How to Free-motion Quilt Pretty Packages

Add festive flair to your next quilt with the pretty packages border!Hi! I’m Lori Kennedy and I love to add character to quilts by free-motion quilting on my BERNINA 770QE and BERNINA Q20.

For more information on how to set up your machine, be sure to check out WeAllSew Twelve Steps to Free Motion Quilting

You don’t need rulers to stitch this pattern and you don’t need to worry about perfect squares or rectangles. The hand-drawn look adds a charming personal quality to quilts! Add your own personal touch to this pattern by changing the shape and sizes of the packages and creating your own variations of the ribbons and bows.

Begin by drawing a straight line, or use the seam line of the border as a guide.

Start on the bottom line and stitch a vertical line and continue around to create a square.

Closely echo stitch the right side of the square and continue over the top line.  Stop in the center of the horizontal line.

Stitch a wavy line over the top of the square. Echo stitch over the top of the wavy line.

Add three loops to create a bow.

Stitch down into the package. Stop at the center of the square and then stitch a short horizontal line to the left side of the package.

Stitch down three to four stitches, then stitch back toward the center of the square.  Next, stitch down to the base of the square and then along the bottom line.

Stitch a vertical line back to the center, then add a horizontal line to the right side of the package.

Complete the tied package by stitching back to the center and then back to the top of the package, just below the bow.

Add a curled line and echo stitch below the line, to return to the top of the package. Closely echo stitch the right side of the pretty package to return to the bottom line to begin the next motif in the border.

For more machine quilting tips and motifs, visit me at www.LoriKennedyQuilts.com and on Facebook and Instagram.