Machine Quilt Living Feathers – #454

It’s Free Motion Friday and time to learn a new feather design called Living Feathers!

This beautiful quilting design combines feathers and leaf shapes to create a rich texture for your quilts. It is a bit slow because there are a lot of steps that go into every leaf shape. What this video to see what I mean!

I originally created this design in 2011 when machine quilting the background of Emergence, one of my favorite goddess quilts. As you can see, this is a perfect background quilting design and I love the bright green texture it added to this area.

This was quilted on a very tiny scale with YLI Variations thread, one of the only variegated threads I like to use because the color changes are so subtle. This was perfect for making a earthy, forest filled background, the perfect texture for a goddess quilt representing transformation and new life!

Yes, you can definitely machine quilt Living Feathers on a bigger, bed quilting scale. Just start with a much bigger leaf shape so you can fill the space with large, plump feathers, and expand each element with rows of echo quilting.

Do you have a friend that would love learning how to quilt this design? Please share this post so everyone can learn how to free motion quilt Living Feathers!

Let’s go quilt,

Leah Day