The Joy of Quilting with Your Long-Arm Machine
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design, but keep the stitches consistently a quarter inch away from the original design.
You will end up with a repeated, slightly larger design that encircles the original. Echoes
will help you gain more control over the machine. As you gain more experience, you
can put the stitches closer together to create more intricate designs. Echoes can be
applied with any of the following designs, and virtually any design you can think of.\
LEAVES:
Group three leaves together and use loops as vines to move to the next group
of leaves. Flowers can be easily added to this design. Try big leaves and smaller ones.
Another option is to quilt a leaf and then continue to echo the design a few times
before you move to another leaf.
PEACOCK FEATHERS:
Create an oblong circle-like teardrop and echo this design as
desired before continuing to another feather
SWIRLS:
These can be large or small. For a pattern that covers the entire quilt, create
big swirls that can be connected by smaller loops or swirls. These can also be quilted
very small and are great for backgrounds of appliqued quilts.
WATER:
Quilt back and forth horizontally keeping the edges rounded when you change
direction, as if you were creating a river or flowing water. You can incorporate swirls to
make it look like more rolling water.
You get the idea; fill patterns are easy-to-replicate patterns that do not require minute
attention to detail. These will be good patterns to practice to get you warmed up and
ready for more advanced designs. They should also allow you to practice smooth,
consistent motions to build your technique, as we discussed earlier in this lesson.
Quilting Design Inspiration File
Always keep an eye open for designs to inspire your quilting. As you are out and about,
look for designs on walls, tiles, artwork, floors, etc. that will inspire ideas and that look
fun to quilt. As you do so, you will develop an eye for patterns, and you will constantly
have new ideas to try out. Keep a notebook, paper, phone, or tablet close
so you can draw these designs or take pictures for future reference.
