide the perfect quilting design.
Sound familar? Or is that just something that goes through my head? Don’t answer that! Let’s just pretend you have a friend that has felt something similar.
Well it just so happens that I recently machine quilted a quilt that fits that description. It’s a truly epic quilt made by my friend Julie Herman of Jaybird quilts.
This huge quilt was adapted from her Candy Dish pattern using her super versatile Hex N More Ruler.
This quilt isn’t epic just because it’s gigantic…..it also has fabric from Tula Pink’s first 19 fabric collections.
Julie spent years and years collecting all the special prints. Not to mention all the time it to took to lay out the fabrics and piece the quilt. It’s easy to say that the fabric is definitely the most important part of this quilt!
Showing Off the Fabric
Want to show off your favorite quilting fabric prints? Here are a few of my favorite machine quilting tips:
Follow the Theme of the Fabric
If all the prints in the quilt have a similar theme, then it’s pretty easy to keep the quilting within that same theme. Let’s imagine that I am quilting a quilt made up of floral fabrics. If I wanted to quilt an allover design, I would probably go with a flower meander. Or if the fabrics had geometric prints, maybe some Dot to Dot quilting would be fun.
However, this tip doesn’t work for all quilts, especially if the fabric doesn’t have a consistent theme. Julie’s Epic quilt is a perfect example of that…..the prints cover a range of fabric collections with several different themes. That’s when I rely on the next step…….
Highlight Designs
Do you know what I love about fabric designers? Besides the fact that they make me drool with their beautiful designs…….I love that they have already done all the work for me! Highlighting the prints is as easy as quilting around the details that they have already provided.
This is my favorite way to show off fun focal prints, such as the ones that Tula Pink is known for designing.
Before you get scared, let me point out that you only have to show off the details that you want to show off. You don’t have to quilt around every single detail on the fabric……not only is that time-consuming, it can be overwhelming.
Instead, go around your favorite details then quilt an all-over design in the rest of the block. It’s like a choose your own adventure! It’s makes the quilting that you choose impactful and easy!
Texture, Texture, Texture
Sometimes you will find yourself quilting a quilt made of blender fabrics, or fabrics with no focal elements.
If the fabric doesn’t have anything highlight with the quilting, then you need to switch your mindset to designs that have a nice all-over texture. The main goal in this instance is to not let the quilting distract from your fabrics.
Using a thread color that blends in with the quilt top will allow the quilting to almost disappear into the quilt.
I also like to use designs that have consisted spacing. This prevents any one part of the design from showing up more than the others. In Julie’s quilt, I used designs like the Plume Feather, Swirl Feather and just plain ‘ol swirls.
The main idea is repetitive designs that blend into the quilt.
Video: Quilting the Epic Quilt
It just so happens that I put together a video showing me work on Julie Herman’s Epic quilt from start to finish. Check it out:
Your Turn
What do you think? Have you machine quilted quilts where the fabric was the most important thing? What designs did you use?
Happy Quilting!
This was the perfect video for me to watch today . . . I have one of those quilts half loaded right now and have been thinking about what to do where. As always, watching you quilt is inspiring and is so helpful, I often rewatch your videos as a kind of practice. I rewatch your plume feather tutorial every time I’m going to be quilting it a lot. Thank you!
Loved this video and your explanations for each area.
All I can say is WOW! Amazing quilt and amazing quilting. Thanks for sharing.
Boy did she choose the right person to machine quilt this piece. Extraordinary and well done. Her piecing. Your skill.
Hi Angela! Love your videos and ideas and really enjoy watching you quilt! I have a question about bobbin thread. As you change colors on the quilt, do you change bobbins to match, or do you use a neutral throughout? Thanks for all you share!
Angela, I absolutely love your quilt show. It really makes me feel that I might actually be able to do free motion quilting. All your ideas about how to quilt different parts is so helpful. You get so much done in a day. I had a silly question. Do you get paid for advertising wine? It seems like the wine is always front and center in your show. I’ve noticed that a lot of shows on Netflix and other places also seem to be advertising alcohol, so I was wondering if you were.
Hi Angela,
Love all your ideas on quilting different spaces.
Question…..Why do you float your quilt tops?
I love watching your relaxed way of quilting. You did a wonderful job on this one. Thanks for sharing.
This was amazing! I love how you take a great big “elephant” and quilt him one “bite” at a time. I truly enjoy your videos and appreciate all the time you put into making them. I am working up the courage to do some of my own quilting rather than “quilt by check”. Be well and thank you.
Great to see you tackle one that does not have lots of negative space, ie, one where you don’t want the quilting to with fight with the fabric…
Always seems like you give a fresh take on how to use your quilting designs…
Thanks again.
What do I think? I think you are amazing, Angela! It’s such fun to watch you quilt and you have a million ideas for different designs. I am learning loads. Thank you for sharing your talent and love of quilting. I can’t help but get excited when I see what you do.
That quilt is beautiful Julie is going to love it. I don’t no her, but she is so lucky to have you
( lucky woman ). I like the way you Change up the quilting pattern to hi-light the motif in the pattern
Thanks for all the time you give use, so we can watch your work, it make me want to work harder
To get my quilt done
Oh My Golly!!! That is beautiful! Question… Do you ditch-stitch around each hexie or triangle? Just curious.
Love the quilt and the quilting! How many different thread colors did you use and where?
I get so inspired watching you produce these amazing results! I can only hope that eventually –with a lot of practice– maybe one day I can learn to machine quilt something beautiful too! Thanks for sharing your tips with us!!!
It was really fun to see your choices for the different fabrics. At the very start of the video, just to the right of your head, there is a hexagon with a strong stripe in it (orange and black in the center of the stripe, green at the outer parts). Can you tell us what type of quilting pattern you put there, please? Thanks so much!
Beautiful quilt — the fabrics, piecing and quilting! It’s certainly big! How will it be used?
Thanks! Love the fabric, the quilt and your quilting. I am in awe of your energy and how real you are. You break it all down and make it seem doable. I also appreciate your attitude and how nothing has to be, or will be (even for you) perfect, but not to fret about it. I am inspired and ready to get to work.
Fabulous job!!! Thanks for sharing it with us.
Hi Angela,
How many times did you change thread color?
Thank you for this. It will help as I start.the process of learning to machine quilt on my domestic machine. I was wondering if you could show what to do when the design is not so straight forward? For example, I am finishing making an Allison Glass tessellation quilt. That”s a whole other thing: solid colors, irregular shapes, no distinct pattern.
Thank you for simplifying my concerns on how to stitch all the different prints a quilt. I learned so much watching this video. Just learning to to use my sit-down long arm and now I am pretty sure I am not ready for a large quilt but I loved your suggestions for the different designs in your quilting. Of course you made it look so easy. Loved this video.
What perfect timing! I’m getting ready to start one today, and these lessons will work perfectly on it. Thank you!
Love all your ideas! I am a beginner quilter and I have used the long arm twice. You make it look easy but I know From first hand experience how easy it is to go wobbly. I try to use threads that blend to cover some of those boo boos. Love your blog!
wow what an amazing quilt. The quilting apart from the sandwiching is the wosrt part for me hence about 8 quilts waiting to be completed. Being a no good quilter I generally do just basic lines going diagonally through blocks etc. have now bought a janome 8900 so maybe will get a bit more confident when I pluck up courage to use it