Longarm Quilting Fun-Quilting Block to Block

Grasshopper Quilt Top on our Design Wall at Mad About Quilts Studio

So you've finished your quilt top and are thrilled with the results and it's time to quilt it. Now what? One of the hardest parts in the quilting process for many people is how to get started. With all the input from quilting books and magazines, You Tube how-to videos, Pinterest and other Internet quilting sites and blogs it can be a huge decision. Do you want to do edge-to-edge quilting or quilt it block by block. Do you prefer quilting just enough to hold it all together or are you thinking of all-out, major, detailed "quilting the heck out of the quilt" quilting because this is the quilt you've been waiting to try that kinda stuff out on. Usually there are a number of factors to consider including who's the recipient of the quilt, how much time you have or want to spend on this particular quilt, and what your quilting skill set is.

Grasshopper Quilt Pattern by Mad About Quilts

Well, call me crazy, but this quilt, called the Grasshopper Quilt has become my "getting crazy, detailed quilting project". It's a fairly simple quilt, with just three colors and an interesting grid-like design. I get to keep this quilt in the end, so there's only myself to please, which is a wonderful thing!
Since I also designed and wrote this pattern, it's been rolling around in my head for months as it went from conception to real pattern. Many quilting ideas have been lurking, waiting to be considered, and when it came time to begin quilting, I really had trouble deciding which way to go.

Grasshopper Quilt loaded on our APQS Millie

To make it even more interesting for myself, I have a deadline-- never a good thing if you don't like pressure, might I add--it's got to be ready for an upcoming guild quilt show in mid-September. After weeks of sketching and indecision, I realized that I was really leaning towards very detailed quilting in each block, including the sashing that runs throughout the entire quilt. As you can see, I've got it loaded and have started the quilting! Hope I can get it done for the show! This is truly going to be a labor of love, but so far I'm having tons of fun doing it, and that's really why we quilt, right? I'll post more pictures along the way. Thanks for stopping by!