Category: Quilting Inspiration

Patchwork baby quilt

Published on by Kathryn Strasser1 Comment

This afternoon I finished long-arm machine quilting a baby quilt that my younger sister pieced. It is a fun mix of blues, golds, and peach fabrics in a variety of patterns.

My sister left it up to me to choose the over-all quilting design and I chose double loops, one of my favorite designs for baby quilts, especially quilts that have a lot of pattern and color in the fabrics.

As part of the design I also stitched the name of the baby one to the quilt in a square that wasn’t too patterned. Adding a name to a quilt is a fun way to add personalization and can be done in various ways.

For this quilt, I transitioned from the over-all double loops into cursive lettering and then continued the double loops. I went back after finishing the over-all design to dot the “I” and cross the ‘T.”

I really enjoy long-arm quilting baby quilts. They have some of the cutest fabrics, and helping my clients finish a sweet baby gift brings me so much joy! I hope the mom-to-be and the baby that this quilt are going to feel joy when they use this precious little quilt!

Do you have a quilt top ready for machine quilting? Get in touch with me to discuss my long-arm quilting services!

Using loops as an over-all quilting design

Published on by Kathryn Strasser1 Comment

Loops are an excellent choice as an over-all quilting design! They are simple enough to avoid distracting from the quilt piecing, but they add movement and texture to the finished quilt.

Using loops is one of my go-to long-arm machine quilting designs to use on baby quilts because of the playfulness this design adds to the quilt.

The picture below is of a baby quilt I machine quilted for my grandma several years ago. She embroidered the cross stitch blocks and my mom helped her piece them together with the colored boarders. On the long-arm machine I outlined the embroidered animals and blocks and then filled in the rest of the quilt with loops.

Variations of over-all loops

In addition to single loops used in an over-all pattern, I sometimes use variations of loops to create different looks. Below is an example of a double loop. This variation gives more texture and visual interest than a basic loop and is a fun way to add more dimension to the quilting design.

Another variation on over-all loops is the quilt a loop and then stich in a circular pattern around the loops one or more times to create a spiral look. This design works well on quilts that have a lot of straight edges or angles in the piecing as it gives softness and motion to the finished quilt.

Do you have a quilt top you have had finished with a loop design, or one you are piecing that loops would be a good choice as an over-all quilting design for? I would love to hear about your project in the comments below!