​I was so excited when The Fat Quarter Shop asked me to be part of the Ultimate Beginner Quilt Series, because the quilting part is my FAVORITE part! I joined Kimberly Jolly and her fantasticly fun crew last week, and we had so many laughs!  We filmed three different videos; one showing my tips on basting, another going over straight line quilting on your home machine, and now I am super pumped to share the free motion quilting video.  Free motion means I dropped the feed dogs on the machine, added the darning foot and free hand stitched.  I learned to quilt my projects years ago on my home sewing machine, and I've since transferred those skills to the long arm machine.  Today I am going to show you the first few steps I used when I learned...

My name is Gina Tell, and I am a long arm quilter for the Fat Quarter Shop.  It is truly amazing to be part of their team, because I get to see so many fun fabrics, test some really great patterns and share so many creative projects.  I have not always been a long arm quilter, I learned FMQ (free motion quilting) several years ago by practicing on my home machine, just like I am showing today.  So I want to remind you that sometimes when you see things at first, it looks hard and intimidating, but quilting is not hard, it's all about practice, and anyone can do it!  The quilting part is no exception, I like to think of it like learning cursive handwriting.  At first it feels kinda awkward, but the more you do it the better it looks and the more fun you can have personalizing the look.  You can practice at home on your machine, and you should also practice on paper too.  Doodle as much as you can! Try to see how much you can do without picking your pen up from the paper, get used to doodling with your arm & hand up from the paper, so your muscles get used to this new activity.  I like to turn music on, relax and enjoy the time to make something that is all you.  Remember there is no way you can do it wrong, if you like how it looks, then it's right!  That's why I love it, because there are no rules I have to follow, I am in charge!  We all start somewhere, and I was really terrible when I first started too, if you have the extra time, I share some hilarious stories in previous blogs about my first quilts, I hope you will stop by.  Oh and I'd love if you'd follow me on Instagram (links at the bottom of the page) I post a lot of new fun things there and I love all my quilty friends!!  ​

In the videos I show the meander design, we picked this design because it's the first design I ever tried when starting my free motion quilting journey.  There are lots of other beginner designs that you are going to love to learn in your next steps.  Since I've been sewing along with you during each step in the Ultimate Beginner Quilt Event, I also wanted to share some pictures of my own quilt here.  These are just to give inspiration, and show what lots of practice at home can produce.  I want to remind you that it's ok to not be perfect the first several times, enjoy the learning process.  The pictures below is all free motion quilting, I stitched a variety of different designs in no particular order, it's called graffiti quilting, and it's how I came up with my business name.  This is my favorite, I just smoosh all kinds of different swirls, pebbles, flowers and some other things that have no name until I fill up the quilt.  There is no right or wrong placement.  Once you build your muscle memory in your arm through practice and doodling, the curves will become consistent and then you can just swirl yourself around the quilt.  

If you like the colors of my quilt you can order the bundle, it's called Zen Chic Bella Solids Bundle, it's got some fabulous fabric that you can use in all sorts of projects.
​Click HERE for the link. 

Here is a short video I did a home to go over a few beginner designs that you can try on your home sewing machine.  I don't do a lot of YouTube videos on my own, I leave that stuff for the pros, technology is not my area of expertise LOL, so please no negative comments on my poor video quality :)

If you are just finding this sew along, you can still join in on the fun, The Fat Quarter Shop has created 2 kits that make it very easy to start. One kit has all the fabric you need to make a BEAUTIFUL quilt (link HERE) and the second kit has all the notions that you will need (link HERE) notions is just another word for all the other "stuff" you need to sew with. Like thread, pins, rulers, etc.  There are also video tutorials and lots of tips to follow along on The Fat Quarter Shops YouTube channel, EACH step has videos from start to finish!  All the videos will be around forever online, so it's never too late to jump in.  ​
Click here to Subscribe to their channel.

I was so excited when The Fat Quarter Shop asked me to be part of the Ultimate Beginner Quilt Series, because the quilting part is my FAVORITE part! I joined Kimberly Jolly and her fantasticly fun crew last week, and we had so many laughs! We filmed three different videos; one showing my tips on basting, another going over straight line quilting on your home machine, and we also did a free motion quilting video.  

