Want to learn how to quilt swirls? Sometimes it’s difficult to determine what should go in the negative space of a quilt. I really like using swirls to quilt empty space because it gives texture and movement. It can also double as smoky swirls or wind looking swirls to create a darker look, or mimic the weather.
When I started out quilting on a domestic machine, my stitches didn’t look precise or smooth–it took a lot of practice and relaxing to get a consistent look and feel. I’ve heard a lot of people say that quilting on a longarm and domestic are completely different, but I feel like they’re very similar and require a similar skill set. If you’re willing to put in the time and practice, you WILL eventually see improvement. I know when I started out, I was easily discouraged at how awesome other quilters’ quilting looked and how crummy mine was in comparison. Over time, my quilting started to look a little better each week and I was satisfied with the quality of quilting I was doing. I doodled a lot to practice when I was away from my machine, and that really helped.
Video tutorial – how to quilt swirls
I made up a fun free motion quilting tutorial on how I quilt these swirls. These are hands down my favorite motif to use to look like wind or smoke on the background of a quilt. I recently quilted a quilt for one of my clients that had a Christmas theme with adorable little houses (Hi Debra!!) and used this motif in the background to look like a little snowstorm. It worked out perfectly and gave just the right feeling to the quilt.
I hope you’ll take a moment to check out the video tutorial. I’ve even put in a little time lapse preview at the beginning so you can see how it comes together quickly. I’ll walk you through how to quilt these swirls. I always recommend to start out with paper and pencil. Then doodle and draw until your swirls look smooth. Once you draw them enough, you don’t really have to think about where you’re going to put the next one. Then it makes quilting them a breeze! Pun intended ;).
So go watch the tutorial a few times. Practice drawing your own swirls. And whether you have a domestic or a longarm, you can quilt up some samples. I’d love to see your quilting if you give it a try!!! Feel free to give me a tag on IG @kustomkwilts if you post your progress :). And if you liked this tutorial, check out how to quilt feathers! Happy quilting!
Good Morning! Great tutorial for this fun stitch. I love how you shared problem-solving for those little spaces that end up being too small. Thanks for sharing this with us today, and I’m re-PINing for later. ~smile~ Roseanne
Thanks Roseanne! Happy to share 🙂
I have rarely seen this design so well broken down into its segments. Thank you for a great instructional and inspirational video!
You’re so welcome! I can’t wait to share more tutorials with you Sandal!
A great video. I am going to have to try those swirls. Love it. Thank you.
Thanks Melanie! They are so much fun to quilt–have fun!!
Swirls are difficult for me, but with your tutorial I think I might be able to do this one. Excellent tutorial. Thanks!
Thanks Judith! You can do it!! All it takes is a little practice 🙂
Thank you. Great tutorial.
Thanks Sarah! I’m glad you enjoyed it–hope you’ll give it a go 🙂
Finally, someone who explains this to me where I actually understand. Thank you! So glad I found your pin on Pinterest.
That’s fantastic Mandy! I hope you’ll give it a try–you’ll do great!
great tutorial!! many thanks, you make it look so easy.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Carola! Have fun with your swirls!