Free Motion Quilting of Simple Shapes, Animals and More - Part 1

by Krista Penney June 06, 2024

Have you ever wished that you could add a custom element to your quilting project? Or maybe you wanted to stitch a themed element to that special blanket. You can! If I can stitch these shapes into quilts and table runners, then you can too.

I am not an artist, when I take pencil to paper all ability for proportion and dimension takes a hike. However, I have been able to translate some shapes into some simple stitched designs without the use of pantographs or tracing templates.

Throughout the past 12 years, I have stitched shapes such as a cupcake, snowman, cat, paw print, dog bone, daisy, butterfly, Christmas tree, holly & berries, treble clef, sailboat, dory, seashell, anchor, and lighthouse.

These are in addition to some of the simpler elements such as hearts, leaves, music notes, crescent moon, and stars. All my quilting is done free motion on my longarm without the use of a computer or pantographs.

First, once you decide on a shape you then need to sketch it. It only needs to be sketched with the necessary elements, the bare bones, but still be recognizable. Next, take pencil to paper and navigate your way around the object. The goal is to draw the shape in a single line without lifting the pencil off the paper.

It is okay to cross over lines or travel on top of previous lines once or twice without adding too much emphasis or bulk. If you are stuck, there are ideas and stitching guides for some shapes online, which we can take full advantage of and learn from.

One of the hardest things is to decide how to enter and exit each shape. Often we enter into the stitching of the shape and exit through the same point.

The cat is drawn like this by entering and exiting at the bottom of the cat. The stitching of this shape is completed through circles and loops, navigating around the object.

Not all shapes are stitched in this fashion. When stitching the cupcake, it begins at the bottom of the cupcake and is exited at the top, once the shape is complete. The stitching of this shape is completed by navigating through the object, building the shape as you go.

The goal is to allow the entrance and exit stitching lines to look somewhat natural, even though they are not part of the shape, and not stand out in competition with the object.

Second, you need to practice. At the beginning, it really helps to practice with a pencil or pen on paper. This is much cheaper than practicing with thread and fabric and still helps with muscle memory. After a few sketches, I like to hold a pencil vertically in my fist to resemble the handles on my sewing machine. Then I draw or practice stitching until it becomes familiar and second nature. It will be helpful later if you become comfortable drawing the shape with a fluid motion. If you are quilting on a domestic and must move your fabric, then maybe you can develop some way of moving the paper underneath a stationary pencil to practice stitching your shape.

Lastly, lets move our practice to the machine with thread and fabric. If you are feeling comfortable with the design, then maybe you just need a scrap of material at the side of a quilt to stitch the shape a few times before quilting it directly onto the quilt top. If you feel the need for more practice before you stitch on that special quilt top, then maybe you load some spare fabric to use. It is okay to alter the design or change the stitch pattern slightly if it helps with your execution of the stitching of the shape. Remember, practice, practice, practice always helps with the look of the design and your comfort level during stitching.

There are several additional elements that can be discussed: thread color, shape size, connecting design and combining multiple shapes onto one project.

As with any project, the level of visibility desired often determines thread color. Often with custom quilting of this nature we do not wish to hide the design and pick a thread color that shows at least a little. Sometimes a variegated thread is a great option and that is used to stitch the stars in this child's quilt.
You may wish to be a little cautious because the bolder the thread, the more showy the design and the more showy any wobbles. Wobbles are not flaws or imperfections because hand driven free motion will not have the consistency or perfection of a computer stitched design but that is a good thing.

Generally, I wish to keep each shape to a size that fits onto the palm of my hand or a little smaller. However, the drawings are scalable, and you can increase the size of each shape so they stitched over a larger area. Keep in mind that if you make the design too large, it may be difficult to stitch free hand without drawing a template on the quilt top.

I usually connect the various shapes with a simple loop design rather than a meander or a straight-line design. I think the loops keep the design light, airy and fun while still being functional and allow for easy navigation around the quilt top. I have stitched leaves without the use of a connecting design but this resulted in a denser edge-to-edge pattern.

I have often used multiple shapes in the one project depending on theme or who the quilt was intended for. For example, I had one quilt top that was intended for a pre-teen girl from her grandmother that had large, pieced snowmen in it. For this quilt, I decided to use hearts, cupcakes and snowmen all connected with loops. These elements were all chosen for different reasons: the hearts because it was from her grandmother, the snowmen because it connected with the quilt design, and cupcakes because she liked cake. Another example is a quilt top that I custom quilted for a yacht club fundraiser and the stitching contained sailboats, anchors, dories, and lighthouses. Often, I have mixed daisies with leaves, or treble clefs with both double and single music notes, or paw prints with cats or dog bones. The various combinations are endless.

In Part 2, we will delve into the specifics of drawing several of the shapes.