Easy and Fun Free-Motion Quilting

Easy and Fun Free-Motion Quilting
By Eva A. Larkin
ISBN: 978-1-60468-184-0
Gifted by Martingale
www.shopmartingale.com
Reviewed by Kathryn Wright, Editor of FaveQuilts.com
 

Free motion quilting is one of the most common techniques quilters used to add detailing to their patterns. If you're in need of some beautiful patterns or want to begin learning how to incorporate free motion quilting into your patterns, read Easy and Fun Free-Motion Quilting by Eva A. Larkin. This book takes a different approach to machine quilting, and instead of simply giving you quilting designs, focuses on frames and fillers that encourage quilters to think about how they add their swirls and lines in a new way.


For quilters who plan on working with free motion patterns, this book is definitely one you should have on your shelf. It serves as a cohesive reference guide when it comes to what you need before you begin and the basics of how you start. Read through the first few pages of "Getting Started" to make sure you have the proper materials, then look in "Free Motion Quilting Basics" for some primary techniques and styles you'll most likely run into. There's a very helpful explanation about the importance of thread tension, as well as a helpful breakdown of basic stippling, the curvy line you've probably seen in many intricate quilt patterns.

Easy and Fun Free-Motion Quilting takes a practical approach to organizing your quilting design that makes the process very clean. Author Eva A. Larkin demonstrates for readers through several diagrams that concepts of frames and fillers, divisions of your quilt block or pattern which you can use to decide how to fill in your free motion design. This may sound a little confusing, but rest assured, there are plenty of examples that combine these shapes to make your machine quilting patterns part of an intricate shape within your pattern. There are plenty of images to help you see how to properly mark up your fabric and apply your design, and there's also a section with even more tips on how to decide the placement and patterns you use. After reading, grab some scrap fabric and start practicing Eva A. Larkin's smart approach to free-motion quilting and you'll be able to add new details to your patterns with ease.