My name is Gina Tell, and I am a long arm quilter for the Fat Quarter Shop.  It is truly amazing to be part of their team, because I get to see so many fun fabrics, test some really great patterns and share so many creative projects.  I have not always been a long arm quilter, I learned FMQ (free motion quilting) several years ago by practicing on my home machine, just like I am showing today.  So I want to remind you that sometimes when you see things at first, it looks hard and intimidating, but quilting is not hard, it's all about practice, and anyone can do it!  The quilting part is no exception, I like to think of it like learning cursive handwriting.  At first it feels kinda awkward, but the more you do it the better it looks and the more fun you can have personalizing the look.  You can practice at home on your machine, and you should also practice on paper too.  Doodle as much as you can! Try to see how much you can do without picking your pen up from the paper, get used to doodling with your arm & hand up from the paper, so your muscles get used to this new activity.  I like to turn music on, relax and enjoy the time to make something that is all you.  Remember there is no way you can do it wrong, if you like how it looks, then it's right!  That's why I love it, because there are no rules I have to follow, I am in charge!  We all start somewhere, and I was really terrible when I first started too, if you have the extra time, I have some hilarious stories in previous blogs, I hope you will stop by.  Oh and I'd love if you'd follow me on Instagram, I post a lot of new fun things there and I love all my quilty friends!!  

In addition to the videos we filmed in the Fat Quarter Shop studio, I also put a short tutorial together here for you to see what the quilting looks like on a smaller scale.  

Here is an example of some straight line quilting I like to do.
I also have another blog post with some free motion quilting tips.  So please check that one out too.  I love red and purple, so I thought this fun nail polish mini quilt pattern that my friends at It's Sew Emma designed several years ago would be fun to share today. 
If you love it too, you can make it, here is the pattern Download 

Here are the supplies you'll need to get started:
Quilt top
Quilt backing
batting (I used 80/20) 
505 Spray baste and/or a few safety pins
masking tape
​sewing machine 
Lay your backing fabric down (pretty side down) then lay your batting on top, smooth it so there are no wrinkles, spray a little bit of 505 on the batting and then carefully lay the quilt top over the batting.  Smooth it all out again and add a few pins to secure.  Then I apply a piece of masking tape from the top right corner down to the bottom left and then head over to your sewing machine.  This Ultimate Beginner Quilt Sew Along is sponsored by EverSewn Sewing machines, so I got to use the Sparrow QE and I thought it produced some very nice stitches.  If you'd like to check it out, here is the link to read more.  

Since this machine came with a walking foot, I used it.  Some machines do not come with one, if you don't have one it's ok, just use the standard foot.  The walking foot is helpful to push the fabric through, but not necessary especially if you are doing a small quilt.  

Now it's time to trim it up, make your binding, and attach it to your quilt.  When I trim I like to leave .25 inches of batting/backing all the way around. (See caption in pictures above)
This looks great when you fold the binding over to the back side, it fills up the gap. 

I hope you return for my next blog post on Oct 24, 2019, I am going to have a full video tutorial, and step by step pictures for you to follow on binding.... If you want to get a head start, here is what I do.  I like to cut strips that are 2.5" for binding, then you will need to sew a few strips together so the binding is long enough to go all the way around your mini.  

Now you are ready to attach your binding to your quilt. See you on Oct 24th....

If you are just finding this sew along, you can still join in on the fun, The Fat Quarter Shop has created 2 kits that make it very easy to start. One kit has all the fabric you need to make a BEAUTIFUL quilt (link HERE) and the second kit has all the notions that you will need (link HERE) notions is just another word for all the other "stuff" you need to sew with. Like thread, pins, rulers, etc.  There are also video tutorials and lots of tips to follow along on Fat Quarter Shops YouTube channel, EACH step has videos from start to finish!  All the videos will be around forever online, so it's never too late to jump in.  ​

I hope you learned something about straight line quilting on your home machine.  Please check out my other blog post showing free motion quilting... 

 We are getting close to the end of the piecing portion of this sew along, and I'm super excited because my videos to show you how to quilt them at home on your machine will be releasing soon.  I've been sewing along with you during each step in the Ultimate Beginner Quilt Event, and its almost time to finish them!! Woo Hoo!  It's never too late to begin this project, even if you missed the beginning, because The Fat Quarter Shop has created 2 kits that make it very easy to start. One kit has all the fabric you need to make a BEAUTIFUL quilt (link below) and the second kit has all the notions that you will need (link below) notions is just another word for all the other "stuff" you need to sew with. Like thread, pins, rulers, etc.  There are also video tutorials and lots of tips to follow along on Fat Quarter Shops YouTube channel, EACH step has videos from start to finish!  All the videos are at the bottom of this page...
​Please come join me, I know you want to!! :)
​

​The Ultimate Beginner Quilt is a free quilt pattern series with video tutorials designed just for beginners.  If you’re ready to get sewing, gather your fabrics and sewing tools and watch the free quilting tutorial below!

I strongly encourage you to purchase the fabric kit if this is your first quilt, link below, because the #1 question I get from people interested in starting to quilt is " How do I figure out what fabric I need and how much to buy?" Well, this makes it simple and it's affordable. 
The kit will give you everything you need to make the quilt in the image below.  Cute huh?
​

Oh and don't forget to subscribe to their YouTube Channel so you don't miss all the FREE tutorials that will be released.  

