How to Free-motion Quilt a Car Motif and Book Giveaway
Jump in your jalopy and let’s go for a ride!
Hello, quilters. I’m Lori Kennedy, author of 25 Days to Better Machine Quilting and there’s only one thing I like more than free-motion quilting on my BERNINA Q 20. I love long car rides-with lots of quilt shop stops!
The car motif is a great pattern to add to any quilt border. Once you learn the basic formula for the car, it’s easy to create race cars, jeeps, coupes or your favorite ride!
Begin by drawing a horizontal line. Start stitching above the line. Stitch the front hood of the car by stitching an angled line and a short horizontal line.
Add a trapezoid shape, leaving a small gap on the left side.
Closely echo stitch the left side of the trapezoid, stop in the middle of the top line.
Stitch a vertical line down and back up again (to create the windows) and continue echo stitching the right side of the trapezoid.
Stitch a short horizontal line to the right, then stitch an angled line down. Add a short horizontal line to complete the back trunk of the car.
Add the wheel and bottom of the car by stitching a circle, a dash, another circle and another dash. Stitch the circles two or three times to create more definition.
Stitch the bumper line from left to right by echo stitching the wheel line and tires. Stitch out of the back of the car to begin the next car on the road.
Change the shapes within the basic car formula to transform a jalopy into your own Formula One car—ready for racing!
To stitch a more complex border, add a row trees and signs and include personal touches like your street or city name. Try the Cabin in the Woods tutorial at We All Sew HERE
Doodle! Before you begin stitching, doodle a few car variations. Doodling helps develop muscle memory for better stitching while you create new designs.
For more motifs, tips and tricks join us at LoriKennedyQuilts.com.
Free-motion Quilting Book Giveaway
This contest is now close, thanks to all of our WeAllSew fans who entered! A big congrats to the winner, WeAllSew user @stitchmyheart!
One lucky WeAllSew reader will win a copy of Lori’s latest book 25 Days to Better Machine Quilting.
All you have to do is post a comment below and answer the question:
“What free-motion motif would you like to learn next?”
The the giveaway is open through Friday, May 29th.
The giveaway is open to residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia. One comment per fan. Comment must be submitted to the WeAllSew.com blog by Friday, May 29, 2020 at 11:59 PM Central Time. Winner will be chosen randomly. Winner will be notified by email and will have 48 hours to contact to claim the prize.
Good luck!
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220 comments on “How to Free-motion Quilt a Car Motif and Book Giveaway”
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I would love to win, I would like to see an outline of buildings going across the row
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I would like to try a whole quilt of circles
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I would love to be able to do some kind of gnome theme for a Christmas gnome wall quilt top I have ready to quilt. All of the designs are so fun!
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How about a dinosaur or two for my grandson’s quilt? Thanks!
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Would love to see ocean scenes and would love to receive your new book.
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I’m so new at this it still scares me. I would love to win just to have additional resources at my fingertips to build me confidence that I am able to tackle a project. I think my 1st FMQ would be a row of simple flowers standing in grass.
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Wood grain would be great!
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I would love to learn how to free motion butterflies.
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As I start on this new journey I would love to sew a trio of fairies as a tribute to my 3 beautiful daughters.
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I want to see a kitten playing with a ball of yarn.
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I would like a flower garden or maybe just a flower:)
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You make it look so easy. I would like to learn the confidence to freehand anything!
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I would to see elves, fairies gnomes and magical things happening among the forest, mushrooms and flowers, You are so creative…I can only dream….
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Love Lori’s style! I would love to learn a cityscape.
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I love how you showed that step by step! Can’t wait to try. Would you consider showing how to do a border of sunflowers? I’m fairly new to this so it might be too simple but it would be pretty.
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I’d like to learn some winter theme motifs I could put on a Frozen quilt, but like others am open to anything.
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I am still a newbie and I have difficulty just trying to decide what quilting pattern would compliment the quilt top. I need something simple but pretty.
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I would love to see recognizable city skylines such as Boston, New York, Chicago etc.
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Love to see baseball bats and balls, also volleyballs.
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I’d love to make feathers and flowers.
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I would love to learn how to do a Dragonfly motif! I am inspired by all the techniques that have been offered!!
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I would like to learn rows of pine trees.
