Why Custom Quilting? - String & Story
Why Custom Quilting? - String & Story
We’ve all seen gorgeously textured quilts with lots of different motifs connected to create a unique effect. It can be awe inspiring and intimidating all at once. Today, let’s discuss the why, when, and how of custom quilting and hopefully finish our time together with you feeling more inspired and less overwhelmed to try custom quilting on your own projects!
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Custom quilting uses lots of of different quilting motifs to create unique texture and effects on a finished quilt. I usually define “custom” as any quilting plan that uses at least four motifs. I’ve also described custom quilting as existing at the cross roads of free motion quilting and ruler quilting. It’s a wonderful opportunity to use your full toolbox of quilting motifs and techniques!
(Oh, and before we get started, let’s bust a couple of myths: you don’t need to be a professional or have a longarm quilting machine in order to custom quilt your projects.)
When Should You Custom Quilt?
Different types of projects “beg” for different types of quilting. For example, I often say that if you’re making a quilt as a baby gift (and intend for the quilt to get used a lot), then a meander is a great option so it doesn’t “sting” when the baby throws up on the quilt. But some quilts are more likely candidates for taking the time and effort to custom quilt. Here’s a few of my favorites:
Quilts you’re planning to enter into a show
Quilts that will hang on the wall and get seen a lot
Quilts you took extra time and care to piece
Quilts that are a special gift
Any dang quilt you feel like custom quilting because you can ;-)
How to Get Started Custom Quilting
Custom quilting combines several skill sets: first, machine quilting. Custom quilting often includes both free motion and ruler quilting, so spending time building your tool box of quilting motifs is essential (I’m biased, of course, but I highly recommend you do this through my courses like Intro to FMQ, Free Motion Quilting Academy, and Ruler Quilting Academy).
The other key skill is creating a quilting plan. A quilting plan is like a road map: it allows you to experiment with and choose all your quilting motifs on paper before you start stitching on your project. For simpler quilting plans (like an all over design or a semi-custom plan for a quilt with blocks and sashing) creating your roadmap can be almost formulaic. Custom quilting plans, though, often require more practice to visualize the different possibilities of all the shapes and motifs.
You can get started learning how to make custom quilting plans in a few easy steps:
Download my Confident Quilting Plan Workbook to understand more about how quilting plans work, guiding questions for choosing motifs, and ways to draw your quilting plans
If you see custom quilting plans you like on quilts, practice drawing those quilting plans to see how all the shapes and motifs connect
Draw lots of quilting plans and practice quilting them on small projects, panels, practice sandwiches, etc.
Practice makes progress!
The other really important thing to keep in mind is that EVERYONE can custom quilt. As I said above: you don’t need to be a professional quilter or have a longarm quilting machine in order to custom quilt. All you need is the desire and the willingness to practice, and you’ll soon be a custom quilting rockstar!
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Quilting In Layers: Basics of Custom Quilting - String & Story
Custom quilting means using lots of motifs, often in creative or unusual ways, to truly make a quilt one of a kind. When you only see the final product, it can be hard to understand where the quilter started and how to break down the complexity into different layers. Let’s talk through some basic steps so you can start— and finish— with confidence!
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Custom quilting. Two exciting, gorgeous, almost awe-inspiring words. When you’re stitching your first meanders, custom quilting your own (or maybe even others’!) quilts may seem far away. But, honestly, if you’ve taken my Intro to Free Motion Quilting class and done the work to be comfortable with those few motifs, you’re ready to start custom quilting!
Whether you’re working on your domestic machine or a longarm, there are two key parts to custom quilting: 1) deciding what to quilt where (making a quilting plan) and 2) deciding how to execute the plan, aka what to quilt first, second, and so on!
What is Custom Quilting?
When I say “custom quilting,” I am referring to any quilt that has four or more motifs quilted on it. Custom quilting includes motif use and placement that enhances the design of that particular quilt. It often includes quilting across seam lines to emphasize a secondary or overlaid design. The simplest type of custom quilting (I usually call it “semi-custom”) can be done on a traditional quilt where three motifs are chosen— one for the blocks, one for the sashing, and one for the borders.
More complex custom quilting completely or almost completely ignores seam lines to create an additional, separate, yet complementary layer of design. I’m going to use two of my patterns, Star Island and Lanterns of Hope, as examples of this more complex approach to quilting.
Also, each of the “layers” I’m talking about here is a complete pass down the quilt. On the longarm, that means I worked top to bottom completely multiple times over, rolling the quilt back and forth. On a domestic, it would mean quilting across or around the quilt multiple times. Because layered quilting tends to be quite dense, I strongly recommend a natural fiber batting (cotton, wool, or bamboo) and 100% cotton thread to have a soft, squishy finished quilt.
Where to Start: Secure the Quilt
The most common way to do this is to stitch in the ditch around all the blocks, but it can also means blocking in the largest shapes of your quilting plan like the arches/ clamshells in this Star Island quilting plan or the circles and rectangles in the Lanterns of Hope plan below.
Full disclosure: I prefer to quilt large shapes rather than stitch in the ditch. On the longarm, stitching in the ditch can be fiddly and slow. On the domestic it can lead to puckering later if the quilt isn’t perfectly flat when basted.
As I mentioned, when quilting Star Island, I secured the quilt by first making the large scallop designs from top to bottom on the quilt. You can use free hand dot to dot quilting to make these shapes or you can use a ruler. (If you missed it, be sure to check out this video of me stitching those scallops because, yes, once up on a time I used a pizza pan LOL)
Add Some Fillers
These are the details— some paisleys here, pebbles there. Depending on what larger motifs you had, this step will likely take the longest because it is the most intricate. Take your time and embrace the process. Quilt the life into it!
Optional: Borders
If applicable, quilt the borders last. If there’s any sort of wave or extra fabric that eased out of the seams while you were quilting everything else, saving the borders until last will give you a chance to massage them and work that extra fabric so that it lies flat and lovely. My favorite way to quilt super friendly borders is with switchbacks or straight lines (think faux piano keys). This way, if there is so much extra fabric that I need to make a pleat, it’s easily and neatly hidden by stitching right along the edge of the fold as part of the quilting motif. You can check out my other tips for taming with wavy borders here.
This quilting plan uses a near even mix of free motion quilting and ruler quilting– a really fun way to show off your skills!
Conclusion
As you’ve likely figured out, custom quilting takes a lot longer than an all over or edge to edge design. There will be more thread ends to bury, and it will use more thread. If you send a quilt to a longarmer, custom quilting will cost extra. Personally, I think it’s all 100% worth it because I’m allll about the texture and additional layer of design. Whether or not custom quilting ends up being your “thing” or style, try it at least once! It encourages you to look at your quilts a little differently, and it’s lots of fun!
Resources
QUILT PATTERNS: Star Island & Lanterns of Hope
QUILT PANELS: Worried about “messing up” your quilt? The Quilting Rockstar Panels are the perfect way to practice!
FREEBIE: If you’re new to free motion quilting, make sure to download my FREE Confident FMQ Workbook from our Quilting Rockstar Library
DIGITAL COURSE: Learn your first steps in free motion quilting with our Intro to FMQ online mini-course!
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