January Lesson: Beginners Guide to Free Motion Quilting January Roundup: Beginners Guide to Free Motion Quilting - Roundup February Lesson: Thread February Lesson: Thread Roundup March Lesson: Choosing Batting & Fabric for Free Motion Quilting *************** I have never loved to practice at anything much (although I like to practice eating chocolate a lot!) When I discovered FMQ I found I could spend hours practicing various designs. This post came about because I wanted to make a group of samplers - based on 5 classic shapes which are used over and over again in free motion quilting. This is not a how too post - I hope that this post encourages you to explore how many designs you can come up with with using 'just straight lines'. "Just straight lines' is a phrase I heard over and over again in the January Lesson. This sampler shows that using 'just straight lines' can make a lot of different quilting patterns. Some are simple - others are more complex and time consuming - but you should never say 'just straight lines' again. I started thinking I would aim for 40+ different designs but it soon seemed obvious it would be very easy to hit 100. Warning - this is a long post. Many of these patterns are self explanatory. Where another quilter has given a tutorial or published the design I have provided a link. The sampler was an amazing exercise for me and I feel like I have discovered many more possible designs to use in future quilts. I quilted many of these designs on the sampler for the first time. I would love to hear if you discover any ideas you don't see here. I would also encourage anyone who wanted to expand their FMQ horizons to do a similar sampler for themselves. Always consider: Direction/angle of your quilting lines Width between lines Scale/size of design- changing the size of your design/width of lines can have a dramatic effect on the look of your quilt. Color of thread - use multiple colors to enhance the effect? Horizontal, vertical or diagonal/on point Mixing different sizes/scales of lines in the same quilt Fill in some areas - squares, triangles, diamonds – either with a consistent or random pattern Where does the line originate from and where does it stop Nest or echo your lines Finally - will you use your walking foot/ruler or go free motion? NOTE: Marking - I mark with a dissolvable ink pen (just in dots.) The less you mark the less you need to spray/soak when you have finished quilting BUT marking will increase your ability to be accurate. Sometimes I even mark when I am doing free motion – it helps me keep my scale and placement of motif consistent through out the quilted area. ‘Plain’ Lines Never underestimate how great just plain straight lines can be. Remember it is not ‘just’ straight lines or ‘plain’ lines. Your quilting is adding movement and depth to your quilt. 1. 1” straight lines Domestic: Use walking foot Longarm: Use a straight ruler 2. ½” straight lines Domestic: Use walking foot Longarm: Use a straight ruler 3. ¼” straight lines Domestic: Use walking foot Longarm: Use a straight ruler 4. 1/8” lines (Matchstick Quilting) Domestic: Use walking foot Longarm: Use a straight ruler 5. Graded lines Domestic: Use walking foot Longarm: Use a straight ruler 6. Double Lined Domestic: Use walking foot Longarm: Use a straight ruler 7. Triple Lined Domestic: Use walking foot Longarm: Use a straight ruler 8. Horizontal & Vertical Lines Meeting Domestic: Use walking foot Longarm: Use a straight ruler  9. Different Widths all together Domestic: Use walking foot Longarm: Use a straight ruler 10. Different angles Domestic: Use walking foot Longarm: Use a straight ruler 11. Coming from one point Domestic: Use walking foot Longarm: Use a straight ruler 12. Coming from center Domestic: Use walking foot Longarm: Use a straight ruler 13. Coming from two directions Domestic: Use walking foot Longarm: Use a straight ruler 14. Mix it up - Diagonal chevron splitting horizontal & vertical lines Domestic: Use walking foot Longarm: Use a straight ruler 15. Stacked Corners Domestic: Use walking foot Longarm: Use a straight ruler 16. Square Baptist Fan Domestic: Use walking foot Longarm: Use a straight ruler 17. Corners (Center out) Domestic: Use walking foot Longarm: Use a straight ruler 18. Wooden Floor Boards Domestic: Use walking foot Longarm: Use a straight ruler 19. Meandering Straight Line (all over) Domestic: Lower feed dogs & use suitable foot for FMQ Longarm: FMQ 20. Meandering Straight Line (side to side) Domestic: Lower feed dogs & use suitable foot for FMQ Longarm: FMQ 21. Merging Lines (Free Motion Quilting w. Angela Walters) Domestic: Use walking foot