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I’d like to learn to free motion anything with a nature/tropical theme.
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Dogwood blossoms. There was a beautiful pink dogwood in our front yard when my children were growing up. My son called it “my climbing tree.” My daughter and her best friend played with their dolls on a quilt under it in the summer time.
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I would like to perfect a flowing leafy vine and butterflies.
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I would love to see birds and birdhouses.
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I would love to see killer whales stitched out with waves around them.
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I would love to learn a sea shell ? motif with a variety of different shells!
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This looks like fun, I’d like to learn!
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Hi Lori,
Read your blog all the time & love to see all the motifs, & how you make them so easily!!
I would love to see motifs of pigs, Scottie dogs, & elephants, as well as various types of birds!
Always look forward to the next email!
Thanks!
Joanie -
I would love to see how to free motion quilt anything ocean/seashore related and would also love to win a book. Thank you!
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Dear Lori,
I have to learn everything from the beginning. I’m quite afraid to begin, so this book would be more than welcome. Thank you also for this nice sharing.
Have all of you a nice day and take care,
Christine -
I would like, to do a free motion cruise ship since I love cruising.
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I would love to see free motion hearts or a starfish/sand dollar combination.
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I would like to learn how to free-motion quilt tree leaves or ivy.
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I would to learn how to stitch the feeling of water.
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I would like to create the movement of water.
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I would like something wedding related. My son is getting married May 29 with a vow renewal on September 11 due to Covid 19.
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I would love to learn a paw print motif or other animal pattern for children’s quilts.
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I would like to perfect the Wave motif because I love to surf as much as I love to sew!
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I love all of your images but have not seen a lighthouse yet… that would be great for a seascape! I have all of your books but could always use another. thanks Lori for all you do and your ideas. Hope I win!
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I’m a beginner, so I would love to learn some easy botanical motifs.
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I’d like to see a floral motif for a border.
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Love how easy you make it.
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A garden border with lots of different flowers, ferns, maybe an overhanging tree branch or two.
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I want to learn feathers!
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I’m new at this!!! So I would love to have your book?. I have a granddaughter so I would love to see anything related to princess, dinosaurs, or monsters! She’s allover the board. A pretty tomboy!
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I love cats, anything cats! Outlines of cats!
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I would love a sweet pea, a cute little baby dragon, and/or a great blue heron. If I win the give-away, please draw someone else, as I have already pre-ordered the book. I use Lori’s motifs and doodling practice suggestions all the time!
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Just excited to learn more techniques and easy designs for baby quilts. Flowers, moons, stars and hearts.
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I love your website and all your easy to follow motif directions. Just finished a project and looked high and low for a fireworks design. Thanks for sharing, love silent Sunday.
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Love your instructions! They are so easy to follow. I’d like to try fish that I could use in a water themed border.
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I am finishing a collage beetle, and would love to figure out how to quilt beetles around the border. Thank you for such helpful and whimsical quilting designs.
Jan Quick
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I am finishing a collage beetle. I would love to find a design to quilt beetles around the outer border. Thank you for your interesting and whimsical designs.
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Would love some jagged mountain peaks!
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I would absolutely love to learn any of your techniques! I have a beautiful ocean panel with lots of creatures, coral and sea grasses, with log cabin border that I am making for our son who loves the ocean.. I would love to learn nautical creatures, waves and bubbles… I think it would be sooo beautiful quilted with them.
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I would love to see feathers, it seems no matter how hard I try I just can’t get them to look good!
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I am so nervous to try free motion quilting on a quilt top I spent months making. I would love to learn how to make flowers.
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I would like to learn how to free motion quilt a portrait of my grandchildren.
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I like flower designs.
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I love all kinds of fonts. I want to learn how to make a couple of nice alphabets, maybe one swirly one and one boxy one. That’s a lot to ask, I know!!!
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I’m an absolute beginner, so I’d have to start with something easy, like swirls or loops.
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I am all about the tropics. How about palm trees, hibiscus flowers, tropical leaves, pineapples, beach umbrellas, lounge chairs, and/or pina coladas? Any or all would be great to learn. Thanks!
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Pebbles! Such a great filler. ?
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Any kind of feather and also alphabet variations.
