Day 77 – Elodea

This design is also featured in the DVD Beginner Free Motion Quilting Fillers, as well as the ebook From Daisy to Paisley.

Way back in college when I was stumbling through life as a haphazard biology major, I used to experiment on this freshwater seaweed called Elodea.

In all honesty, I think the quilting design looks better than the real plant, but maybe I’m biased.

Of course, my college days have come back to haunt me! My husband recently set up a new fresh water tank in our bedroom and stocked it full of, you guessed it – Elodea plants!

Inspiration – When I saw the new plants go into the tank, I was reminded of Fern Filler, a design we learned way back on day 8.

I’m thinking there will be a lot more plant inspired designs in the coming weeks as they make terrific texture no matter where you place them!

Design Family – Stem Centered. With this design, you first create the stem, then branch out with long leaves to fill the rest of the space.

Because of how it’s created, I feel that this design will work great in any area of your quilt, especially if you’re wanting to cover a large amount of surface area very quickly.

Difficulty Level – Intermediate. The design itself is not terribly hard. The biggest challenge is maintaining an even distance and size to your leaves.

Directional Texture – All directions. The texture seems to fill from all different directions so make sure to place this where you want loads of movement.

Suggestions for Use – I could see this playing a beautiful role around appliqued flowers, almost like a trumpet vine. Come to think of it, Trumpet Vine would make a great filler too! Must go quilt it!

Let’s go quilt,

Leah Day

Free Motion Quilting Design #8 – Fern & Stem