Free-Motion Quilting
Contents
1. Frames Fillers Hundreds of Ideas Eva A Larkin Martingale Create with Confidence Easy and Fun Free Motion Quilting Frames Fillers Hundreds of Ideas 2012 by Eva A Larkin Martingale 19021 120th Ave NE Ste 102 Bothell WA 98011 9511 USA ShopMartingale com eBook Edition 2013 No part of this product may be reproduced in any form unless otherwise stated in which case reproduction is limited to the use of the purchaser The written instructions photographs designs projects and patterns are intended for the personal noncommercial use of the retail purchaser and are under federal copyright laws they are not to be reproduced by any electronic mechanical or other means including informational storage or retrieval systems for commercial use Permission is granted to photocopy patterns for the personal use of the retail purchaser Attention teachers Martingale encourages you to use this book for teaching subject to the restrictions stated above The information in this book is presented in good faith but no warranty is given nor results guaranteed Since Martingale has no control over choice of materials or procedures the company assumes no responsibility for the use of this information Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data is available upon request eISBN 978 1 60468 185 7 Original Source ISBN 978 1 60468 184 0 Dedication i To God who promises to never leave2. us and never forsake us and to my dad whose love constantly amazes me Acknowledgments I can t begin to thank my dad enough His support and encouragement have been endless over the past couple of years Like so many others one day I found myself abandoned and bewildered after many years of marriage I couldn t imagine any kind of future for myself and quite frankly didn t want one But God Dad and Martingale gave me hope God helped me hold on to the idea that I wasn t worthless and blessed my first book with Martingale It seemed like every letter and call from Martingale came at just the right moment to give me the strength and courage to keep moving God also filled my heart with the dream of writing another free motion quilting book and my dad refused to let me give up on this dream even on the days when I felt like I had only half a mind left Every baby step I took to rebuild my life and work on the book was met with love and encouragement Now I know that each day brings new hope and dreams really do come true 11 15 19 26 82 84 96 Contents Introduction Getting Started Free Motion Quilting Basics Stippling Simplified The Design Mechanics Combining Elements for Fantastic Designs What and Where to Quilt Gallery About the Author Introduction Hello Quilters a Deciding how to quilt a completed quilt top has frustrated many quilters It of
3. Is the fabric pillowing around the stitches If it s not the tension needs to be tight ened turned to a higher number e Is the bobbin thread still lying on the back of the quilt If it is the tension needs to be increased quite a bit You might need to make three to four changes in half step increments before the tension is correct Continue testing and adjusting the ten sion settings in this manner until the tension is correct Monitoring the Tension The thread tension on a sewing machine is fairly sensitive It s easy to pull it out of alignment by moving the quilt too quickly as you re stitching This usually happens when we start to relax and become more comfortable with our stippling design That s why it s important to develop the habit of regularly looking at the back of the quilt about every 15 to 30 minutes to check the thread tension I don t cut the threads or take the quilt out from under the machine I just flip it over and look at the area closest to the needle to make sure the bobbin thread is being pulled into the batting to create the pillow effect and that it s not pulling around the corners of the design If you notice a problem and it s not too bad tighten up the ten sion and resume quilting Check it again after a few minutes to make sure the problem has been corrected Keep in mind that it takes a lot longer to remove stitches than it does to quilt them Trust me I m speaking from exp
4. finish IERNI Wa AA oD nes i K j Za ru SS Vo t x a I also have included a section on my free motion quilting basics NEY and an overview of my wiggle style of stippling This will help ree ae Ex those who feel uncomfortable with their stippling techniques to 4 g 9 RAIES Seo gain confidence and skill without hours of practice You won t P lt Pe BS believe how easy it will be to get into the stippling groove and 258 ay I Seo achieve and maintain consistent results not only with the design 255 we Go SSO SIA but also with the thread tension and stitch length ot pa ENV My hope for you is that this book will inspire you to finish those a OSG ya a o GPU US Ces yaaa nto waiting quilt tops I want you filled with excitement to select one of N ey the beautiful designs and know you can stitch it with confidence gy et SYS You ll discover that deciding how to quilt as desired can actually En Bee SEN es 4 lt a UR ASC mon _ be a fun and rewarding process So enjoy and happy quilting Ber FO eee m cues mA UYS Call Saa Eva Se SAO SIS ar les 5225 Re Ame a TRAIRATA LS AIC ETON eS lear EES i a 4 m lt a w wor s we g AA a w P j2 ay n EAEL FH Ta j P d la gt j 4 9 gt ai Getting Started S The following information