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I’m working on improving my FMQ of rounded shapes – i.e. pebbles and orange peels. Practice, practice, practice!
Your book looks great.
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I would love to see a dinosaur pattern. : ). Beautiful work.
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I would like to see how to do snowman and pine trees.
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I love the cars! I would like to learn to free motion flamingos. Making a flamingo quilt for my granddaughter and think it would be awesome to put some flamingos in the quilting.
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I like to echo-trace the forms of leaves or flowers to give it dimension.
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I would love to learn some Celtic knot free motion ideas.
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I am a beginner so want to improve the smoothness of what I am doing.
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I would like to see how you quilt free motion horses.
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I would love to see some FMQ designs with medical workers as a theme ?
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I’m new to free motion quilting so anything goes. I want to learn everything….
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I love hearts and butterflies
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My garden is abloom with iris. How about an iris not just the flower, leaves and all
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My favorite things to stitch: SNOWFLAKES !
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I would love to see spaceships
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I would love to be able to finish my quilt with butterflies. I also have several western themed items that could use horseshoes, boots, saddle, etc. I have a daughter-in-law who loves fleur-de-lis. But I have a long way to go.
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Butterflies and hummingbirds please!
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Would like to be able to free motion a mountaineer.
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I would like to be able to do one of the rectangles of different sizes and spare lines here and there that I see for fillers or over all on some of the modern quilts.
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I want to learn free motion quilting. This sounds like what I need to learn.
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Beginner to free motion. Simple flowers would be nice.
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I would love to quilt baby paraphernalia; bottles, pacifier, rattle, bib, … Thank you!
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Any and all things floral. Love your posts, Lori, and thanks for all your efforts.
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I would like to learn to stitch a cat motif.
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I would like to learn a variety of free motion quilting motifs, beginning with feathers.
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I would like beginner easy notifs
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I’d like to learn how to free motion quilt musical symbols…treble clef, bass clef, meter signatures, note shapes for whole, half, quarter, eighth and sixteenth notes.
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I just want to use the free motion BSR on my quilts! I have tried, but just don’t seem relaxed enough or something. I would love to do meandering or stippling with ease. Love my Bernina!!
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I’d like to learn how to free motion a village street, maybe a small-town downtown or a residential street with perhaps a bike, a stroller and a swing.
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I would also like to see this same design, but using the BSR. I need more education for both techniques. Like the cars.
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I’d like to learn a bee and honeycomb free motion quilting design.
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Different font style script. I’d like to be able to stitch verses.
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I could use some tips on how to free motion feathers. Also some neutral patterns, that are not flowers or leaves.
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I love the cars. I would like to free motion bees. i have made a bee quilt and want to make another in addition to a quilted pillow.
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I would love to be able to free motion a person- like a full figure of a person, not a stick figure!
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Always enjoy the instructions in the We All Sew news!
Would like to learn to make free motion motif of roses with leaves. -
I would love to learn to make free motion sun faces.
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I am pretty new at free motion quilting, but I would love to learn some leaf motifs
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I would love to learn how to make a farm scene.
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How about FMQ different yoga poses? I’d love to add those to some small items.
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I would like to learn feathers and other patterns I can use for borders.
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Almost anything because I’ve only begun to try free motion using boxes and circles and occasionally triangles, and not all that successfully at times, lol!
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It’s so much fun to see how you develop a design with the step by step pictures. Wonderful! I am fairly new, so really all of it is fun to learn. Thank you!
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a covid 2020 virus bug being squashed
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a covid 2020 virus bug being splattered
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Wanting to do a woodland Christmas quilt. Would love to learn a tree border.
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There are so many motifs I’d love to learn, but for starters..it would be anything with “sharp angles”…triangles, squares, anything…mine always end up being rounded.
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I would be happy if I learned to meander/stipple.
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I’m a beginner, but would like to try easy bees.
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Hi Lori,
I would like to see various sizes of roses. Thanks so much for the giveaway! -
I’m new to free motion but would love to see and try simple flower Motifs and other neutral motifs.
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I would like to see a kitten playing with a ball of yarn. Love your work.
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I would like to learn a free-motion butterfly design.
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Fantastic tip, I would love to try something creative like this.
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I would like to learn free motion quilt flamingos.
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Id love to see a continuous line hummingbird at a flower. I enjoyed your article.
