Light in the Dark Mini Quilt Class: Chapter 3 – Free Motion Quilting

We’ve made it to the final chapter of the Light in the Dark Mini Quilt Class, and it’s time to quilt our minis!

In Chapter 3, we’re taking the finished quilt top to the sewing machine and working through the free-motion quilting from start to finish. We’ll begin by making a quilting plan, then work our way through the different areas of the quilt so you can see exactly how the plan comes together.

And when we finish this chapter, Light in the Dark is complete!

👉 Want to join us? Start the Light in the Dark Mini Quilt Class here.

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

First, We Make a Quilting Plan

Before I start free-motion quilting, I like to spend some time deciding what I want to quilt and where.

We’ll look at the different areas of Light in the Dark, think about which parts we want to emphasize, and choose quilting designs that will work together across the mini.

I also pulled this lesson out of the class as a free preview, so you can watch my process for planning the quilting even if you’re not taking the full class.

Looking for more quilt patterns?
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Free Motion Quilting the Mini

Once we have our plan, it’s time to start quilting.

Instead of trying to tackle the entire mini at once, I’ve broken the quilting into separate lessons. We’ll work through the foreground, background, and border, giving each area our attention and watching the texture build as we go.

This is one of my favorite things about free-motion quilting. The piecing gives us the design, but the quilting adds another layer entirely.

And remember, your quilting does not have to look exactly like mine. Use the lessons as a guide, borrow the designs you like, change the ones you don’t, or take the ideas in a completely different direction.

And That’s a Wrap!

Once the quilting is finished, our Light in the Dark Mini Quilt Class is complete.

We started with our fabrics and pattern, built the little 9-patch center, made those HRT star points, pieced the star and added the borders. Then we planned and stitched all that free-motion quilting.

And now we have another finished mini for the wall.

Light in the Dark is one of the patterns from my upcoming book, Book of Many Mini Quilts, which includes 16 different mini quilt patterns designed to mix, match, and gather together into your own gallery wall of minis.

👉 Want to make Light in the Dark with me? Start the complete class here.

👉 Already enrolled in this class or part of Quilty Club? Head over to your dashboard to finish your mini.