Try it on Tuesday: 501 Quilting Motifs

Martingale and Company sent this book “501 Quilting Motifs: Designs for Hand or Machine Quilting” to review.

The book is filled to the brim with quilting ideas.  All are from the editors of Quiltmaker Magazine.

Since I got my new APQS Milly, I’ve been looking at books and ideas to help me create custom quilted designs.  This one is a good one that I am sure to use or glean ideas from.

The beginning of the book has suggestions for transferring the designs and adapting the motifs to make them usable for individual projects.  The designs are then broken up into categories like “Children/Teens”, “Feathers”,  “Flowers”, etc.

Most of the designs are shown in ways that they can be used in individual blocks or for borders and even setting triangles.  I love the variety of way to use the designs.  It would make designing a custom look for a quilt much easier than I ever imagined.

If you guessed that I am keeping this book, you are right.  It is going to rest with my quilting machine for the day I get brave enough to do some custom designs…I hope that day is soon!



Oh..you’ll want to check out today’s Moda Bake Shop project. My friend Michelle is the featured designer.

6 thoughts on “Try it on Tuesday: 501 Quilting Motifs”

  1. Jenelle Boxberger

    looks like a very interesting book. Some magazines will have a pull out of a quilting motif, but I don’t know how you go about printing it out to use on a long arm. I got my long arm in April and have only used it maybe 5 times. I wish I knew how to enlarge and print out a continues pantograph.

  2. I have several books with several quilting designs and they really help with a quilt won’t talk to me! I also like looking at quilts online that show the quilting motif so I can get ideas. My biggest help are a couple of pieces of thick plastic (JoAnn’s carries it). One is 18″ square and the other is 18″ x 36″. I put blue painter’s tape on all the edges so I don’t accidentally go off the edge of the plastic and draw on my quilts! I use an erasable marker so I can just wipe off my designs. I put the plastic on my quilt, either a block, sashing, border, and use the marker to draw designs to see if I like them before I start quilting. I really hate frogging, so this helps me pick the right design before I put the needle to the quilt. It also helps me remember what I did and in what direction in the upper corners so I can get it right on the bottom corners!!! And I get the added benefit of adding to my muscle memory so when I quilt, it comes out right. Don’t like pantos (did one, once, never again!), and I can’t afford a computer system, so free-hand is working out great for me! I understand why you are keeping this book!!!

  3. i have that book and really like it. haven’t used it a lot yet, but it’s been fun to look through. i picked up some rolls of newsprint that i thought i would like to draw my own pantos on. don’t know if that will happen or not…

    been busy working on lap quilts for gifts at the nursing home right now. have to have them done by dec. 9th, so the push is on! haha.

  4. HI Jo–Love the picture and story of the cattle. Brings back memories when we had ours. I enjoy reading all of the subjects. Are you doing another Bonnie Hunter pattern? Thanks for sharing with us.

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