5. glove that helps you grip and move the fabric outlines the supplies and prepa with less physical effort I like Grabaroo s and ao Ey rations needed for free motion Machingers Both brands are made of nylon so cae aes quilting Please take a moment to they re breathable while still form fitting I think prepare your sewing machine and I m starting to favor the Grabaroo s because I like SE make sure you have everything to say their name and I love the bright purple you need before beginning color It makes them easy to find e Paper and pencil or pen for drawing designs SUPPLIES CHECKLIST gt Recently cleaned and serviced sewing machine and user s manual see Service Your Sewing Machine at right Most quilters hate to spend money on stuff other Sewing machine extension table optional but highly recommended e Free motion quilting foot e Machine quilting thread You ll have fewer problems with thread breakage and a lot less lint in the bobbin which can cause skipped stitches if you use a high quality thread One of my a e eee eee personal favorites is Presencia machine quilting thread a three ply 100 mercerized long staple PREPARE YOUR MACHINE Egyptian cotton thread I use either a 40 or 50 weight thread for both the top thread and the bobbin e New quilting needle Quilting needles are stronger than normal sewing needles and you ll be less likely to break one of these when free motion quilting
6. I recommend Schmetz quilting needles size 90 14 e 1 x 12 clear acrylic ruler e Fabric marking pencils or pens in two colors I love Pilot FriXion Ball Erasable Gel Pens The ink is heat sensitive and can be removed with an iron Wonderful Quilting gloves optional but highly recom mended Quilting gloves can be any type of than fabric but getting your sewing machine matter how skilled you are in free motion quilting a machine in need of service will give you nothing but trouble Treat yourself and have your machine l serviced should be the exception to the rule No serviced at least once a year Running through the following checklist will ensure that your sewing machine is ready for a session of machine quilting Attach the free motion quilting foot in place of the regular presser foot Thread the sewing machine with the same quilt ing thread in both the top and the bobbin Drop the feed dogs If you re not sure how to do this consult the user s manual for your sewing machine Put in a new quilting needle Engage the needle down function if available Check your manual to find out whether your sewing machine has this option THREAD BASICS Thread is obviously an important part of the quilt ing process Choosing the right color and type can spell the difference between success and disap pointment Choosing a Thread Color I li
7. erience Tighten the tension to eliminate the bobbin thread from pulling around curves and corners of the design ee ee Variations among Machines On some machines you need to raise the presser foot in order for a new tension setting to take effect Check your user s manual to see if this pertains to your machine If so leave the needle down in the quilt and then lift the presser foot to engage the new settings mee ee Te ae eee ee Te Se ae aE ae cee ae ee
8. ial Check your sewing machine manual to make sure you are in fact adjusting the thread tension For years thought was adjusting my thread tension and it turned out was adjusting the amount of pressure for my presser foot i _C ai ae a ye a gee a ht i i a th Le Cee eet eee Testing Thread Tension It s essential to test your thread tension before you start quilting each new project because changes in fabric weight batting thickness and the type of thread used all affect the tension I like to actually do my tension test on the side edge of the quilt I m going to be free motion quilting I take a piece of the fabric I used in the quilt top lay it on the extra backing and batting that extends past the quilt top and practice on that An easy way to accurately test thread tension is by using the extra backing and batting on the side of the quilt with a piece of scrap fabric from the quilt top 1 2 Exercise How to Test Thread Tension Thread the machine with the actual quilting thread to be used in the quilt Place the test section of the actual quilt under the needle and sew a line of stitches 3 to 4 long If the stitches are too small to see clearly sew another line of stitches with the machine running at a slower speed Remove the quilt from under the needle clip the threads and look at the thread tension on both the front and back of the sample area