or drop your feed dogs and FMQ Longarm: Use a straight ruler or FMQ or a mix 22. Lines all directions Domestic: Use walking foot Longarm: Use a straight ruler 23. Spiraling line from center Domestic: Use walking foot Longarm: Use a straight ruler Squares (Crosshatching) Taking your lines from side to side AND top to bottom you can take your quilting to the next level of complexity. There are A LOT of things you can do with squares. Whether you mark your lines to be exact or just go for it without worrying about exact measurements. The end result is guaranteed to please you and look more complicated than it is I can’t emphasize enough the difference that the scale of your quilting can make. 4” squares vs. 1” squares vs. ½” squares. Experiment and find what you prefer. Adding two lines instead of one to your squares or crosshatching can make negative space look beautiful. I think it can be used in both contemporary or traditional designs – it is an all over winner. 24. Squares Domestic: Use walking foot Longarm: Use a straight ruler 25. On Point Squares Domestic: Use walking foot Longarm: Use a straight ruler 26. ½”squares Domestic: Use walking foot Longarm: Use a straight ruler 27. 1/2" squares on point Domestic: Use walking foot Longarm: Use a straight ruler 28. On Point some filled (various fillers) Domestic: Use walking foot but drop feed dogs & use suitable FMQ foot for filling Longarm: Use a straight ruler but FMQ for filler 29. Squares with crosses 30. Squares with some crosses Domestic: Use walking foot Longarm: Use a straight ruler 31. Squares with fill (various filler ideas) Domestic: Use walking foot but drop feed dogs & use suitable FMQ foot for filling Longarm: Use a straight ruler but FMQ for filler 32. Double hatched Domestic: Use walking foot Longarm: Use a straight ruler 33. Triple hatched Domestic: Use walking foot Longarm: Use a straight ruler 34. ½” double hatched Domestic: Use walking foot Longarm: Use a straight ruler 35. On point double hatched & on point triple hatched Domestic: Use walking foot Longarm: Use a straight ruler 36. Criss crossing different widths/angles Domestic: Use walking foot Longarm: Use a straight ruler 37. Different Sized boxes Domestic: Drop your feed-dogs and use suitable FMQ foot Longarm: Use a straight ruler or FMQ 38. Meandering Squares Domestic: Drop feed dogs and use suitable FMQ foot Longarm: FMQ 39. Stacked Frames (Free Motion Quilting w/ Angela Walters) Domestic: You could use a walking foot but dropping your feed dogs & using suitable FMQ foot would be faster. Longarm: Use a straight ruler or FMQ. Diamonds By changing the angle of your lines from crosshatched squares you can easily make diamonds. I think diamonds are called diamonds for a reason – they look expensive and classy. I personally associate them more with traditional style quilts but I’m sure someone will make diamonds modern soon! 40. Big 41. Small Domestic: Use walking foot Longarm: Use a straight ruler 42. Double hatched Domestic: Use walking foot Longarm: Use a straight ruler 43. Triple hatched Domestic: Use walking foot Longarm: Use a straight ruler 44. Stacked one line (right below) 45. Stacked both lines (left below) Domestic: Use walking foot Longarm: Use a straight ruler Triangles There are many different shapes of triangle. Equilateral (all sides measure the same), isosceles (two sides measure the same) or scalene (all sides are different lengths – essentially random or improvised triangles) 46. Triangles Domestic: Use walking foot Longarm: Use a straight ruler 47. Triangles some filled Domestic: Use walking foot but drop feed dogs & use suitable FMQ foot for filling Longarm: Use a straight ruler but FMQ for filler 48. Triangle meander Domestic: Drop feed dogs and use suitable FMQ foot Longarm: FMQ 49. Stacked triangles from center Domestic: You could use a walking foot but dropping your feed dogs & using suitable FMQ foot would be faster. Longarm: Use a straight ruler or FMQ 50. Random triangles stacked from center Domestic: This would depend on the scale of this design. Small scale: drop your feed dogs & using suitable FMQ foot would be faster. Large Scale: use a walking foot. Longarm: Use a straight ruler or FMQ 51. Stacked triangles from side Domestic: This would depend on the scale of this design. Small scale: drop your feed dogs & using suitable FMQ foot would be faster. Large Scale: use a walking foot. Longarm: Use a straight ruler or FMQ 52. Modern Weave by Leah Day Domestic: This would depend on the scale of this design. Small scale: drop your feed dogs & using suitable FMQ foot would be faster. Large Scale: use a walking foot.Longarm: Use a