How to Pick A Quilting Design
Picking a quilting design is super fun, but it can also be super stressful! There are so many options out there, how do you narrow it down?! If you are struggling to determine how you want to quilt your quilt, this post is for you!
Quilting can be the most fun part of making a quilt, or the most stressful part. There are so many quilting options out there; how are you supposed to pick!? Not to fret, I will give you a few ways to think about what quilting design you want to use on your quilt. Of course, it is always an option to work with your longarmer to pick the design that compliments your top perfectly! I also have a fun new services that I will let you know about in this post! Let’s do this thing!
Get Inspiration From the Fabric
The fabric you use often helps tell a quilt’s story. That doesn’t have to stop after the piecing is done. An easy place to draw inspiration for a quilting design is from the fabric in the quilt. Some examples of this are below.
Pantographs: 1- Donut Connection by Jess Zeigler (Longarm League); 2-Classic Blossoms by Jessica Schick (Urban Elementz); 3-Flower Child by Apricot Moon Designs (Intelligent Quilting)
The fabric in this quilt included fabrics with a lot of circles and circular flowers. I went with a circle pantograph called Donut Connection because it complimented this fabric well.
These fabrics were very floral and I knew this was going to be a gift for a small child. I decided to use Classic Blossoms because it is a simple flower with a very round shape. It complimented both the floral prints as well as the prints with circles.
This quilt was was very vibrant and had a lot of floral prints in it. Flower Child stood out to me because it worked with the flowers and had kind of a fun “hippie vibe” like the flowers on the backing.
A few notes on patterned fabric and quilting: When you are going to use the fabric to inspire the quilting design, you also need to keep in mind that quilting shows up much better on solids. If there are a lot of prints in the quilt, you may want to choose a more simple design, because it will not stand out. If you have a solid quilt, you may want something more detailed and intricate, because the quilting will show up really well.
Get Inspiration From the Quilt Pattern
The pattern you use to make the quilt is a great place to find inspiration. You can use the theme of the pattern to pick a design or you can use the shape of the pattern to guide you. In the examples below, I went with the pattern theme to pick the quilting design.
Pantographs: 1- Mike’s Daisy Chain by Mike Fountain (Intelligent Quilting); 2-Airy by Hermione Agee (Urban Elementz); 3- Wishbone by Jess Zeigler (Longarm League)
This beautiful Dogwood Quilt is a flower quilt. We used Mike’s Daisy Chain to keep with the flower theme and also add some curves to the quilt.
I wanted to do a cloud pattern on my Sunshowers Quilt because when I think of rainbows, I think of clouds for some reason. The Airy pattern was a cloud with a bit of sharpness. This helped add some angles to this curved quilt.
For Jaime’s Rainbow Splash quilt we picked Wishbone because it had a raindrop shape, that complimented the rainbows well.
Not pictured - sometimes quilts have a sense of direction or motion to them. You can use this to guide your quilting design.
Be Inspired by a “Feeling” or a Theme
Sometimes when you make a quilt, you have a theme or a feeling you want the quilt to convey. The quilting design can help contribute to this “feeling” you want the quilt to have.
Pantographs: 1- Honeycomb by Patricia E. Ritter (Urban Elementz); 2-Rosemary by Dastardly Line (Dastardly Line); 3- Mike’s Swoosh by Mike Fountain (Intelligent Quilting)
I used Honeycomb on this owl quilt because I wanted it to be a fun quilt for a nursery. I have no idea what nursery it will be in, but honeycomb reminded me of a fun but soothing room.
We used Rosemary on Carrie’s Homespun quilt because we wanted it to be light and classic. This panto added texture and character without adding density to the quilt.
I wanted this simple patchwork quilt to be kind of spacey. The backing made me think of something circular, so I picked Mike’s Swoosh. It gave me spacey and fun vibe.
A Practical Way to Pick a Pantograph
In theory, you should be able to narrow down your panto options using the ideas above. However, it is so much easier to make a decision when you can see the quilting design stitched out. Additionally, sometimes none of these things inspire me. Where do I go for inspiration then? INSTAGRAM! This is how I search for inspiration when nothing is coming to me.
Look up the quilt pattern hashtag on Instagram. For example, if I am making a Homespun quilt, I will search #homespunquilt.
I like to look at how other people quilted their quilts to help me get a feel for what I like and what I don’t like.
Once I find a panto I think I want to use, I search the panto hashtag on Instagram to see how it looks stitched out. For example, say I thought I wanted to use Mike’s Swoosh on my Homespun quilt. I would search #Mikesswooshpanto on Instagram.
By the end of this process I have a pretty good idea of what I want on my quilt. This is when I make a mock up of 1-3 patterns and finalize the decision. This leads into my new service perfectly!!
Design Consultation Service
If you have an idea of what quilting design you want to use, but want a little extra security that you will like it, I’m your lady. I am now offering a Design Consultation Service.
What Will You Get?
This service will provide you with three mock ups that show how the quilting design looks on your quilt top. Not only will you get an image of the quilt top with the quilting design on it, but you will get all of the information you would need to quilt it on your own (if you have a longarm).
Who is This Service For?
This service is for people who want to send their quilt to a longarmer (me or someone else) or someone who wants to quilt their own quilts, but wants to see what they will look like first. You get enough information that any longarmer should be able to duplicate the design that you like the most.
How Does it Work?
If you are planning on having me longarm your quilt for you, I will provide these mock ups for free. However, I will wait to receive your quilt top before I send them to you. This allows me to look at the fabric and get a better idea of what pattern would look best. However, if you are planning on having me quilt for you and want to see some designs before you send me your top, you can sign up for this service, and the cost will be removed from your final quilting invoice. So, in the end, it will be free!
Now for the real logistics. I have added a new link to my website called Design Consultation. This will take you to a form that asks you to supply some basic info (name, email, quilt dimensions) and pick out three designs you want to see on your quilt. You will pick three designs from my Design Library that you want to see on your quilt, and then submit your form.
Once you submit your form, you will have to send me an email with a picture of your quilt top. To get the best results from the mock up, you need to take the picture straight on. I usually lay my quilt top on the floor, get on a stepping stool, and take a picture from above. I can them crop the picture to the edges of the quilt top.
Within one business day, I will send you an invoice for the service for $15. Once you pay the $15 I will send you three mock ups like the one pictured above! This will ensure that you don’t pay extra money to a longarm quilter to end up with a design you don’t like. If you are running your own longarm, it will ensure you don’t spend hours working on it to get a result you don’t love.
I hope everyone enjoys this new service! If you have any questions, I would love to chat. Send me an email at tera@thequiltingsmith.com
Later Gators!
