Day 306 – Ebbing Tide
Last week we learned Barrier Reef, a foundational design that echoed a line of circles. Now let’s experiment with a variation of this design using two different forms of echoes on either side of the circles.
The resulting texture ends up looking like the pattern left from an Ebbing Tide:
There are actually two different ways you can echo a shape: connecting echoes and shadow echoes. On one side we have the connecting echoes we’ve seen before in Barrier Reef. These arch around each circle, but also connect and build up thread where the circles touch.
On the opposite side we have shadow (non-connecting) echoes, or a line of stitching that shadows the edge of the circles without touching them at any point.
These two different fills are very similar, but they result in totally different texture on either side of the circles. Let’s learn how to stitch it all in free motion:
Difficulty Level – Intermediate. This design is actually easier to stitch than Barrier Reef! Because one side has non-connecting, shadow echoes you will build up less thread and have fewer stitch issues with that half of the design.
Design Family – Foundational. It’s the line of circles that really sets the texture for this design. If you’re stitching through a large area, make sure to wiggle your circle line around a lot so it creates some really interesting textures on the surface of your quilts.
Directional Texture – All Directions. Just like with Barrier Reef, the circles will stand out quite a bit on the surface of your quilts. Make sure to take that into account whenever you plan to use this design.
Suggestions for Use – Would you like an excuse to practice connecting and shadowing style echoes? Why not cut out a table runner (14” x 60”) and practice stitching this design through the middle. Expand your echoes to either side until the design fills the space completely. When it’s done you’ll have a beautiful quilt to decorate your table and have learned an important aspect of free motion quilting.
