Machine Quilting Loopy Flowers

 
This is a quick tutorial on how to free motion quilt in the loopy flower motif that I used on this quilt.  This technique is not difficult, but it's trickier than some, so I recommend it for quilters who are already confident free motion quilting with a meandering stitch.

For the loopy flower quilting, set your machine up the same way you would for any other kind of free motion quilting (lowering or covering feed dogs, setting stitch length to zero, etc.).  For an explanation of basic free motion quilting, please reference this post.

If your machine has an automatic needle down function, engage it.  If your machine doesn't have this function, be sure to manually lower your needle every time you stop quilting.

 
Start where you want the center of your the flower.  Pull the bobbin thread to the top.

 
Hold thread tails and begin quilting.  Sew several stitches in place to secure threads and then move clockwise, in a circle, about an inch in diameter.  Once you've reached the opposite side of the circle, stop and trim loose threads.

 
Continue stitching around circle two or three times.  As much as possible, your stitches should be very close to, but not directly on top of, one another.  (The goal is to replicate the look of someone quickly drawing the shape on paper.)

 
Moving out from the center, still in a clockwise motion, stitch a rounded petal, as shown above.

 
Continue around the center circle, stitching as many petals as you like and ending at the point on the center circle where you started.

Having tried several variations, I find that I prefer the look of flowers with six petals.

 
Stitch around the flower, echoing the shape of the petals, as shown above.  Note how the stitches echoing the tips of the petals are further away than the stitches between the petals, which are right on top of one another. 

 
Stitch around the petals a third and final time, continuing to stitch over the same area in the spaces between the petals.  Note the placement of the needle in the above photo.  While I continued to dip in toward the center and stitch over the same area, I did not go all the way to the center each time.

Once you're finished, make several stitches in place to secure threads and trim.  (Each flower is a complete and separate unit.)

 
Inspect the back of your quilting to make sure your stitches look good on the back too.  I found that, to get a good stitch, I had to set my tension thread slightly higher than normal for this technique. 

Your flowers will vary in size depending on the size of your echoed petals.  I found that most of mine were between 7" and 8" across.

 
When working on a quilt, I suggest starting at or near the center.  Remove enough pins to quilt an entire flower without stopping to remove any.

 
When quilting over a regular patchwork pattern like this one, I prefer to offset the flowers, rather than centering them over certain parts of the piecing.  I just think it give a more interesting, less fussy look. 

My flowers were placed semi-randomly, as I worked.  However, whenever I started a new flower, I imagined an equilateral triangle placed over every three adjacent flowers.  My goal was to place the flowers so that the points of this imaginary triangle would align with the centers of the three flowers.

 
Along the sides of my quilt, I stitched additional petals to give the appearance of flowers that continued off the edges of the quilt.

 
I love the summery look of the finished quilting!  (This is one of the additional layouts for the updated Simple Modern Baby Quilts Pattern.  I'll show you more photos once the pattern is ready.)

 

When you're finished, examine your quilt back for any missed threads.  Because of all the starting and stopping, you'll likely have to do a little cleanup, but the finished quilt back should have a nice, wavy texture, like the quilt top shown above.  

Comments

[Misty]

Wow, gorgeous quilting! Thanks for the tutorial!

[marymary]

This is such a nicely done tutorial. Very clear and thorough. Thank you! I love this technique and the finished look.

[Yvonne]

Thank you for the tutorial. I love the quilted flowers.

[Sarah C.]

Thanks for this wonderful tutorial! It makes it look much easier than I'm sure it is, but I'm definitely going to give it a try!

[Julie]

Awesome - that is really nice!

[Jeanne W.]

I really adore these flowers! I'm just beginning to do free-motion machine quilting after a lifetime of hand quilting only. It's a challenge but this is just the pattern I am looking for. Thanks!

[Bethany]

Thanks for the great tutorial! I love the way the flowers give the back a wavy look.

[Mary on Lake Pulaski]

Thank you so much Elizabeth! I am going to try this on my next quilt!

[Christine]

Great explanation, thanks!

[Lindsay]

that is so awesome! Thanks for the great tutorial, this one is going in my bookmarks for later! I am working on a quilt top right now that this would be perfect for!

[FeistyEily]

Gorgeous! Thanks for sharing. :)

[Deborah Pruden]

Thank you for the tutorial. I make these flowers for the borders of my baby girl quilts, only smaller. You are so generous and talented!

[Kate Conklin]

Your quilting is amazing!

[Jacque.]

I love that you're so detail-oriented! Great tute on the loopy flowers!

[Annalia]

Can't wait to try it - thanks!

Beautiful...and helpful.

[Bec Clarke]

thank you so much that is such a wonderful help.

[Evie]

Fabulous - I LOVE the tutorial! now I just need to seriously improve my free motion quilting so I can give this a go!.

I'm not sure if this is the right place to ask this question, so forgive me if I got it wrong, but I am wondering how do you wash quilts and do you put care instructions on your quilt labels?

[Jackie]

Thank you for the tutorial! You make it look so easy. What I especially like about this tutorial is that you went into detail about how you place each flower. The triangle tip is especially helpful. Thank you!

[greetingarts]

Wow.

[Jolie]

Thanks so much for the tutorial - I've done free motion flowers on quilts before but I have always buried my stitches by hand with a needle after the quilting, and I confess the idea of having to do a zillion of them completely put me off some quilting designs. To see a master quilter cut threads after securing them - well, I feel like a whole new world has opened up to me! Thank you!!!

[Kelly Irene]

Yay! Thank you for posting this! I am going to use it on my daughter's quilt next month.

[Angelina]

That quilt is awesome! I love those colors. And thanks for the tutorial. Hopefully one day I'll be brave enough to try it!

[michelle balletti]

thank you so much for the step by step pictured-filled tutorial!! What an amazing quilt. speaking of quilts, those heirlooms are wonderful....my favorite was the first one also...I just love the light and dark color contrast!!

[Danielle]

Thanks very much for the tutorial! Love the flowers.

[Patty]

The flower quilting looks lovely against the oranges and lemons!