Whenever I finish a quilt top, the next step is deciding what design to use on my Janome Quilt Maker Pro 20. Everyone has different ideas of what criteria you should use to make this decision.
In the Pro-Stitcher software program there are so many built-in designs from which to choose. It takes a while to go through and choose. I do have my favorites though, which conveniently stay stored in the Design History, so they’re quickly accessible.
Some people feel that using circles on a circle pattern is a no no, or would advise against quilting straight lines on a Log Cabin quilt, for example, which is comprised of straight line piecing. I decided to use the circle meander with a golf themed donation quilt I created to echo the circular motion of the golf balls in the print on one of the fabrics. Sometimes the print in the fabric can provide inspiration for a quilting design.
The circular meander design really adds a lot of texture and movement to the quilt. Look at that beautiful stitching!
I was thrilled how it turned out. I used Madeira Aeroquilt thread, which I love, as I had no thread breaks. It is such an easy thread to work with. It’s a strong, but soft polyester thread which looks like cotton. Janome Canada is a distributor of Madeira thread, so you can contact your Janome dealer to order.
Something else to consider when you are picking a design; if the design has a vertical or horizontal line in it, you need to ensure that your quilt is loaded straight or your eye will immediately pick up that it’s “off”. Avoid the potential frustration by selecting a design which doesn’t line up with the piecing. Don’t forget to baste stitch across the quilt as this helps keep your quilt in place.
As you can see with these two pictures, the vertical lines of the piecing don’t line up with the vertical quilting lines of the design, so nothing looks “off”.
This concentric arch pattern is a fabulous choice for this rainbow Bargello quilt.
I also like to use a pattern that matches the theme of the quilt. Here is a baseball donation quilt I made and I quilted it with a baseball quilting design. With the optional Pro Stitcher software, you can size and edit the design as you wish, so you have lots of options available to you. There’s endless possibilities!
Needless to say, I’m having fun playing with patterns on my donation quilts. Donation, or “charity” quilts are a great time to practice new techniques and experiment with different designs. Yes, we always want to do a fabulous job with good results, but if things don’t turn out quite right, the recipients of the quilt aren’t likely to notice, lol! At least we’re making something useful and learning in the process.
Contact your local Janome dealer to go play with the Janome Quilt Maker Pro20!
Happy Quilting!
Janome Life 