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Why Custom Quilting?

HollyAnne Knight

We’ve all seen gorgeously textured quilts with lots of different motifs connected to create a unique effect. It can be awe inspiring and intimidating all at once. Today, let’s discuss the why, when, and how of custom quilting and hopefully finish our time together with you feeling more inspired and less overwhelmed to try custom quilting on your own projects!

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Custom quilting uses lots of of different quilting motifs to create unique texture and effects on a finished quilt. I usually define “custom” as any quilting plan that uses at least four motifs. I’ve also described custom quilting as existing at the cross roads of free motion quilting and ruler quilting. It’s a wonderful opportunity to use your full toolbox of quilting motifs and techniques!

(Oh, and before we get started, let’s bust a couple of myths: you don’t need to be a professional or have a longarm quilting machine in order to custom quilt your projects.)

Why Custom Quilting?

When there’s the option to quickly and easily finish a quilt with a meander or straight line quilting, why put in the time and effort to custom quilt a project? Here’s a few of my favorite reasons:

  1. Because You Want To: Because you like the effect, the creative experiment, the challenge. Simply because you feel like it is a beautiful reason to invest in your own creative outlet. Custom quilting may also be just the ticket to bring your creative vision to life

  2. For a Quilt Show: When entering a quilt into a show, it’s common to do a little something extra with the quilting for some extra pizazz and punch

  3. To Practice: Custom quilting even the most “mundane” of projects is a wonderful way to practice making and executing a quilting plan as well as using different quilting motifs in a project

When Should You Custom Quilt?

Different types of projects “beg” for different types of quilting. For example, I often say that if you’re making a quilt as a baby gift (and intend for the quilt to get used a lot), then a meander is a great option so it doesn’t “sting” when the baby throws up on the quilt. But some quilts are more likely candidates for taking the time and effort to custom quilt. Here’s a few of my favorites:

  • Quilts you’re planning to enter into a show

  • Quilts that will hang on the wall and get seen a lot

  • Quilts you took extra time and care to piece

  • Quilts that are a special gift

  • Any dang quilt you feel like custom quilting because you can ;-)

How to Get Started Custom Quilting

Custom quilting combines several skill sets: first, machine quilting. Custom quilting often includes both free motion and ruler quilting, so spending time building your tool box of quilting motifs is essential (I’m biased, of course, but I highly recommend you do this through my courses like Intro to FMQ, Free Motion Quilting Academy, and Ruler Quilting Academy).

The other key skill is creating a quilting plan. A quilting plan is like a road map: it allows you to experiment with and choose all your quilting motifs on paper before you start stitching on your project. For simpler quilting plans (like an all over design or a semi-custom plan for a quilt with blocks and sashing) creating your roadmap can be almost formulaic. Custom quilting plans, though, often require more practice to visualize the different possibilities of all the shapes and motifs.

You can get started learning how to make custom quilting plans in a few easy steps:

  1. Download my Confident Quilting Plan Workbook to understand more about how quilting plans work, guiding questions for choosing motifs, and ways to draw your quilting plans

  2. If you see custom quilting plans you like on quilts, practice drawing those quilting plans to see how all the shapes and motifs connect

  3. Draw lots of quilting plans and practice quilting them on small projects, panels, practice sandwiches, etc.

Practice makes progress!

The other really important thing to keep in mind is that EVERYONE can custom quilt. As I said above: you don’t need to be a professional quilter or have a longarm quilting machine in order to custom quilt. All you need is the desire and the willingness to practice, and you’ll soon be a custom quilting rockstar!

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