This week I practiced two new-to-me free motion quilting designs: paisley feathers and meandering flowers. I was binge-watching quilting videos on YouTube one evening and found Angela Walters’ tutorials for the two designs (paisley feathers here, meandering flowers here) and thought I’d give them a try.

I’ve practiced on several of Leah Day’s designs from the Free Motion Quilting Project, but I have mostly been picking ones with short straight lines. These two are a definite departure from what I’m used to, with their curves and swirls.

I’m pleased with the results! I did make some mistakes, but Angela is right: gaps in quilting are more noticeable than mistakes in pathing. The meandering flowers design worked better as a filler for the square practice block I was using. The paisley feathers would look better in an open area of a quilt, set off by echoing and bordered by denser quilting, which is how Angela usually uses it. It’s still impressive even in a square though.

And if I can make it look like that on my first try, anybody could do it! It’s a very forgiving design.

Have you been practicing a new free motion quilting motif? What did you choose, and where did you learn about it?