Free motion quilting: Swirls and circles

I put a secret quilting project on the longarm last weekend. I can’t show you too much of it because it still needs to bound and gifted, but I can show you the all over free motion quilting stitch I used without giving too much away.

If you can do loops, then the swirls and circles pattern is a natural progression. It works by looping in with a large arc, then making the small loop and then traveling around it, crossing over the large arc to form a second loose circle. Then you repeat the process, this time with the loop and arc traveling in the opposite direction.

It really is an easy stitch and if you travel vertically instead of horizontally with it, then the swirls and circles are good for easing in extra fabric and fullness, which I had to do with this quilt. And while you can’t tell from this picture, the loopy pattern helped offset some of the stark lines in the quilting design.

While I used the pattern as an all over design in varying sizes, I think it would look nice inside a border as well with swirls and circles that are more uniform in size and placement. It is definitely one of my new favorite alternatives to the meander.