Memorizing Quilting Designs

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.

27 Responses

  1. Thank you soo much for this very simple explanation. I never thought that quilting letters can be this simple. The quilting class i took, made quilting letters sound so complicated.

  2. aggie says:

    This post just gave me one great idea. You are wonderful. Thanks a million.

  3. debbie m says:

    I like the way you explained fmq in this post. It leaves us with no excuses to not try. I'm dyslexic and so have trouble figuring which way to loop some letters at times (still-at 53) especially when tired or sick. It is worse with printing than cursive, though.
    There is usually some portion of a newspaper on the kitchen table and I often use it to doodle on. My mom was a phone doodler and her grocery lists were at times very artful, lol. I find it easiest to doodle in the empty margins, but think that doodling over the printed area helps when it comes to quilting over print fabrics.
    Off to play now…

  4. a1angiem says:

    Leah, guess what I just came home with? My new Horizon!!! I'm extra excited to practice my fmq now! just thought I'd let you know! thanks for everything!
    – angie

  5. Debbie says:

    I really like the info and new direction you are moving to. The scribble pad is a great tool and I have 2 filled with practice drawing, one just learning to do swirls! Looking forward to the Wed. sessions. Thanks.

  6. Rebecca says:

    Oh this is soooooo good!
    I am so looking forward to this whole series of Quilting how to….

  7. S says:

    Hi Leah,
    You are so smart, and I cannot wait!
    I've done a lot of FMQ but never thought of it this way before. Your approach is very logical 🙂
    Wide-ruled notebook, here I come!
    Best,
    Jae

  8. I'm looking forward to this quilt along, problem is Wednesdays the kids are home but I've got Thursdays semi free and time differences are handy 🙂
    I'm going to be putting your explications onto FMQing on my frame so will be loading up a practice sandwich tomorrow and going to do some writing tonight…where did I put the paper

  9. Leah this is great! I am very excited about learning to FMQ. What you said sounds great, imlove how you explained it. Time to practice today's homework!

  10. June D says:

    Thank you Leah! Your posts are always so helpful – I'll get a notebook and will play along!

    I'm still working on doing your beginning designs – can't believe how comfortable I'm getting with doing FMQ and I don't even do it every day!

    Best,
    June

  11. Thats brilliant Leah, never would have thought of it like that. And youre right, it is just like writing! Now if I had even partually legible handwriting I'd be in business! Think I need that 3rd grade practice book! Thanks!

  12. Linda says:

    What an amazingly logical analogy!! Do they still make those 1st grade tablets? I'm going hunting for one (or something like it) tomorrow. You are a genius. I know only one other person who is as brilliantly left-brained AND right-brained as you are. Together, you gals could rule the world!!!

  13. Sheila says:

    I love this thought process! Thank you.

  14. Leah you are the reason wht I am now a Jamone owner and nowdo mt own FMQ'ing. love ya!!

  15. Nancy says:

    What amazing timing – my goal for 2012 is to become comfortable with and to enjoy FMQ. Thanks for taking this on.

  16. Alberta says:

    EXCELLENT!!!!! Thanks for taking us by the hand so it's doable!

  17. Anonymous says:

    wow Leah, I have been watching you do designs since about # 120 or so, but I really like the way you are heading your talents!
    I have a long arm and how I can see how i can make application with it.

    I think that for some of us the process takes long to learn, like debbie m said. and how you have explained it, the light bulb just came on! Keep it up and I look forward to what you have next!

  18. Mary Beth says:

    Well "SNAP"! Just what I needed to help me with my FMQ. Brilliant! Thanks
    marybeth.ticknor@yahoo.com

  19. Sooli says:

    This is a great explanation Leah. I've been practicing a couple of designs for a while trying to get to a point where I was happy to take it onto a quilt and now I have. I'm finishing my son's quilt with some free motion around a large appliqued dragon and its going well. You do get into the swing of it and my only problems relate to my thread which once I've finished this quilt I will never use again! That and its really hot here in Australia at the moment so I'm getting too sweaty being surrounded by a quilt, lights, machine and wearing gloves!

  20. Joyce says:

    I just stumbled onto your blog late in December. Read about the new project with postings on Wednesdays, so checked in today. Interestingly, last year I made a table runner for my daughter using fruit and veggie prints. I'm very comfortable with free-motion quilting as I've been doing it for about 10 years now, but always trying to think up new designs (your blog will help with that in the future). Anyway, I sat down to finish the runner and decided to quilt it with sayings…some familiar to my daughter, but all related to fruits and veggies. One, which we've used a lot is from Anne of Green Gables, her favorite childhood book: "the apple doesn't fall far from the tree". She LOVES it. Sits and eats her breakfast and reads her table runner. Always starts her day with a smile. I had great fun thinking of sayings and quilting this project and thought your're readers might like the idea. Much thanks for a wonderful, informative blog!

  21. kupton52 says:

    You've made it so simple.Thank you.I just had an "aha" moment.

  22. Lizzerd says:

    I'll need to practise writing cursive again … my writing tends to look like mountain peaks with valleys in between {giggle}

  23. Charo says:

    Great explanation! You are a really good teacher!!!!

    You made me see that FMQ can't be so difficult, it only needs paractise.
    Thanks so much

  24. Anonymous says:

    Leah, I have a question. When practicing with pen & paper, should my hand be resting on the paper, and I'm mainly using my fingers? I'm thinking it might be better to use my whole hand to form the lines. Any thoughts?

  25. Great post!! You are so right!

    When I'm practicing/trying to memorize a quilting design, I use a dry-erase board to draw it over and over again first. It gets it into my hands and head, so I can quilt it more automatic, like writing.

  26. æble says:

    Is this a bad time to mention in grade 5 I was asked to start printing again and stop 'writing' as no one could read it? I am a constant doodler thought. 🙂

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