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You all know I’m a sucker for machine quilting and I love it when others helps spread the message, that yes, you CAN quilt your own quilts! 🙂 Prolific quilter and author Amanda Murphy has just released her latest project, The Free-Motion Quilting Idea Book.
It’s chock full of ideas on how you can apply specific motifs to actual blocks. It includes over 150 step-by-step designs that are sure to jump start your creativity! Just take a look at these two ideas from the book:
I love it that the book is organized so that you can look up the motifs by quilt element or design family. But what makes the book extra special is that you can apply these ideas to your quilts whether you are a stand up long arm quilter, or a sit-down machine quilter. Amanda started off as a domestic machine quilter (like me) and she’s now the spokesperson for the new BERNINA long arm, so of course I think she has great taste in machines!
Here’s Amanda, in her own words, describing why she wrote The Free-Motion Quilting Idea Book:
“I wanted to write an idea book to help people figure out how to quilt their quilts by breaking them down into a series of steps. Each quilt element featured in the book has multiple designs but all are based on the same basic allover designs featured in the front of the book – so it is easy to create a cohesive look. For instance, there are several designs for quilting flying geese, and they work well with other designs that feature the same families. There are also coordinating borders, sashing, and stand alone designs. There is a simple table runner design included to get you started.”
As an added bonus, Amanda and her publisher have teamed up to offer a companion to The Free-Motion Quilting Idea Book. It’s called the Free-Motion Quilting Idea Sampler and is available as a PDF download which gives you loads of block patterns to piece and practice on!
Sampler Quilt for Free-Motion Quilting Idea Book
Giveaway
Leave a comment telling me your favorite free-motion quilting motif. (Mine is swirls!) Contest is open to everyone through the end of the week. US winners will receive a hard copy of the book; international winners will receive an e-copy.
Blog Tour
Check out the rest of the stops on the hop for more inspiration, and your chance to win a copy of The Free-Motion Quilting Idea Book:
- Monday 11/2: C&T Publishing
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Tuesday 11/3: Generation Q Magazine
- Wednesday 11/4: A Quilting Life
- Thursday 11/5: Pat Sloan’s Blog
- Friday 11/6: Mandy Leins
- Monday 11/9: Sew Sweetness
- Tuesday 11/10: Christa Quilts You are here!
- Wednesday, 11/11: Cherry Blossoms Quilting Studio
- Thursday 11/12: Amanda Murphy
Christa Quilts 
Like you swirls & squiggles too!
My favorite FMQ motif is (don’t cringe!) the stipple because I only seem to get around to actually QUILTING right before my quilt guild’s biennial quilt show and I have done more stippling than any other motif. Looking forward to when I have time to read all of the great books I’ve collected on FMQ, take the Craftsy classes I’ve signed up for, doodle and practice other FMQ motifs!
My favorite FMQ design is swirls– I just wish I could do them!!
Still a beginner, but I love pebbles and pumpkin seeds. Actually, I’m addicted to FMQ and enjoy most designs.
I love swirls too!
Swirls are my easy go to but my favorite is feathers. Thanks.
I love her Economy Design B as shown on your blog.
My favorite quilting motif is feathers, hands down! Thanks for the giveaway, to all involved.
I love lots of fmq designs but my favourite has to be feathers. Thanks Christa for a chance to win this lovely book.
My favorite motif is feathers. I have not done any FMQ yet — only straight line quilting — but I always love the look of feathers, even on more modern quilts.
I like the look of stippling….
I like quilting hearts right now.
Loops are something I’m trying to learn–just above straight (with a lot of wavy thrown in) quilting.
Just starting to try FMQ…mostly practice blocks. lol ( am such a chicken…) But love doing wavy lines, & loops a lil too, but bit better at meandering I think 🙂 Thank you for chance to win your Give-a-way! Knooow this book would be grrrreat help!
HI, I love doing 2″ hearts with trailing vines+loops! Thanks for sharing a very neat Book Giveaway!
Feathers, followed by swirls. Thanks!
I’m a feather fanatic! The new book looks fabulous.
I enjoy many quilting designs that include swirls or curves. It depends on the block or sashing. This book looks so luscious, I can hardly wait to own my own copy!
I love the swirls and different size pebbles.
I am starting to try FMQ on my domestic and am practicing. I like wavy stitches and pebbles, but none of my stitches are anywhere near competition worthy — or even satisfactory to me ..yet.
I love the swirls also, a close second is the different size pebbles.
I really love swirls also, I ahve them all over the house
My favorite quilting design is stacked teardrops!
Feathers! I *love* feathers, though I really like pebbles, too.
I’m partial to pebbles these days!
I struggle with ALL FMQ so am impressed with most designs. That simple little figure 8 is so sweet but mine always seem to get an ugly slant to them. 😦
My favorite FMQ motif is nested loops. I could do those for days and days. Thanks for the posts about this topic–always good to get your take on what’s out there in the world for us to use as helps and teaching aids.
embellished curvy lines
I am a big fan of swirls too. I find them really easy to make.
I like pebbles, but loops come in a close second.
I love to stipple
My current favorite is Paisley, ala Angela Walters.
I like swirls, too. And waves.
I like loopy loops.
I love quilting feathers!
I like a wavy stitch.
I use loops when I free-motion quilt. It would be nice to practice something new!
I have bought a long arm but honestly don’t know how to use it much at all. This book would help me a great deal, I could practice the various techniques on my quilts. I personally like swirls too, feathers are nice but can be way overdone. I like my quilts more simple than elaborate. I think this book would help me a great deal.
My free motion quilting is pretty basic. Have done lots of stippling and some point-to-point and am interested in adding to that. Also did a clamshell–loved it
I’ve been playing around with a bunch of designs lately; pebbles and feathers and such. I was even able to transfer one of my doodles on paper to fabric! So much fun!
My next experiment will be with Grid Pop that I found on Pinterest. http://theinboxjaunt.com/2014/10/21/grid-pop-a-free-motion-quilt-tutorial/
My fav is stipple with loops 🙂
I like wiggly lines and spirals. Thanks!
I like the leaves.
I’ve only been quilting for a little over a year but I have quilted all of them (7 so far!) myself. I still need lots of practice but I’m getting better. My favorite so far has been a baby quilt done with a continuous concentric spiral. Trying to decide what to quilt is the hardest part for me so I would love to win this book!
I need to get the nerve to do more than meander.
So far straight and wavy lines are the ones I have most success with. Would love to become better at swirls, meandering and feathers. Just got a copy of your Machine Quilting With Style book and am excited to be challenged. Congratulations on being published.
I like pebbles and feathers. This book looks great, so much information and inspiration.
My favourite is swirls. It is the one I’ve used the most, so have had the most practice at it.
I like pebbles but then again depends on the quilt.
I love feathers! The book looks wonderful.