Dedication I dedicate this book to my mom, Nancy. I love you. Thank you for inspiring my passion for quilting. More important, thank you for the love and wisdom you have faithfully poured into my life from the beginnin beginning. g. God has has given me a tremendou tremendouss gift gift in you, you, Mom Mom.. I also dedicate this this book to to my my Heavenly Heavenly Father God, in whom I have found inexpressible joy and true fulfillment in life.
Acknowledgments Special thanks to Nancy Pease, Nancy Johnson, Marylin Harlow-Maynard, Cathy McKillip, and John Adams (aka (aka Quilt Quilt Dad).
INTRODUCTION I never understood how my mother could stand to be at her sewing machine for hours at a time contentedly contentedly stitching the the afternoon a fternoon away. How could she sit si t still stil l for that that long l ong?? Not to mention, how how could she actually enjoy sewing? enjoy sewing? My boundless energy as a child drove me outside to play the day away— anything anything but sit still! In still! In February 2002 200 2 when w hen I was sixteen, my my new newly ly sing si ngle le mother other of four decided to expand her longarm machine quilting business to include a quilt shop. By that time, I had grown up just a wee bit and could actually sit still for longer than a minute. After working in our newly opened shop for a few months, I had completed my first quilt and realized I thoroughly enjoyed quilting. My mother wasn’t crazy for her love of sewing after all! The longer we ran the quilt shop, the more addicted to quilting I became. My horizons were ever expanding. expanding. Observi Obse rving ng my mother’s mother’s skillfu skill full talent and advent adve nturous urous creativi cre ativity ty inspired inspire d me to try my my hand on her longarm quilting machine. Soon I found myself standing in front of her machine, poised and ready to start free-motion quilting my first quilt. My stomach churned with mixed emotions of extreme delight and utter fear as my finger hovered over the start button, but by the time I reached the end of my twin-size quilt, I felt empowered. A few years later at age nineteen, I began quilting for customers customers along alo ngsid sidee my mother. mother. For the the ent e ntir iree first fir st year of my my quilting career, caree r, I stitched nothing nothing but but one simple design for basic customer orders, leaving all the challenging orders to my mother’s expertise. Boredom eventually overwhelmed my fear of stitching more complex designs. Feathers became became one of my favorites to sew, and once once I had had them them mastered, I was no longer longer afraid afraid to try new ideas. Today I run a thriving thrivi ng longarm business business called cal led Bethany Bethany Quilts. Quilts. My mom mom and and I still s till work wor k together. together. She has been be en my my quilting coach and best bes t friend all a ll along alo ng,, and I cann c annot ot continue continue wri w riting ting without without saying, “Thanks, Mom.” She and I make a great team and often brainstorm together about new designs for challenging customer orders.
It is my goal that no matter which type of machine you quilt on—longarm or domestic—you will catch the vision. I hope you will walk away from this book equipped and inspired to see the myriad of designs that are right in front of you waiting to be discovered. I know that the more you work at it and diligently sketch your ideas, the easier it will become. As you sketch one idea, it will lead to another idea, ide a, then another another and another. another. You will wil l soon find yourself tum tumbli bling ng headlong into your your own o wn quilted orld.
Everyw Ever ywhere here I look loo k I am inspired. inspired. I love my my job because the the creative cre ative possibili possi bilities ties are endless. Everywhere I look I am inspired. Whether it’s the pinecone on the ground, the trim work on a building, a summer flower, ferns by the creek, the weird-looking mushroom in the backyard, the pattern on my friend’s shirt, the illustrations in a children’s book, random stickers at the craft store, or the symbol on the outside of a cardboard box—inspira box—inspiration tionss for quilt quilt designs designs are everywh eve rywhere. ere. Taking Taking pictures pictures of the the oddest thing thingss is a normal normal habit for me. I occasionally find myself fishing a cardboard box out of a dumpster, just to take a picture of a logo on it that that I find find interesting interesting or creative. Pausing in the the earring section of a department department store to take pictures of dangly earrings is something I am often compelled to do. Regardless of people’s people’ s puzzled puzzled looks, I cannot cannot pass up up such a fantastic fantastic design inspiration just just danglin dangling g there there in front front of me!
One new design inspires another new design in a continuous domino effect. For example, I got waylaid one day with a simple swirl design and ended up creating two different variations of the original ( Figures 1, 1, 2, and 3).
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
Often, multiple designs come from a single inspiration or a combination of similar inspirational sources.
Figure 4
Figure 5
Look at the lines in the design inspiration around you. I have stitched flames for years. Then I discovered that stitching them sideways and adding swirls creates a whole new look.
Figure 6
Figure 7
Horizontal and vertical design lines are everywhere. After I had perfected my water-inspired design ( Figure 8), 8), I created a swirls variation of it (Figure ( Figure 9). 9). Then I decided to play around with it again by making the lines wavy and squaring the ends ( Figure 10). 10).