If you don't buy the fabric kit, then you’ll need the following fabric amounts: 
•  12 Fat Quarters*
•  7/8 Yards neutral color (we chose white) for sashing which goes between the blocks
•  1 1/8 Yards for the border
•  3 3/8 Yards for the back of the quilt
For the batting, we suggest Happy Cloud Batting in Throw Size
*A Fat Quarter is a quarter of a yard that’s cut wider, at 18″ x 21″ so that you have more room to work with. 
Read more about various types of fabric precuts.

​
YouTube Video Tutorials Lineup:
Block #1 August 15, 2019
Sew Quilt Blocks 1-9: August 8-October 3, 2019
Sew the Quilt Top Together: October 10, 2019
Quilting the Quilt: October 17, 2019
Quilt Binding: October 24, 2019
We’ll show off our finished quilts on November 7!
​

It's never too late to learn something new! Come sew with me!
Here are the FREE Patterns to download:
​Block One Stripes - Click HERE
Block Two Nine Patch - Click HERE
Block Three Picture Window - Click HERE
Block Four Half Square Triangle (HST) - Click HERE
Block Five Hourglass Four Patch - Click HERE
Block Six Lattice - Click HERE
Block Seven Flying Geese Zig Zag - Click HERE
Block Eight Sawtooth Star - Click HERE
Block Nine Friendship Star Variation - Click HERE
Sashing & Border - Click HERE

I really hope you'll take a minute to go read my previous blog post,
​I shared my ridiculously embarrassing story about my first quilt,
and I know you will appreciate the feelings I had when I first started learning.

Block #1 - make sure you go slow and cut the pieces the correct size,
​and then sew very slow so you learn how to keep the 1/4 inch seam consistent all the way down the block,
Block #2 - Press your iron down, rather than pushing it around, while keeping the seam on the back side all going the same direction,
this will help it lay flat and look great!
See you next week.... :)
Block #3- It is important to make sure you keep each section square, so after you sew the 4 strips around the first square, make sure you square it up before you add the final 4 strips.
Block #4​ - My tip for block four, just go slow and try to make your seams consistent,
​press so you have good nesting, but most importantly, have fun!
​Don't be too critical and hard on yourself, you do NOT have to be perfect!
Block #5 - OMG This week I was behind and kinda out of sorts with the Labor Day Holiday, so I totally forgot it was share day. That said, I had to seam rip this thing twice, I was trying to rush and forgot to have fun. So that is my first tip for this block, is slow down, make sure you have your head in the right place, and enjoy the process. This is NOT a race! My second tip is to press the first seam to the dark side and then next them, you dont have to press open. This makes it easy to get them lined up, then press the second seam open.
It is ok to have them both ways in one block! (see pic below)
Block #6 - Well this week the lattice block was way more enjoyable than last week, ha ha because I was not as rushed! It's important to remember that this is supposed to be fun, so this week, I turned on my favorite music, got my favorite snack and had fun with it.
Make sure you square up each section before you join them and use skinny pins to mark your points. Oh and you can never press too much!
Block #7 - This week my tip is to make this quilt your own. There is a pattern, but that doesn't mean you have to follow it EXACTLY.
​I sewed my block a little different, because I liked the way it looked, and after all, there is no such thing as Quilt Police! Don't sweat the small stuff, just do your best, and if your geese are flying the wrong direction, it's ok, just laugh and fly with them! :)
Block #8 - My tip for this week is to lay out all your blocks on the floor or all design wall, and look at the way the colors are lining up in each row, you may want to make this block with some colors from the first row so you can keep a balance of color.
Block #9 - This block was my favorite! I love the friendship star because it looks difficult, but it's really the same as all the rest of the blocks you already learned! My tip here is to do something crazy with color! You are already a pro at HST (half square triangles) so pair that with nested squares, and you have yourself a great opportunity to use some fun colors to
finish this with a POP!!
Adding sashing & borders may sounds easy because it’s just big pieces, but if your strips are too long, or cut uneven, you could end up with wavy borders and in the end your quilt will not be square.  Try to make sure you square up both ends of your side borders before you add top and bottom borders. Kimberly has great tips so make sure you catch her video linked above. Oh and press often, you can never press too much with quilting!

You'll have to check out these links to all my friends sewing along, we are all happy to help if you get stuck, just comment below and let us know..

Pat Sloan https://blog.patsloan.com 
 https://www.instagram.com/quilterpatsloan/ 
​Tracie at Ricefordstreams
Angie at a little patchwork
Mathew Mister Domestic
Karin at Blue Pip Designs
Carrie in Texas
Linden of VineLines
Priscilla The Real Housewives of Cross Stitch 
Rebecca One Wee Bird
Moda 
Fat Quarter shop