Do you ever get a quilting “creative block” any time you try to decide what to quilt on a project? You want to step out of the box and try some uncommon quilting designs but don’t know where to start or what to do?

This happens to me ALL the time and I end up defaulting to the same couple of designs for every quilt. 

I really wanted to branch out and learn some new techniques and designs so I went on over to Craftsy and took a FMQ class that has gotten all my creative juices flowing for ideas on my next quilt and wanted to share some of the ideas with you. 

If you’ve never heard of Craftsy, it’s basically the Netflix of all crafting and it has a HUGE section dedicated to all things quilting. 

It’s my secret weapon whenever I need a pick me up in my quilting, or want to learn a new technique, or just get bored with my current designs and want to try and learn something new. 

The class I took this week was Borders and Backgrounds by the amazing long arm quilter, Angela Walters. She goes through step by step how to complete a bunch of her go-to uncommon quilting designs as well as tons of variations of each design to fit the quilting situation you are in. 

So today I’m going over the very basics of a couple of the designs from the class so if you want more in-depth instruction on how to make them and different ways to use them be sure to check out the course here! 

Why Borders and Backgrounds can be tough

Borders are so easy to get stuck in the same routines over and over again because they are always the same general shape. 

Some have more detail to them for sure, but in the end it’s still a border all the way around. 

When you are confined to the same general shape over and over again, it’s difficult to step outside the box and imagine new ways to recreate the same space. 

Maybe it’s just me, but I often feel like I’m trying to recreate the wheel over and over again by trying to find a million different ways to quilt the same shape, which can feel discouraging. But then seeing the perfect design gets me back in the groove and excited to finish it up.

Backgrounds seem to have the exact opposite effect for me. 

There are basically no restrictions on shape or size, and the options are endless, how do I possibly choose, and what will actually look good together?

There’s so much space, how do I make a cohesive design to make it all work together?

Related:
10 Easy Quilting Designs for Beginners

I find that stepping back and looking at the overall picture of what you are trying to accomplish really helps. How do I do this? 

I print out a picture of my quilt top before ever putting the first quilting stitch in it, and I scribble ideas all over it. Seeing it on paper really helps me form a better idea of what I’m trying to accomplish, as well as gives me the opportunity to play with new designs to decide whether this quilt is the quilt to try it on before ever committing to it on fabric. 

I hope this gets your creative juices flowing for your next quilt, lets go over 5 uncommon quilting designs to try on your next quilt! 

Herringbone

My number one go to border design is (and probably always will be) the straight line, piano keys. I like that the herringbone design is a spin off of straight line quilting with some free motion thrown in for good measure.

If going you are looking for something just a little different and doesn’t stray too far from some tried and true designs, the herringbone is a great baby step towards gaining confidence with designs outside your comfort zone. 

It’s also a fantastic design for beginner free motion quilting as the design is pretty straight forward. All you are trying to do is give the illusion of a herringbone in the border so if your lines happen to cross or are wider in some spots, since the pattern is so dense, when you step back you won’t even notice. 

Swirl Chain

Swirl chains seem to be a pretty classic choice for a background filler, but before taking Backgrounds and Borders, I never realized how many ways you can use a swirl chain! 

Changing the dimensions on the swirl, elongating it, adding or leaving out echo lines, keeping it dense and packed, adding in extra fillers to it, there are SO MANY ways to make a swirl chain feel fresh that I never considered. 

Depending on how you use it, it can melt into the background of your quilt or it can become a featured design across your quilt that your eye gets immediately drawn to. 

Brackets

This one is not one that I see used often but I LOVE the framing effect it gives when used in a border. This one feels like a free motion quilting cousin to straight line quilting, but gives you this great ornate frame of texture around the main part of your quilt.

This design would also look fantastic as an all over design across your quilt and give some fun pops of texture in the points of the brackets. 

Arcs

I am pretty minimalist at heart. While I will like photos all day on social media with curvy dense quilting with lots of detail, when it comes to my own quilts, I tend to gravitate towards clean minimal designs, and arcs definitely give me that feel.

Arcs are one of those options that can give radically different feels based on the scale that you use it on. 

Denser arcs can give a fish scale background filler effect, while large arcs the full width of a border can give a minimalist church window-y texture. Overlay two arcs together and you can get a really cool geometric feel in the quilting. 

This one is a great one that can be used large scale as an all over design as well without packing in too much texture to the quilt. 

Paisley 

I grew up in the era where Vera Bradley was huge. Everyone I knew had Vera Bradley paisley bags, and you always had to stop into the store at the mall to see the newest pattern for the season.

Paisley gives me such nostalgic feelings so I couldn’t help but include it as the last idea to try on your next quilt. 

There are just so many different ways to make a paisley that the ways you can modify it slightly are endless. Adding just one element to it like a pebble here and there can turn a tried and true paisley into a totally new feel. 

I also find that points are some of the hardest things to accomplish in free motion quilting, so if you want to stick with mainly curvy designs to hide potential wavy lines, or avoid potentially not pointy points, paisley is the way to go. 

Get the hang of a paisley and then its just a short leap to tons of other great designs like a leafy meander or a feather.

See them Step by Step

These are only some of the designs that are covered from top to bottom in the Craftsy class Borders and Backgrounds. With each design comes variations of how to make small changes to get entirely new designs as well as how to use them in different contexts. 

If you’ve been hitting the creativity wall recently in your quilting, taking a class to learn some new uncommon quilting designs is the best way to get new ideas, and the best part is, since the class is pre-recorded, go at your own pace, you can start, stop, and repeat any of the sections to get a closer look.

The class shows you different ways to use the same design in different contexts that can be applied to tons of different quilting ideas that you might already be comfortable and familiar with. Variations that add secondary designs or taking that background filler and turning it into a feature border design that you may not have considered in the past. 

If you are interested in learning the ins and outs of all of these uncommon quilting designs or want to see what else the class has to offer, be sure to check out my full in-depth review of the class here!