Josh’s Straight Lines in a 9 Patch Block

Josh here to share my experience on quilting straight lines in our 9 patch block.

free motion quilting | Leah Day

I really liked this design and had a lot of fun quilting it. It’s perfect for beginners as you’re only dealing with straight lines, and the little diagonal, tight lines in the corners are enough to keep you on your toes but not overwhelming.

Just in case you’re looking for the same cheater cloth printed fabric, click here to find it at Spoonflower.com

free motion quilting | Leah Day

Leah hopped into the video to explain a fabric pleat that formed along the edge of the block. This is the first time I didn’t really see or feel this happen, but she noticed the fabric shifting over as I stitched one of the small straight lines along the edge.

From what she said, pleats can happen, but they aren’t a big deal if they form along the edge of the block as we’re going to cover this area up with binding later anyway.

I also learned this is one of the reasons Leah love starch so much. Apparently it makes the fabric stiff so it’s less likely to shift and move as you quilt it. Fair warning: using a lot of starch leaves an overwhelming clinical odor that smells like a cross between a hospital and an industrial laundromat.

Anyway, this block is pretty easy and I wish I’d actually started the project with this as my first block. I easily got into the flow of stitching and the progression felt very logical and user-friendly, so to speak.

Let’s go quilt,

Josh

LeahDay

Leah Day has been teaching online since 2009. She's the creator of the Free Motion Quilting Project, a blog filled with thousands of quilting tutorial videos. Leah has written several books including 365 Free Motion Quilting Designs, Explore Walking Foot Quilting with Leah Day, and Mally the Maker and the Queen in the Quilt.

11 Responses

  1. Hazel says:

    Great job Josh ,you seemed a lot more comfortable then you did in the beginning .

  2. ileneharris says:

    Impressive, Josh? I really like the way you improvise and change things up. Also, please stay safe during the impending storm. I will hold your little family close to my heart over the next few days…

  3. Denise says:

    Thanks for mentioning the starch smell. My sewing room reeked for days. Are there any better smelling alternatives?

  4. LJ says:

    Oh, pooh. I wanted to ask Leah something. What do you think of 'suggestions' about Josh's techniques either while Josh is quilting or at the end (Don't want him to get paranoid!!)? I liked when you pointed out that tuck and the reasons it happened. Along those lines, I'd also find it helpful if you pointed out things like: "If you hold your hands at this angle, you might find it helpful." or "Don't forget to do ______, ______, or _____." Just thinking….

  5. LJ says:

    I'm really seeing improvement in your work, Josh. You certainly seem much more relaxed, that's for sure.

  6. Anne Racobs says:

    Josh, thank you for participating in this project. I am so encouraged by watching the progress of another beginner. And I look forward to viewing your videos.

  7. Gladys says:

    WOW! Josh … your block looks very nice! You enjoy this! A hug!

  8. callmemjr says:

    How would you have restarted if Josh had hit the thread cut button? Also for thread breaks or when the bobbin runs out of thread?

  9. Leah Day says:

    Hi Callmemjr – You can find an article on how to deal with thread breaks right here: http://freemotionquilting.blogspot.com/2014/01/how-to-start-and-stop-quilting.html

  10. callmemjr says:

    Hi Leah,
    I understand the starts and stops, pulling up the thread and tying a knot. but what happens when you don't have threads long enough to tie, for example if Josh had hit the thread cut button. Would you pull out stitches to make the threads long enough to tie or just start stitching over the broken threads to anchor them down. For the life of me I can't find the answer in the info you attached. Thank you again for your help,

  11. Leah Day says:

    Hi Callmemjr – Yes, if you have short tails, just pick out the stitches until the threads are long enough to tie off and bury.

    Josh actually dealt with this on the next block so make sure to stop by and watch his next video. His stitches were too small to pick out so he had to use a different method, so understand there isn't a single way to deal with this issue.

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