Chapter 3 of the Morning Rising Mini Quilt Class is now available, and in this chapter, we finally begin quilting the background block.

This section of the quilt is all about texture and movement, and even though we’re only using straight line quilting, it adds so much to the finished mini. I honestly do not do straight line quilting nearly enough, because every time I sit down to do it, I remember how relaxing and satisfying it actually is.

👉 Want to join us? Start the Morning Rising Mini Quilt Class here.

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Marking the Quilt

In Lesson 8, we mark the quilt for quilting.

There are a lot of different ways to mark quilting lines, and I briefly show several options throughout the lesson. You can absolutely use a water-erasable marker, chalk pen, or another marking tool you already have and love.

You can also skip marking altogether and use a guide attachment on your walking foot instead. We go more in depth on using a walking foot guide in the Finish It class if that’s something you’d like to explore further.

For this project though, I ended up using a Hera marker, and honestly, it’s just so simple and easy to use.

A Hera marker creates a crease line in the fabric instead of leaving behind ink or chalk, which makes it especially nice for straight line quilting. And if you do not have a Hera marker, a butter knife turned backwards works surprisingly well too.

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Quilting Straight Lines

In Lesson 9, we quilt the background using straight lines and a walking foot.

One thing I would really encourage you to do during this lesson is slow down a little bit and let the walking foot do the work. Straight line quilting looks simple, but consistency matters much more than speed here.

This is also one of those quilting styles where tiny imperfections really disappear once the quilt is finished. The texture becomes the focus, not whether every line is perfectly exact.

And honestly, that soft texture that develops across the background is one of my favorite parts of this entire mini quilt.

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Building Texture Before the Dresden

One thing that makes this class a little different is that we quilt the background before attaching the Dresden plate.

Doing it in this order keeps the quilt easier to handle and gives the finished mini a really pretty layered look once the Dresden is added later on.

It also breaks the project into smaller, more manageable sections, which I think makes the quilting process feel much less intimidating overall.

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Supplies Used in these Lessons

Marking Supplies

• Smaller subcutting ruler
• Basic 24″ ruler
• Hera marker
• Water erasable marker

Sewing Machine Station:

• Juki 2000 on Amazon or Juki 2000 at Sewing Machine Plus
• Juki walking foot guide (we didn’t use this, but it’s so handy)
• Sewing machine light
• Sewing cabinet 
• Sewing chair 

Join the Morning Rising Mini Quilt Class

👉 Want to join us? Start the Morning Rising Mini Quilt Class here.

👉 Already enrolled or part of Quilty Club? Your new lessons are waiting in your dashboard.

If you’re planning to make mini quilts with us throughout the year, Quilty Club is the easiest way to follow along and access each class as we go.