How many ways are there to quilt a piece? We all probably started out learning 'stitch in the ditch'. The lines were there and it was easy to tell where the stitches "belonged". If you look out on the web you'll find tons of tutorials on free motion quilting. It is truly an art form in its own right. The texture and interest it can provide a quilt is amazing. There are a few techniques in between; more intricate than stitch in the ditch and maybe not as challenging as free motion.
Jacquie Gering has some great quilting on one of her pieces that are actually her machine's decorative stitches! I'm all over those stitches and I have my own stitch book that I put together with a sampling of every decorative stitch my machine provides. I use them whenever I can, but I never thought of using them to quilt. So I did a test of some simple stitches to see the effect on a quilt block.
I think this is a great technique. If you give it a try, be sure to keep in mind the amount of thread you'd need to complete a piece; decorative stitches always use more thread than straight stitching. You can see that some stitches are more effective than others. The one in the center is my favorite. What do you think? And have you ever tried this technique? I'd love to hear from you so please leave a comment.
The zig-zags are my favorite too. Which foot did you use on your machine?
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