A fused art quilt has lots of organic shapes that need free-motion stitching. And the beauty of free-motion stitching is that you can easily adapt your stitch designs to those shapes. For example, the spool has stitchery across the face of the spool that echo the fabric’s lines and the idea of thread wound around the spool. Different patterning is used on the top and bottom of the spool using that same thread.

After the free-motion work is complete, the edges of the shapes are stitched too. My BERNINA has a great blanket stitch I used around the iron to give it a finished look. Would you like to make an iron of your own? Then please click here for a free pattern for an iron quilt called Pressing Matters. Enjoy!

The quilt is always stitched from the center out. But another important part of getting a flat quilt, is to press the quilt top frequently after stitching sections. Press the back too.

I’ve stitched the orange fabric out to the different elements in the design (like the paint brush) and now its time to stitch them. Another good thing about free-motion stitching is that you can add definition to areas of the design like the lines on the tip of the brush. Here you see me using the BERNINA Stitch Regulator, perfect for doing exacting work like that needed on the brush tip.

My BERNINA 750 QE is all set up and ready to free-motion stitch the quilt top. Stitching will start in the center of the quilt with the quilt edges folded up so it’s easier to grip. You’ll see the orange fabric stitched up to the paint brush. Later, free-motion stitching is added to the paint brush and then I’ll continue quilting the orange fabric.

This is one of my favorite quilting designs, Curly Fries and Bananas.  The sets of curves and spirals vary in size according to the fabric shapes you’re stitching around. This flowing stitch has lots of potential working around organic shapes as well as building pattern in open areas.