How to Free Motion Quilt Billiards – Design #524
It’s the first day of March and I have a new design for you to free motion quilt: Billiards!
This simple echoing design will look great as an All-Over Quilting Design. I admit, I wasn’t the best at quilting it on my longarm. I’m still working on building control over the machine’s movement, which is why I place a bag of beans on the top of the quilt. This helps add weight from the quilt surface and makes the machine slightly easier to control.
But the very best way to build the skill for travel quilting and echoing neatly is to do it! Quilt the design even if it looks messy. Quilt the design even if you can’t quilt it perfectly. It’s hard to put our imperfect stitches on a special quilt, but in order to build the skill, we’re going to need to put those stitches into something.
I’ve started buying unfinished quilt tops from Ebay and using them to help me practice quilting and gaining control over my longarm. Many times the quilt tops are imperfectly *ahem* creatively pieced and may need a little repair.
Personally I see these unfinished quilt tops as the perfect opportunity for my skill building (yes, imperfect) stitches. Without batting and backing fabric, or quilting of any kind, these quilt tops can never be used and enjoyed. Even if my stitches are a bit wobbly and the design a bit demented, at least it’s ultimately going to result in a finished quilt that can be used and enjoyed!
Let’s go quilt,
Leah Day
Good point about practice! And that suggestion can be applied to anything, right?
Absolutely!
Hello Leah,
Just wanted to say that I really enjoy your posts. They are tremendously helpful & informative. I appreciate what you do. Although I do love fashion, I’ve never been into making my own clothing & certainly not anyone else’s, but I dearly love quilting. It’s near & dear to me because my grandmother taught me some of what she knew. She was an educator & had lots of free time during summers & on holidays when school was not in session.
I have 2 quilts she made for me—— Irish Wedding Chain (think that’s what it’s called) & Log Cabin. I wouldn’t take anything for those & the memory of helping make them with her.
So, just let me say again how much I enjoy the fruits of your labors. You are teaching me things I don’t know about quilting & I just love it. I’m now retired so I have more free time on my hands to do the things that bring me joy, happiness, satisfaction, & a sense of accomplishment. I look forward to checking out all your posts & youtube videos. If I’m not mistaken, it was one of your videos on the Janome Horizon Memory Craft sewing machine that has lit a fire under me to buy one. I’m still looking for the best deal before I purchase. I’m going to purchase one & also, I’ve been looking at computerized quilting machines b/c I’m going to get myself one of those as well. So, here’s to happy quilting everyday. Cheers! Jan