9. ke to decide how I m going to quilt a finished top before I purchase my quilting thread This way I know what color fabric I ll actually be quilting on and can get the best thread color to blend with it It s simply a matter of auditioning the thread on the finished quilt top I do this by unwinding about an arm s length of thread and laying it across the section I m going to quilt This shows me the true amount of contrast between the thread and the fabric Free motion quilting is never going to be absolutely perfect and I don t want any imperfect spots to be overly obvious The greater the contrast between the fabric and the thread the more the stitching shows up In most situations I want the texture of the design to be more noticeable than the thread color Introduction Matching the Top and Bobbin Threads Thread tension can be a bit finicky for even the most experienced quilter It s also natural for the tension to pop in and out of alignment while quilt ing this even happens to long arm quilters Using the same weight and fiber content for both the top thread and the bobbin thread will make the ten sion easier to regulate and stabilize Also using the same color in the top and bobbin threads will better hide any variances in the thread tension alignment Monofilament Thread Many quilters like to use monofilament thread which is semitransparent to help hide imperfec tions in thread tension However I a
10. lways caution new quilters about using it when they first start quilting It s much harder to keep the tension bal anced with monofilament because of its tendency to stretch I highly recommend staying with a good cotton thread in both the top and the bobbin and simply choosing a color that blends well with the fabric until you re comfortable adjusting your thread tension Free Motion Quilting Basics Many quilters are uncomfortable with free motion quilting because 3 a 3 they feel out of control with their technique I felt the same way lt when I started The problem for 4 amp me was that I didn t know what to practice in order to improve I needed something tangible to work on Finally after years of teach ing free motion quilting I identified three specific areas you can focus on to improve your skills I refer to them as the free motion basics They are thread tension stitch length and quilting in smaller sections with frequent stops THREAD TENSION Thread tension is the amount of strength needed for the top thread to pull the bobbin thread up to its proper position which is in the middle of whatever is being sewn You ll know the tension is correct when quilting because the thread will be indented into the fabric and a pillowing effect will appear around the thread stitches on both the front and back of the quilt It s the result of both the top and bobbin threads being p
11. ten seems like the only easy options available are stitching in the 7 ditch cross hatching or allover stippling The eos other quilting possibilities are interesting but they either have to be resized and traced or they were designed a Son EV EGS wes ASUS ALN T ri y 4 Rees BOK uy b Berk sy amp 6 op FOLLAS j to be stitched on a long arm quilting machine and are just too TA l r N O TONO SORN complicated for the everyday quilter a ae af Cae ee rA Se Easy and Fun Free Motion Quilting Frames Fillers Hundreds gy US i A Ros bcs eS of Ideas provides the everyday quilter with a fantastic variety of yr J E oe eas 7 e quilting designs created by combining stippling and short lines Po A ee Ws coe and they can all be confidently stitched on a home sewing machine OES ORS SOS without hours of practice The simple designs consist of two parts base frames and fillers The frames and fillers are made up of stippling and can be outlined with either straight or curved lines The easy method of combining the base frames and fillers produces a eN RIN A EASAN EN P7 Side Ps _ hundreds of exciting quilting designs that you can use on any size SENSE B i l Naaa OAA quilt block without resizing and tracing Plus each design comes Bot IROS i r i s ym ye with step by step instructions and detailed illustrations that clearly tse w TTEA walk you through the process from start to
12. ulled into the middle of the batting The tension is correct when pillowing occurs around the stitches Problems with thread tension occur when we re quilting because of the thickness of the batting The sewing machine s standard thread tension set ting is designed for sewing only two layers of fabric together When quilting the top thread tension is no longer strong enough to pull the bobbin thread into the middle of the batting The tension is too loose and is the reason why you ll see the bobbin thread lying across the back of the quilt The first row of stitching shows where the tension is too loose and the black bobbin thread has been left lying on the back of the quilt instead of being pulled into the batting as shown in the second row of stitching where the thread tension has been tightened Most problems with thread tension are easily solved by increasing or tightening the tension This is done by turning the upper thread tension dial to a higher number in half step increments For example if a machine s standard thread tension setting is 4 start by setting the tension halfway between 4 and 5 Sew a test sample If the thread is still lying on the back of the quilt continue to increase the tension by half steps until both threads are pulled into the middle of the batting and the fabric pillows around the stitches It s not unusual to increase the tension to as high as 6 5 or 7 Where Is the Thread Tension D
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