straight ruler or FMQ 53. Triangle Greek key Domestic: Drop feed dogs and use suitable FMQ foot Longarm: Use a straight ruler or FMQ Chevrons 54. Chevron (right below) 55. Double hatched (left below –bottom chevron) 56. Triple hatched (left below – top chevron) Domestic: Use walking foot Longarm: Use a straight ruler 57. Chevrons meeting Domestic: Use walking foot Longarm: Use a straight ruler 58. Long deep chevrons (right below) 59. Irregular depth chevrons equally spaced (left above) Domestic: Use walking foot Longarm: Use a straight ruler 60. Chevron with center line 1” deep (below) 61. Chevron center line 1/5” deep (above) Domestic: Use walking foot Longarm: Use a straight ruler 62. Center line 1” deep w/ 2 “ spacing Domestic: Use walking foot Longarm: Use a straight ruler 63. Center line double line 64. Center line triple line Domestic: Use walking foot Longarm: Use a straight ruler 65. 2” spaced lines crossing over (below right) 66. 2 & 1” spaces lines crossing over (below left) Domestic: Use walking foot Longarm: Use a straight ruler 67. Free motion chevrons Domestic: Drop feed dogs and use suitable FMQ foot Longarm: FMQ 68. Wide chevrons (right) 69. Wide Chevrons meeting (left) Domestic: Use walking foot Longarm: Use a straight ruler 70. Traveling chevron 71. Repeating traveling chevrons Domestic: Use walking foot Longarm: Use a straight ruler 72. Matrix Maze by Leah Day Domestic: Use walking foot or FMQ Longarm: Use a straight ruler or FMQ Maze lines These lines – still straight move around much more. They go in and out of each other. They are certainly more labor intensive but you could use them as an overall pattern (big or small) or as background fillers. Take a little time to practice these with pen & paper before doing them on a quilt. 73. Greek Key - same size Domestic: You could use a walking foot but dropping your feed dogs & using suitable FMQ foot would be faster Longarm: Use a straight ruler or FMQ 74. Greek key different size Domestic: You could use a walking foot but dropping your feed dogs & using suitable FMQ foot would be faster Longarm: Use a straight ruler or FMQ 75. Chain Squares by Angela Walters (Pg. 35 of Free-Motion Quilting w/ Angela Waters) Domestic: Drop feed dogs and use suitable FMQ foot Longarm: FMQ 76. Echoing Straight Lines Domestic: Use walking foot or FMQ Longarm: Use a straight ruler or FMQ Free Motion Straight Lines These lines are probably not going to be perfectly straight. These lines are not intentionally curved – you are still trying to make straight lines. For either your domestic or longarm you would probably tackle these designs freehand without rulers or a walking foot. 77. E’s & W’s 78. Triangle Leaf 79. Slate Tiles (Leah Day) 80. Echo w/ wonky straight lines 81. Basic Chevron (Leah Day) 82. Pine Needles (Leah Day) 83. FMQ Traveling Small Greek Key - same size 84. FMQ Traveling Greek Sky Different Size 85. Square flowers by Angela Walters (Pg. 38 of Free-Motion Quilting w/ Angela Waters) 86. Atomic Squares by Angela Walters (Pg. 42 of Free-Motion Quilting w/ Angela Waters) 87. City Scape by Leah Day 88. line design snowflake 89. line designs squares 90. line design square w/ center line 91. line design square criss cross 92. line design diamond 93. line design diamond w/ snowflake 94. Missing Piece by Leah Day 95. Straight Line Spider Web GIVEAWAY: One Line at a Time by Charlotte Warr Andersen This is a wonderful book aimed at helping people create beautiful straight-lined machine quilted designs on their domestic machine. To win this book please leave a comment about which straight line design you see in this post that you would like to attempt and don't forget to leave some way for me to contact you before April 27th. (Full Disclosure - this is a 2nd hand book in excellent condition from Amazon.) 96. Boxes 97. Diamonds 98. Rolling X 99. Diamond Plaid 100. Double X 101. Intertwined Stars small (right below) 102. Intertwined stars big (left below) 103. Wonky Bow Ties 104. Twin Squares 105. Cartwheels The book also includes many more clever straight line designs that I did not include in my sampler. ************ Since finishing my sampler I have also noted the following straight line designs from these sources: Leah Day: Trippy Triangles, In Stitches, Cubing Jumbled lines by Angela Walters in Shape by Shape Tufts of Grass, Landscape, Earthquake, Shakes (Shingles), Bricks & Basket Weave in Darlene Epp's Freehand Guides 502 New Quilting Motifs by Quiltmaker Magazine – Gemstone, Bows & Borders, Sparkle, Roll of the Dice, Priscillas Star, Double Star Creative Classics & Mindful Meandering by Laura Lee Fritz – various designs