Figure 8
Figure 9
Figure 10
SECTION
1 THE ESSENTI ESS ENTIALS: ALS:
FREEHAND BACKGROUND BACKGROUND FILLERS Filler designs are the foundational building blocks for machine quilting and provide an excellent backdrop to set off more complex designs, designs, such as feathers. feathers. Not only only are they they a starting starting place for beginner beginner quilters, quilters, but they they also becom bec omee a resourceful resourceful stash of complem complement entary ary designs designs to be revisited revisi ted again and again. I find I am always on the lookout for new filler designs. Patterns Patterns are available avail able to print from http://tinyurl.com/10870-patterns http://tinyurl.com/10870-patterns..
SECTION
2 DOODLE AWAY:
CONTINUOUS-LINE DESIGNS Where Wherever ver I go, I end up doodli dood ling ng!! Corners of napkins, napkins, the cover co ver of my my notebook, notebook, pam pa mphlets, chu c hurch rch bulletins, bulletins, notepads, notepads, and scraps of paper are covered c overed in doodles. Wherever Wherever I turn, turn, I see quilting designs. It might be that I am inspired by the designs etched in jewelry, the paisley pattern on a garment, the tile pattern on the hotel lobby floor, the unusual plant in a random garden, a stone wall, or the scroll pattern on the column of a building. My repertoire is continually expanding with freshly created design d esigns. s. Patterns Patterns are available avail able to print from http://tinyurl.com/10870-patterns http://tinyurl.com/10870-patterns..
SECTION
3 SHOWSTOPPERS:
UNUSUAL, FANCY FANCY CONTINUOUS-LINE CO NTINUOUS-LINE DESIGNS The result of consistent practice in machine quilting is confidence. Confidence leads to bold exploration. In Sections 1 and 1 and 2 we saw the the quilter’s journey journey progress from basics to more more spontaneous creativity. In this section, the complex designs are ready to be tackled! Don’t be discouraged if your feathers and vines aren’t perfect the first few times! Practice sketching these designs several times before stitching them. This not only allows you to discern the best way to stitch the design, but also allows you to memorize the stitching motions, so the design becomes second nature. These designs de signs may may look com co mplex, ple x, but don’t don’t let l et them fool you. Upon Upon dissec dis secting ting them them,, you will wi ll see that that most of them are a combination of basic shapes. Take a feather, for example; it is composed of a spine and individual tear-shaped plumes. It is not difficult to make the spine or the plumes themselves. The challenge is stitching them together in a flowing, even motion. However, this can be mastered with consistent practice. Do not be afraid to take the leap and go skydiving into a whole new world worl d of designs! designs! Patterns Patterns are available avail able to print from http://tinyurl.com/10870-patterns http://tinyurl.com/10870-patterns..
The following following block designs were were so exciting e xciting to create! cr eate! A complex look was accomplished by mixing and matching various simple curved and straight lines. Some Some of these these designs designs inclu i nclude de swirl sw irlss and leaves. lea ves. Others Others have no no swirl sw irlss but have have leaves l eaves and petals. During the creative process, the slightest change or variation in one design can create a whole new design. With just a few simple components, a diverse array of design combinations can be formed. The best part of making these was the continual, accidental creation of new designs.
SECTION
4 NATURE’S PATTERNS:
FEATHERS, FERNS, FERN S, VINES, AND LEAVES LEAVES Nature Nature is an infinite infinite source source of inspiration for for me. me. The The variety varie ty of text textu ures, design desi gns, s, and shapes shapes in my my backyard backyard is incredible. I could spend days days just coming coming up with designs designs from different different kinds kinds of leaves, due to their diverse shapes and edges. As you can see, the resulting designs are rather organic. They are also a little easier to stitch than some of the showstopper designs in Section 3 ( pages ( pages 45 – 75). 75). This is due to their spontaneous and flowing structure. There’s far less planning with these designs compared to the showstopper ones. So, relax and kick back as you casually ramble and rove through nature. Patterns Patterns are available avail able to print from http://tinyurl.com/10870-patterns http://tinyurl.com/10870-patterns..
SECTION
5 DYNAMIC FOCAL POINTS:
MEDALLIONS AND BORDERS Borders often leave the quilter feeling intimidated and unsure about how to quilt them. Blank or plain areas of the quilt—such as set-in triangles, centers of blocks, odd border designs, or randomly positioned quilt quilt blocks—can also throw throw the quilter quilter into a creative paralysis. This section provides a selection selec tion of uniqu uniquee design desi gnss that will be an excellent fit fit for your your borders bor ders or areas a reas where a medallion edall ion is the perfect choice. Patterns Patterns are available avail able to print from http://tinyurl.com/10870-patterns http://tinyurl.com/10870-patterns..
Example of filler for diamonds
SECTION
6 MIX IT UP:
DESIGN COMBINATIONS Once you have mastered a few of the designs from Sections 1 – 5, you can begin mixing and matching them. The look and overall feel of your quilt will dictate what kind of design combinations you should use. If the quilt is traditional, perhaps some of the fancy feathers and ribbon designs from Section 3 ( 3 ( pages 45 – 75) 75) would be appropriate. However, if the quilt is modern and funky, it may call for som s omee of the more wacky w acky design desi gnss found found in i n Section 2 ( 2 ( pages 19 – 44). 44). My combinations are meant to be used as well as to inspir inspiree you to try try your your hand hand at creating all new combinations combinations by yourself! yourself! Patterns Patterns are available avail able to print from http://tinyurl.com/10870-patterns http://tinyurl.com/10870-patterns..
