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Free-Motion Weekly: Modern Motifs Series #11: Zig Zag

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FREE MOTION WEEKLY Editors choice 23 Comments 2 min read

Free-Motion Weekly: 52 Quilting Fillers and Motifs with Susan Brubaker Knapp

Quilting Daily
23 Comments
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Make this your year of free-motion fun! Susan Brubaker Knapp shares her top 52 free-motion motifs and fillers for finishing her quilts. In 2023, we’ll be adding a one-minute video every week to this page/our Quilt Finishing hub. These motifs will be divided up into several categories that run the full range of filler styles—circular, organic, unique meanders, linear, and modern motifs.

Learn to fill spaces with these 52 practical designs. Like Susan, you’ll find yourself coming back to these quilting fillers over and over again, in all kinds of patchwork situations—to blend in, to stand out, to provide contract or harmony. Along the way, Susan drops hints and tips for stitching these motifs. Master the movements, perfect the path, and free up your free-motion!

Susan talks about how to construct a practice grid, as well as the types of batting and tools, and even finding inspiration around you for your own unique quilting fillers. Plus you’ll have a chance to practice stitching out these organic shapes and find your free-motion fearlessness growing. So drop your feed dogs, attach a free-motion foot, thread your machine, and let’s practice, practice, practice!

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Modern Motifs Series

In this series of free-motion fillers, Susan takes inspiration from some surprising places! Look for bold, original stitching motifs in the world around you—from Flow Charts to Satellites! Use the skills you’ve developed to combine curves and lines, to change direction and backtrack, all to add texture to your quilting.

Dive in to the Modern Motifs Series

Linear Series

Linear designs add an energetic texture to patchwork. While something similar to most of these fillers can be achieved with your feed-dogs engaged, stitching linear designs in free-motion is, well, freeing! You can transition to curves or flowing shapes without skipping a beat, or change direction without rotating your entire quilt. Definitely try out Susan Brubaker Knapp’s linear motifs; they are an excellent addition to your free-motion portfolio!

Dive in to the Linear Series

 

Unique Meanders Series

The common meander stitch is just the beginning! Meandering stitches do exactly that—they meander around a shape in an irregular, relaxed way, never really doubling back on itself. Tighter meander stitch is called stippling, excellent for densely filling spaces, but Susan Brubaker Knapp’s meandering variations go beyond that!

Dive in to the Unique Meanders Series

 

Organic Series

Flowers, leaves, vines, and… pomegranates? Absolutely! Designs inspired by nature are infinitely useful and forgiving. Flowers aren’t always perfectly symmetrical, but they are always beautiful. There are a few other organic motifs in Susan Brubaker Knapp’s repertoire that you might be surprised by… And surprised to find how often you use them!

Dive in to the Organic Series

 

 

Circles & Curves Series

Susan Brubaker Knapp kicks off the year of free-motion with circular designs. Simultaneously very natural and little challenging to quilt, circular shapes are an essential style of filler, useful in so many situations. It takes some practice to stitch a circle—they’ll often come out a little ovoid or wonky, and your eye can pick that out quickly. Practicing circles, curves, and round shapes in different sizes is the only way to truly master the movement.

Dive in to the Circles & Curves Series

Weeks of Free-Motion Fun—FREE!

Click here or on the image below to download a digital workbook featuring the reference material and drawings of all 52 free-motion filler motifs. Absolutely free!

*By providing your e-mail address you will begin to receive our newsletters, special offers, and more free content from Quilting Daily.

Be sure to check this page each week for a brand new free-motion filler or motif!

Join the Conversation!

  1. Nancy Bonaguro December 1, 2023

    Thank you so much for providing a free e-book about free motion quilting! I have some books on my Christmas wish list, but now I can try some new designs right away. Free motion is scary for me! But, once I start practicing I find how easy and rewarding it can be. Susan makes contemporary quilting possible even for an untrained quilter like me. I enjoy reading Quilting Arts magazine and watching the TV show. I wouldn’t start quilting without it!!!

      1. Debra Wenzel June 8, 2023

        The direct link is helpful, however the pdf does not download – instead the download web page continues to show a spinning wheel. I have cleared my cache, logged out then login and still no luck with the downloadable pdf.

    1. Vanessa Lyman January 10, 2023

      Someone once told me “You have to make a lot of dog bed quilts before you’re ready to tackle a queen-sized keeper!” My opinion is that there are two approaches–dive in and embrace the mistakes, or make samples to test and build skills. In the video, Susan Brubaker Knapp marked a grid on a sample sandwich to test/practice all 52 of these motifs. That might be the easiest way to start building your confidence! One way or another, go for it!

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