Have you ever been quilting, and trying to figure out what to quilt in a background? Behind some appliqué or in the background of a block...I have! If fact recently I was trying to figure out what to quilt on this beautiful wool quilt of Barbara’s.

Since I quilted this quilt last month, I’ve wanted to do this post...maybe it will help you, it will definitely help me. I’ll do another post in the future with more. I love mixing lines with other freehand designs, the combination of texture is amazing!

These backgrounds are drawn on my iPad Pro in the Procreate drawing app. Thankfully my quilting it better than my drawing.

This fun grassy texture is one of my favorites!

These squares can be done freehand, like I did in the quilt pictured above or with a ruler. With a ruler I’ve done 1” or 1/2” squares. My favorite straight longarm rulers are from Linda at the Quilted Pineapple, she calls them edge rulers.

The freehand crackle, easy and a great background filler behind appliqué.

Diagonal lines, most of the time I do them at 1/2” or sometimes 3/4”, but always with a ruler.

The classic stipple. If done micro like pictured above, everything pops!

The classic look of a pinstripe. 1/4” stripes with a 1/2” space between. The rulers have lines on them to make this super easy to quilt out.

Circles circles circles. A great filler. I do love to add more to this design. Keep scrolling down.

Diagonal the opposite direction. For me, this direction is easier. Always done with a ruler.

Here are those circle with an additional filler, swirls. Great to add just a little more to your quilting.

We’ve called this design an arc echo for the longest time. I love adding this into a background, it’s uniqueness adds such a fun texture.

The swirl feather! Such a fun fancy filler. I’ve added even more to this. An arc echo, circles, and even a version of the grassy texture in the first background shown above. Really, you’re limited by your creativity.

The ripple effect.

The oval pebbles.

Cross hatching at 1/2”, or 3/4” or 1”. I always use and ruler, and it looks uniform and beautiful. It can be time consuming, but it so worth it.

The wood grain.

Lines are an easy filler. I always use a ruler, and usually do them 1/2” apart. Linda from the Quilted Pineapple has fabulous straight rulers, known as edge rulers, that have the best lines on them. No marking required.