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It would be really cool to see if I were able to free motion quilt flowers or animals in 25 days!
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A Wombat…
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I would like a dragonfly design, and also variations on feathered vines
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I would like to learn how to free motion quilt with my walking foot.
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Butterflies, angels, roses, dinosaurs, insects (cute ones, not icky) and autumn leaves! Sorry, I got carried away. 🙂 Lori, your book looks fantastic!
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Thank your all the We All Sew tutorials. I have learned so much to hero me with my new Bernina.
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I am making a Beatles quilt and I would like to quilt it using their song lyrics, so I would love to learn to do words.
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I am also new/newer. I need hand/eye coordination and control of the machine! But another poster said FMQ horses and I think that would be awesome, too! Western quilts need horses, not just boots and stars!
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I’ve always felt alittle intimidated trying to do free motion quilting. I would love to master this skill as it looks so wonderful when someone else has done it. I’m not able to join a sewing circle so learning on my own is how I handle learning a skill.
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I would love to learn a crown or wand type of motif for a princess quilt. (I’d also love to be able to FMQ smooth curves, but that’s probably just practice).
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I love Lori’s nature motifs. Practice different star shapes, fireworks, Fourth of July themed shapes.
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I would like to learn to do different flowers.
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You are so talented! I would love to see a set of robots. I have trouble and usually just stitch in the ditch because I am intimidated!
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I would like to learn to stitch pileated woodpeckers and Texas roadrunners.
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Flowers and trees are great but optical illusion or tetris designs or Zentangle fascinate me.
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Thank you for the car motifs and book giveaway
Would love to learn and see landscapes -
I’d like any tips on overlapping a set of concentric circles with another set of concentric circles. Thanks for the great posts.
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I love feathers and hearts of all sizes and shapes
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I love dogs so that would be fun, and also alphabet script to personalize some background filler
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under sea with seahorses, kelp, shells, fish
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I would LOVE to see how to free motion a hummingbird for a tee shirt.
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I’m a beginning machine quilter so I would like to learn to quilt hearts, especially in borders of baby quilts that I make!
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I would like to see a bird and nest motif.
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a city skyline or a tropical sunset
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I would like to see a garden done in free motion. I am trying to expand my free motion quilting so your instructions are wonderful. Thank you.
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My granddaughters are in love with otters. I would love to do otters bobbing in the water.
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Enjoy this newsletter..very creative designs..Nature designs such as birds, flowers, bees, etc.
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How wonderful to see a book that could help me to learn how to machine quilt. It looks very interesting. I would like to learn how to do BUTTERFLIES AND HEARTS, I love BUTTERFLIES & HEARTS!!
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Free motion intimidates me but I’d like to learn.
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how about mountains and a tree line. I love to use my sewing machine for different techniques. It keeps my sewing interesting!!!
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I would like to learn more all over motifs. I really enjoy FMQ!
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I would like to see and use free motion quilting of the constellations in a nighttime sky.
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I like the motifs Lori has on “We All Sew.”
I would like to see mountains, flowers and dogs motifs. -
Flowers and hearts are my favorite and I’d love a tutorial for both.
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I so want to be good at free motion quilting. Your instructions are so clear and I think they would help me to be confident enough to actually try it out.
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I’ve never done freemotion quilting, nor any machine quilting successfully. So as an absolute beginner, I’m most interested in simple motifs.
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I’m a newbie to Bernina & fell in love with the 570QE Tula Pink. I have so much to learn, but I’ll be making a quilt for my grandson’s 3rd birthday this year. I would like to use the BSR to do the quilting myself having never quilted before. Oh my! My daughter would like triangles, so boy motifs with triangle fabric pieces. Thanks
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Love all the quilting design motifs. I would love to see a beach scene for the summer. That would make a nice quilting motif. Something with ocean, sand, people on the beach & maybe a pier.
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I would love to learn free motion butterflies, bees, and flowers.
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Would love to do roses ? and flowers ?
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This looks like a great book. I would love to learn how to free motion quilt.
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I would like to learn a boxy background fill. Thanks for inspiring.
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Modern day camper and camping scene (e.g. mountains, lake, canoe, elk, buffalo, etc.). I’d love to see this motif where it would be a continuous pattern so wouldn’t have to break thread. 🙂
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I would love to learn thread painting for panels.
