Dara Tomasson - Walk, Jog, Run: A Free-Motion Quilting Workout

Publisher: Amy Barrett-Daffin Creative Director: Gailen Runge Acquisitions Editor: Roxane Cerda Managing Editor: Liz Aneloski Editor: Beth Baumgartel Technical Editor: Julie Waldman Cover/Book Designer: April Mostek Production Coordinator: Zinnia Heinzmann Production Editor: Alice Mace Nakanishi Illustrator: Valyrie Gillum Photo Assistants: Rachel Holmes and Gregory Ligman Cover photography by Estefany Gonzalez of C&T Publishing, Inc. Lifestyle and instructional photography by Vanessa Lust Photography, unless otherwise noted; subjects photography by Kelly Burgoyne, Estefany Gonzalez, and Diane Pedersen of C&T Publishing, Inc., unless otherwise noted Published by Stash Books, an imprint of C&T Publishing, Inc., P.O. Box 1456, Lafayette, CA 94549 Dedication To Grandmas Mary and Hazel, for their legacy of creating beauty with their hands and teaching the importance of community by surrounding themselves with other women. I strive to follow your examples as I continue to educate, inspire others,
and build both physical and digital communities. To my incredible children, who cheer me on. To my husband, who is by far my greatest supporter.

He realizes that a wife who can create with quilts and then teach those skills to others, shares her personal joy, which in turn equals more joy in our home. Acknowledgments I am grateful to the following people and companies: Cindy Cloward of Riley Blake Designs who believes in me and my skills. Your generosity in providing the fabric for this book is heartwarming. Producing beautiful fabric to inspire these projects and create more beauty in our lives is truly meaningful work! Superior Threads for designing the perfect thread for my machine. I appreciate their support. Gammill and Brother sewing machine manufacturers for producing amazing machines that allow me to play, create, and make quilts that bring so much love and joy to so many.

Stephanie Hackney and Hobbs Bonded Fibers Company for jumping on board to support this book. C&T Publishing for this opportunity to share my skills and knowledge. Nikki Clarke Murray at Stacked Fabrics for her incredible eye coordinating the amazing fabric combinations for my patterns. Her generosity of time and talents is truly remarkable. She went over and above what I originally asked her to do. All the pattern testers who so generously gave of their time and provided such valuable feedback: Jamie Manning, Becky Keizer, Angela Purrenhage, Tara Sinclair, Nilufer Algas, Carol Shaw, Sarah Miller, Ainhoa Castellanos, Charlotte Burns, Sheila Hooper, Emily Beth Walton, Moira Porter, and Arlene Veenhof.

Julia Wentzell whose support was so needed and appreciated. The friends who brought me twenty pizzas at a time. INTRODUCTIONThink of free-motion quilting (FMQ) as doodling on fabric with thread! This book is a beginners guide to free-motion quilting, with basic foundational information, skill development, stitching tips, design options, and project ideas for a successful start in the process of free-motion quilting. Traditionally, quilters tend to stitch in straight lines with a standard presser foot or a walking foot. And, while I am a fan of straight-line quilting, I never wanted to be restricted to quilting only with straight lines. I started my quilting journey in the early 90s with a twin-size quilt that took me a very long time to hand quilt.

I had no clue that there was a way to quilt it on my sewing machine! This lead me to creative exploration of free-motion quilting, which has brought my joy of creating and quilting to a whole new level. I call myself free-motion quilting liberator because I added a whole new layer of creativity to my finished projects. Dont be afraid to quilt beyond the lines! With this book, I share with you everything I learned through trial and error; how to choose the correct thread and batting; learning the importance of thread tension; basting the layers; and stitching beyond the lines! I have helped quilters overcome the challenges inherent in free-motion quilting in my classes, both in person and online, through my blog, and now, much to my delight, in this book. HOW TO USE THIS BOOK If you are just beginning to explore free-motion quilting or you feel stuck in your free-motion quilting journey, I recommend that you make a conscious decision to learn and expand your creative potential through setting up goals and using the workout exercises to commit and learn this fabulous art form. In each of the Section II chapters, there is a specific design element for you to learn, with step-by-step instructions, to help you build a solid foundation of free-motion quilting skills; workout exercises to help develop and practice your new skills; and a project to showcase your talents. I have had the privilege of teaching hundreds of students this tried-and-true method of learning free-motion quilting.

The free-motion designs are divided into basic elements, making the entire design easier to stitch. It is so fun to watch my students learn that through tweaking or changing a small element of the design, they can create new designs. The ten practice workouts help you build your skills and endurance. The workouts are meant to provide encouragement and training. Make a goal, break it down, commit to it, evaluate your progress, reevaluate, and continue to progress. Scheduling pockets of time for these workouts is crucial for developing muscle memory.

The projects will help satisfy your desire to create new and beautiful quilted items. Walk, Jog, and Run to Free-Motion Quilting Success What goals do you have for free-motion quilting? The workouts and projects in the following chapters will take you from walking to jogging to running, through a wonderful meandering journey of free-motion quilting. WALKSIMPLE FREE-MOTION QUILTER You have proficient knowledge of quilting supplies (sewing machine, thread, needles, and so on). You are comfortable using a walking foot to produce several designs. You can use the darning foot to produce es and ls and other linear designs. JOGMODERATE FREE-MOTION QUILTER You know how to divide a quilt for an all over design.

You can stitch loops, daisies, paisleys, stipple stitches, and circuit board designs. RUNACCOMPLISHED FREE-MOTION QUILTER You are confident creating wishbone, ribbon candy, and clamshell designs, as well as many variations of all the designs featured in the project. SECTION I FOUNDATION BUILDING These chapters contain information on the foundation for successful free-motion quilting! Take the time to practice the workouts at the end this section; youll be surprised how helpful it is to build muscle memory for free-motion quilting and stitching beyond straight lines. CHAPTER 1 Sewing Machines and Other Supplies The right sewing machine, tools, supplies, threads, and notions make it easier to learn about and enjoy the skill of free-motion stitching. A better understanding of some parts and features, as well as the mechanics of sewing machines, will empower you to really understand and appreciate your machine and use it to its fullest potential. As you experiment with new stitches demonstrated throughout this book, you can use this chapter as a reference.