Hi there Friends,

I’m so excited to share with you this amazing Wax Lyrical quilt that Beth made in an online workshop with Jenny Haynes of @pappersaxsten - whose pattern it is. It’s amazing, huh?!?!? The wovens are from Alison Glass’ Kaleidoscope line. If you have been following along on my instagram, then you’ve probably seen the four videos (reels) that I shared about this quilt. Two of them were of me freehand quilting the graffiti background. If you haven’t seen them, go check them out!! @leishakaye (the reels were posted on Jan 18th and 19th.)

My good friend Katie, and fellow longarm quilter from Modern Textiles, sent Beth my way…and I couldn’t be more thrilled with the opportunity to quilt this quilt for Beth. Beth sent me this picture above and asked what I thought about custom quilting this for her. It’s always wonderful to see what your quilts look like beforehand. She asked if I could do graffiti quilting in the background, and do something different in the circles, to help them stand out. She also sent me a few inspiration pictures. When she asked about graffiti quilting, I sent her a picture of the “I will cut you” scissor quilt that I quilted for Laser Cut Quilts, a few years back. I asked what she thought about this type of graffiti quilting, and she loved it!!

For more info on the “I will cut you” quilt, refer to this blog post that has all the details.

Now…first off, I am so incredibly impressed with Beth’s sewing skills. Curves typically create bulky seams and quilts that just don’t lay flat. I know…I’ve made a few quilts myself that have curves. Beth did such a beautiful job, and not just on the front but also the back…scroll down to see the incredibly beautiful thin curvy stripe that runs through the backing. Look at all the beautiful details…love this quilt!

Now let’s talk about details. First, the backing is a light gray plaid with a beautiful colorful stripe, and I didn’t want navy thread on the backing…because I use the same thread colors on the front and the backing. Tension is never 100% all the time. I was trying to figure out what to do, and then asked Beth what she thought of me using the Mono.Poly thread from Superior Threads on the top, and an Omni light gray thread in the bobbin. A few tips...I quilt on a Gammill Classic Plus. I loosened my top tension, so it was easier to pull through, but kept it threaded the same way that I do with regular thread. The thread comes with a net, keep that on the thread or it will unravel quick, and have the thread come up through the top of the net. This thread is plastic, so there is a minimal sheen to the thread. It is invisible, so it blends perfectly. If you’d like to use a darker Mono.Poly there is a Smoke color, however I have never used it. I used the same needle size, 18, that I normally use on my machine, and I didn’t change the needle position. My bobbin tension is 200 on my Towa bobbin tension gauge. If you don’t have a Towa gauge, it’s a really handy tool. Just make sure you get the correct size for your bobbin case. Mine is an M style. I used the same Mono.Poly for the quilting in the circles, too. Beth chose 8020 cotton poly blend batting from Winline Textiles, out of Ogden Utah.

Let’s first start with the background graffiti quilting. Have you heard that I have a Quilting It Freemotion™ course? I created a series of 10 videos, where I teach one quilting design per video. I don’t have a course on graffiti quilting, however I did use six of the ten designs that I teach, intermixed in the graffiti quilting and then I added some other fun details. The designs I used on this quilt that are in my course are…Pebbles, Swirls, Swirly Feathers, Grass, Overlapping Circles, and Overlapping Lines. Of course I have four other designs that are great to learn as well, and all are available in a bundle too. When it comes to graffiti quilting anything goes…hence the graffiti name. Whatever you’d like to include, go for it. Your graffiti quilting is going to look different than mine. That’s totally fine. When I quilt something this random, I like to have the designs travel throughout the quilt. That is the only rhyme or reason to quilting graffiti…at least for me. If you’d like to watch me quilt a little section of the graffiti, remember to go to my instagram and check out the two reels I shared. Video 1 and Video 2.

What do you think of all the different designs together? And…the circles, I’ll talk about those next. I love the contrast of organic quilting in the background and the modern look of the circles. It makes the overall design and look of the quilt, pop.

When I was teaching my Overlapping Lines, I had a new version pop into my head…introducing the pinstripe version of my Overlapping Lines. I hadn’t quilted it before so, I just drew it out. It’s fun to finally have a quilt to quilt in on. I love the look of it, and can’t wait to quilt it over and over again!

Now, for the circles…I pulled out my Circle2™ ruler set, and I ended up using 7 of the 12 sizes of circles. Starting on the outside and working my way to the center, I used the 12”, 11”, 9”, 8”, 6”, 5”, and 2” in that order. My rulers are 3/4ths of a circle, so I quilted most of the circle and then rotated the ruler to finish up the circle. The 3/4ths of a circle design allows you to have one sized circle inside, and one on the outside of the ruler. I was so grateful to have this set, for those beautiful circles. This quilt is quilted entirely freemotion, not computerized in any way. I used a couple of Edge rulers from Linda at The Quilted Pineapple for the straight lines. I was trying to figure out a creative curvy way to quilt the space between the two circles in the two blocks in the orange and purple colors. I decided to quilt straight lines 1/2” apart instead, and I love how it adds to the look of those blocks. Making it seem like the circles are connected. Love what simple lines can create!

It’s much easier to quilt all of those pebbles when there is a boundary of sorts. So, I made sure to quilt the large circles first, then filled in the pebbles afterwards.

Love all of the fun textures together.

If you are a longarm quilter, have you ever done graffiti quilting before? Graffiti quilting became popular from Karlee Porter. It’s fun to be inspired by other quilters. The quilting inspiration pictures that Beth sent me were from Jenny from @pappersaxten. Of course, I quilted my own versions of these designs. It’s not easy to exactly replicate another quilter’s quilting.

The oval shape below was quilted the same way as the circles, except that I used an Edge ruler for the straight center section.

I hope that you have enjoyed hearing the details about this quilt!!

A little close up, on only one part! Love, love, love!!

Here is a look at the backing. I love it when a back turns out awesome!! Love that thin curve. Can you see why I didn’t want to use navy thread on the backing…because I typically use the same thread colors on the top and bobbin.

Here are some fun close-ups of all of the quilting textures!!

Another, because one is not enough…

and another…

So much quilty goodness. Such a fun quilt for me to quilt!

Here are my Circle2™ rulers that I used for the circles…I used both the 12” and 6”.

- Design Patent D875,574 -

I used the 11” and the 5”.

- Design Patent D875,574 -

I used the 9”.

- Design Patent D875,574 -

I used the 8” and 2”.

- Design Patent D875,574 -

Here is a look at the clear set all stacked up together. There are 6 rulers and 12 different sizes of circles. For more information go to this post.

- Design Patent D875,574 -

Below is a look at the green set. The green set is great for lighter fabrics, so it’s easier to see the lines. My Circle2™ machine quilting circle ruler set is made in USA from 1/4” high quality acrylic. It’s such a versatile set of rulers. Starting at 2” and goes up to 13”.

- Design Patent D875,574 -

Beth’s Wax Lyrical Quilt

Sherry’s “Lana Lemur” Quilt

Courtney’s Triangle Peaks Quilt