Efficient Quilting on Your Domestic Machine
Are you ready for the 5-paragraph essay of quilting plans? Quilt faster by planning your path on paper before you start stitching and having a strategy to move around your quilt without breaking thread.
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I don't know about you, but I really hate breaking thread when I'm quilting-- especially if I know it's avoidable. While irregular quilt layouts often require irregular quilting plans, a traditional grid layout can be tackled very efficiently, especially if you take a few minutes to draw your plan a couple of times before you get started.
As I explained in the video, my favorite way to tackle a grid layout is with three motifs: one for the blocks, one for the sashing, and a third for the border. This semi-custom quilting plan is easy to quilt with minimal thread breaks, but it adds a lot of visual interest and that custom feel to the quilt. Plus, you could even change up the motif in each block as long as you follow the flow of the plan for an even more custom effect.
This exercise, laying out a navigation strategy for your quilt, is part of a bigger process called making a quilting plan. A quilting plan includes choosing the motifs you want to quilt in each area of your quilt as well as deciding the order in which you will quilt everything to be as efficient as you can. Making a quilting plan is a critical step in quilting with confidence because it takes all of the guess work out of the actual stitching process. Teaching quilters how to make plans for their quilting is one of my very favorite things because your confidence will grow SO much when you build this skill into a habit.
Additional Resources
Intro to FMQ On-Demand Workshop: learn foundational skills and motifs to start your free motion quilting journey
Quilting a Large Quilt on a Domestic Machine: read this blog to learn more about how to manage the bulk of a big quilt when working on a regular sewing machine
Introduction to Quilting Plans: Never heard of a quilting plan before? This blog will teach you the basics
