Let your fabric do the talking

One of the steps in the process of quilting is deciding what to stitch on the quilt. This step can sometimes be a stumbling block for me, especially if the customer doesn't have any specific wishes. Some customers might tell me that they want a particular type of quilting, or motif to work into the design, or price point to achieve. Others will simply say "Do whatever you like". So then I have more decision-making to do, which has a good side and a bad, depending on the day and my mood! The quilt I am working on right now is destined for a baby on the way in Debbie's family. The mother-to-be had a hand in picking out the fabrics and colors. It has lots of dots. As I was looking at the quilt, I knew I was going to put my little clamshell-like-thingies in the center portion, but thought it would be fun to give the borders a little different treatment. I doodled around a little in my head and then realized that the graphic layout of the dots was a perfect setup. I guess you could call it connect the dots! And when I started laying on the stitching lines curving in and out between the circles, it created a really fun design.

The little narrow border has little stripes which became my guide for stitching at intervals along those lines. Didn't have to measure or mark a thing! I think this quilt will look good in baby drool!