I’m back with another fun book review today. I recently finished reading Natalia Bonner’s Beginner’s Guide to Free-Motion Quilting. I ordered it from Amazon a couple of months ago (yay free shipping!) and finally had some time this weekend to sit down and finish reading it!
First let me tell you something special about Natalia if you haven’t made it over to her blog Piece N Quilt yet. She’s an amazing long-arm quilter and she’s teaming up with some very smart organized people to put on the Small Town Quilt Show in Utah next June. I can’t wait!
But back to her book…Â It includes over 50 different visual tutorials to get you started, like this one shown below:
It’s extremely helpful for me to know where to start and stop stitching and how to form the shapes whenever I tackle a new quilting design. The back of the book is filled with pages of quilting motifs that you can use to copy the design onto your quilt with a water soluble marker (and a light box).
They are also wonderful to trace around with a pen or pencil to get a feel for the movement of the design. Once you’ve done that a few times, you can try quilting these motifs without marking. I personally enjoy collecting a library of machine quilting designs to try!
After you read though all the excellent information on the basics of free-motion quilting, the book includes 6 quilt projects to try. Each has a little bit of a modern flair and 5 of the 6 quilts feature machine applique (another one of my passions).
Quilts from Beginner’s Guide to Free-Motion Quilting
The book also includes a few basics talking about batting, basting and some useful tools (which I recommend also). There are some helpful pictures on getting those pesky ending strips to line up while binding so that’s an added bonus. 🙂
No matter which type of machine someone quilts on, I get really excited when they encourage others to jump in and give it a try.
Click here to see my other reviews and start building up your quilting book library!
Christa Quilts 
Yup, I’ve got this one! It’s a very good book. If only I had equal amounts of time and courage to try all of the patterns.
Thanks so much for your review Christa! I really appreciate your kind support!!! Have a fantastic day! 🙂
Really appreciate the review Christa! Looks like a great book to own. Thanks!
Sounds like a great book. I’m still wary of machine quilting!
I’ve put this one on my list to Santa this year. I hope he brings it to me.
Sounds fabulous. I am just about to take the plunge and free motion quilt a Baby Quilt. Think I might need this book!!
Good luck with it!
I appreciate your reviews. This sounds like a great book.
Too Funny, did you know over at Quiltmaker mag. (i have no affiliation with them) they are doing “A year of machine quilting” with Natalia? using the book and she will also write articles every issue of the mag and post on their blog http://www.quiltmaker.com/blogs/quiltypleasures/2013/12/qms-year-of-machine-quilting/
i already have the book and so i will sign up for a digital subscription of the mag (only $13.97 a great deal) and spend the year learning how to FMquilt 🙂
on the same subject (learning to quilt on a home machine) Leah Day has –Building Blocks Quilt along–Finished Size 48″ x 56″. Weekly blocks (42) and how to quilt each one then put it together at the end of the year complete.
i know what i’m learning about this year FMquilting, i know you’ll be teaching it too so i will following along your journey as well. love the new direction you are taking.
Go Girl!!
Sounds interesting! Never had much success with free motion but looks like this would be a good starting point. Thanks for broadening my perspectives.