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Bethany Pease is a professional longarm quilter located in Raleigh, North Carolina. She offers a wide variety of her own unique quilting designs. Customers send her quilts from all over North Carolina, Maryland, Vir Virginia, ginia, California, Cal ifornia, Washingt Washington, on, and even eve n Switzerland. Switzerl and. BethanyQ BethanyQuilts.com uilts.com is Bethany Bethany’s ’s ebsite, where she frequently shares with her readers her latest work and talks about her various quilting experiences. She is constantly inspired by the world around her to come up with a seemingly endless variety of new quilting designs. Bethany has enjoyed the opportunity to speak at quilt guilds and other venues, demonstrating the creative process she uses to come up with new designs. Bethany has always had a creative bent since early childhood and has expressed herself through various art forms such as drawing. At age nineteen, she discovered her love for longarm quilting, hen her her mother trained trai ned her how to use the machine machine to help with wi th the the famil family y business. In addition addi tion to helping run the longarm quilting business, Bethany’s love for quilting also grew from working
alongside her mother, Nancy, and twin sisters, Candace and Caitlyn, at their family-owned quilt shop. Bethany Bethany put put herself hersel f through through college colle ge on income from longarm longarm quilting. She is excited to see se e what w hat the the future holds for her longarm-quilting career.
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Text copyright © 2011 by Bethany Pease Photography and Artwork copyright © 2011 by C&T Publishing, Inc. Publisher: Amy Marson Creative Director: Gailen Runge Acquisitions Editor: Susanne Woods Editor: Liz Aneloski Technical Editor: Helen Frost Cover/Book Designer: Designer: Kri Kr isty Zacharias Za charias Production Coordinator: Jessica Jenkins Production Editor: Alice Mace Nakanishi Illustrator: Bethany Pease Photography Photography by Christina Christina Carty-Francis Ca rty-Francis and Di D iane Pedersen Pe dersen of C&T Publishin Publishing, g, Inc., unless unless otherwise noted Modern Quilting Designs Download Copyright © 2011 by C&T Publishing, Inc. ISBN 978-1-60705-559-4 Published by Stash Books, an imprint of C&T Publishing, Inc., P.O. Box 1456, Lafayette, CA 94549 All rights reserved. No part of this work covered by the copyright hereon may be used in any form or reproduced by any means— graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or information storage and retrieval systems—without written permission from the Publisher. Acceptable uses of this ELECTRONIC PRODUCT: 1. Purchaser is entitled to print out as many copies of this ELECTRONIC PRODUCT as they wish for personal use. Photocopying, digitizing, and all other forms of copying to “share” or “distribute” the ELECTRONIC PRODUCT, whether for profit or not, is strictly prohi prohibi bited. ted. 2. Purchaser may not transfer the ELECTRONIC PRODUCT to any other person, via the Internet, email, on disk, in electronic or printed printed form form or or any other other form form witho without ut the the written permi permission ssion of of C&T Publi Publishing shing.. Purchaser may not not make make the ELECTRONIC PRODUCT PRO DUCT available available over a network where it coul c ould d be used use d by mul multipl tiple computers computers at the same s ame time. 3. Purchaser may not rent, lease, transfer, lend, or share the ELECTRONIC PRODUCT. Limited Limited Warranty: Limi Limited ted Warranty Wa rranty on this this ELECTRONIC ELECTRO NIC PRODUCT. PRO DUCT. C&T P ubli ublishing, shing, Inc. warra w arrants nts the ELECTRONIC PRODUCT will be delivered by C&T Publishing, Inc. free from defects in materials and workmanship under normal use for a period of ninety (90) days from the date of original purchase. C&T Publishing, Inc. will not replace the ELECTRONIC PRODUCT due to Purchaser Purc haser changing changing computers computers or accidental ac cidentallly deleting deleting ELECTRONIC PRODUCT PRO DUCT or for any a ny other other loss loss of the fi f ile that is consi c onsidered dered out of the control of C&T Publishing, Inc. Your exclusive remedy under this Section shall be, at C&T Publishing, Inc.’s option, a refund of the purchase price of the ELECTRONIC PRODUCT. Contact us at 800-284-1114 or www.ctpub.com www.ctpub.com for for more information about the C&T Teachers Program. We take t ake great care to ensure that the information nformation inclu included ded in our our products products is accura a ccurate te and presented prese nted in good good faith, faith, but but no warranty wa rranty is provi provided ded nor nor are results results guaranteed. guaranteed. Having Having no no control control over over the choices choices of materials materials or or procedures procedures used, neither neither the the author author nor C&T C&T Publishing, Inc., shall have any liability to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damage caused directly or indirectly by the information contained in this book. For your convenience, we post an up-to-date listing of corrections on our website ( www.ctpub.com www.ctpub.com). ). If a correction is not already noted, please contact our customer service department at
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