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I’m a beginner, free motion quilting amazes me. I would like to try simple things at first.
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I would like to be able to quilt flowers.
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I’d like some seashell designs.
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Would love to win the quilt book!
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The images offered here are great!
I’m partial to trees and would love to create a forest with machine stitching! -
I am excited to get back to quilting after a 3 year break. I would like to learn machine feathers as I have only done them in hand stitching before. Thank you for the opportunity to learn.
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I love all of your motifs and instructions. I love your first 2 books, so full of knowledge and great step by step instruction.
I would love to see a bicycle free motion motif. Thank you and keep up the wonderful lessons. -
Ocean theme machine quilt ideas would be awesome. I need lots of practice!
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Would truly enjoy your next quilting endeavor to be an African Dart Frog!!!
By the way, I Love My Bernina’s!!! -
I’m so new to the BSR, I approach it with trepidation. I’m willing to try anything, but I wonder if a downhill skier or an otter is possible.
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Free motion tree leaves of all kinds and dog paw prints.
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novice to free motion. would love to learn to do snowflakes
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Would appreciate an American Flag on a kid’s bike in time for 4th of July…thank you.
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I would like to get better at the basics – pebbles, wishbones, and feathers. This book looks so helpful!
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This is a very helpful tutorial…thanks! I’d love to see how to do different styles of writing as well.
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Pebbles!
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Lori, you give the best directions! Thank you!!!
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I would like to be able to free motion a farm setting. Possibly a Barn.
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I would like to be able to free motion a farm setting. Possibly a tractor.
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I would like to see hands or feet and many people, thanks, Mara
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I have been following your blog and trying to muster up enough courage to begin free motion quilting. I would love to be able to do feathers, flamingos, flowers, butterflies, birds. I need to try everything. Thank you so much for your giveaway.
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I am not very comfortable with free motion. Would like to learn all of it!
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I am a brand new owner of a B770QE. I am so eager to quilt all sorts of designs. I would love to have this book in my arsenal because I am so very green at free-motion quilting but so excited to start learning and practicing all possibilities. I follow Lori’s website faithfully. I am amazed.
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How about some circus animals? I would also love a baseball player or a basketball player! Thanks
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Christmas ornaments in a row or trees in a row would be fun.
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I’d love to learn how to quilt a free motion flower with leaves, maybe a clematis, a poinsettia, or a sunflower, something big and fun.
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I am fairly new to free motion quilting and would love to see a few intermediate designs.
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I would love to see a simple bicycle.
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What about dragons and birds?
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Thanks! I learn so much when I can see the process. Love to see flowers and people.
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I agree with a few of the folks – alphabets would be wonderful.
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I love the ocean so fishes and waves would be fun motifs.
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It would be fun to learn little birds sitting in a tree!
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I would love to be able to quilt feathers and then build more intricate designs into those shapes. I love feathers
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I would love to do some bike motifs!
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I would love to know how to start a free motion seascape
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I am thinking hills that don’t look like waves. Happy Creating
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I would love to perfect the Wave motif!
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I am planing some kitchen items for my grand girls. So maybe whisks,spoons, etc.
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I would like to free motion some birds!
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Great to see new helpful books for FMQ. Would be great to see something patriotic for the 4th we could use such as a flag and stars.
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How about fireworks or a flag for the 4th of July. Thanks
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Kite boarders; someone on a stand-up paddle board; and a modern, foiling Americas Cup style boat, flying on it’s foil.
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“What free-motion motif would you like to learn next?”
How about firecrackers? Since 4th of July is coming up??
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I would love to see how to make paw prints. I want to quilt a dog themed lap quilt.
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Flower blossoms…roses, dogwood, etc. Maybe an iris!
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I have a military quilt I need to self quilt around the outside. Would love to learn to do this so I can finish this quilt. Also would like to do a musical quilt with several kinds of notes and piano keys on it. Never have done anything like this before and am sure your book would be of great help.
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a forest scene (trees, mushrooms etc) would be nice
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I wish I felt at ease to free motion quilt. I would like to see a free motion rose.
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I would like to see something for a baby gift.
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I would love to learn some good basic all over free motion techniques.
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I can’t wait to see your choices!