How to Machine Quilt Freeform Wavy Lines

I'm excited to show you one of my favorite ways to machine quilt my quilts on my home sewing machine -- and that’s freeform wavy lines. This technique is so easy and quick and it has become one of my go-to designs when I’m quilting my own projects. It’s also an ideal design for any beginner quilter, because of how forgiving the stitch it. It’s truly one of the most fun and professional designs you can do on your home sewing machine.

Keep reading for all the details or watch the video below to see it in action!

What Is Freeform Wavy Quilting?

Freeform wavy quilting is a technique of quilting gentle waves across your quilt top without marking the exact placement of the stitch lines. The waves are a little more loose and can vary across the quilt. The quilting feels natural but also professional.

The Benefits of Freeform Wavy Quilting

Here are my favorite parts of using this quilting technique on my quilts:

• It's a very forgiving stitch because it's not meant to be perfect. So even if you're not confident in your skills, this technique looks best when it's not too exact or thought out.

• It adds texture and movement to your quilt, which makes it ideal for quilts with any size blocks, any type of fabric, and any design.

• It's fast to quilt -- because of the height of the stitch, it allows you to add fewer lines of quilting and mark your quilt less, which saves time.

How Far Apart to Space Your Lines

There are several factors to consider when you're planning how far apart to quilt freeform lines across your quilt. Here are my suggestions:

• Check your batting. Most batting packages will have suggested distances for how far apart your quilting should be to prevent shrinkage. Most battings are between 4"-6" (especially for botton battings) while some polyester battings can be spaced up to 8" apart. Make sure your quilting falls within your batting's recommended spacing.

• Think about the scale of your blocks. I like to choose quilting lines that fit within the scale of my blocks or align with the width of my sashing or borders. For example: If my blocks are 12", I may choose to space my quilting every 3" or 4", because both those numbers divide into 12" and will look proportional to my quilt.

• Think about the height of your waves. You want to allow enough space between your quilting lines to accommodate the "wave" portion of the stitch. In my freeform wavy lines, my wave generally goes up 1" and down 1" from a center line (for approximately 2" of height). So I wouldn't want my waves to be closer than 2"-3" across the quilt to allow for room for the wave and room between stitch lines.

Out of the Box quilt with freeform wavy lines quilted every 3" across the quilt. Buy the Out of the Box Pattern here.

Step 1: Marking Your Quilt Top

Although this quilting technique is freeform, I still prefer to add marks across my quilt top as a guide. The marks are a visual guide to help me keep my stitches spaced evenly and going straight across the quilt, so I don't end up with quilting going crooked or diagonally. I believe this marking step is important in getting a professional look to your quilt.

I use a hera marker to mark my quilt tops. A Hera marker is a small plastic tool from Clover. One end of the tool has a rounded thin edge that creates creases in your fabric when pressed down. It's used similar to a rotary cutter. You hold the tool in your hand and run it along your fabric to create marks.

I have an entire blog post devoted to how to use a hera marker and why I prefer it to other marking tools.

READ THE BLOG HERE

SHOP THE HERA MARKER

Step 2: Machine Quilting

To machine quilt, I use the marks on my quilt top as a guide. I'll start at one end at the marked line and gentle machine quilt a wave above the line approximately 1", work my way back down to the marked line, and then quilt a wave below the line approximately 1". I'll continue this process across the quilt, trying my best to end my stitching line at the mark on the opposite side.

I keep my movement steady and slow, so I don't get a sharp or wobbly point within my waves. And I try my best not to start and start during a line to keep the stitches smooth. (If you do have to stop, stop with your needle down at a seam line to help hide the sometimes jerky start when you begin stitching again.)

To give the quilting more of a freeform look, I'll alternate starting my wave by going down or up every other stitch to give variety to the waves. I may also change up the height or length of my waves in a few random stitch lines to give a more of a freeform look to the quilting.

Scrappy Star quilt with freeform wavy lines quilted every 2" across the quilt. Buy the Scrappy Star Pattern here.

Alternate Easy Stitch to Try

If you're still not feeling confident enough to try this stitch, but want a similar look, try the serpentine stitch on your sewing machine. This is usually a built-in stitch on your machine (check the manual for the number stitch), but it's pictured as a wavy line. You can adjust the width and length of that stitch to get slightly larger waves while quilting. (I usually opt for 2.5mm high and 5mm wide.)

You'll repeat the marking process like we did before, but instead of YOU controlling the waves across the quilt, the machine's needle will move to make the waves, so you can just quilt along the straight marked lines. You can see an example of this stitch below. It's a great stitch to start with when dipping your toe into wavy line quilting.

Book Club quilt with serpentine stitch quilted every 2" across the quilt. Buy the Book Club Pattern here.

I hope you give this quilting technique a try! It's one of my favorite machine quilting stitches and has given me the confidence to quilt my own quilts!

Thanks for joining me for "happy hour",

Lindsay

This blog contains affiliate links to Amazon. I only recommend products I truly use and love. If you use my affiliate links, we may receive a small commission.