The month of July ushers in the first "real" days of summer here in Iowa. The humidity typically spikes up along with the temperature, leaving you drenched in sweat after only a few minutes outdoors. But the heat also produces some of the wonderful reasons for living here, like the first ear of juicy sweet corn from the field...the spectacular light show of an evening thunderstorm...and the beautiful wildflowers growing along Iowa's roadways!

 

The lush gardens in backyards and city parks create the perfect inspiration for quilters. Take a peek at your fabric stash--how many floral prints can you find? Picture a "calico" and I'll bet you see flowers! Floral fabrics are often multi-colored and very "busy", which makes it difficult to see any quilting motif on this type of fabric. It doesn't make sense to spend hours quilting a beautiful feather motif in a floral border when you won't be able to see it when you're done.

 

 

That's why learning how to quilt simple floral shapes, including leaves and vines, is so helpful. If you're new to freehand quilting, you might want to begin by "tracing" first. Purchase a couple of yards of a floral print like the one pictured above. Look for one with large, distinct flowers and leaf shapes. Load that fabric on to your quilting machine and trace around the shapes. Quilt just enough of the flowers and leaves to create an outline of them; don't worry about details. The more detail you try to add, the harder it will be for you to re-create the design freehand. Just strive for creating the "impression" of a daisy or rose.

 

Use wandering vines, loops and leaves to connect your flower shapes. Practice entering and exiting the flower shape from different sides. Don't be afraid to cross over a line or add an extra petal; nature isn't perfect, so you don't have to be, either! Keep the density of the quilting in mind as you work. If you add many accent lines and extra petals to your flowers, but loosely stitch the quilt in other areas, the quilt may ripple.

 

Doodle on paper whenever you have the chance. You know that a flower has a stem, leaves, a center and some petals. Try drawing flowers you already know, but also let your imagination loose and create fun, unique flowers. As long as we can tell it is some kind of flower, it doesn't really matter if it's a hybrid tea rose or a wild rose!

 

I've included my rosebud design for you below. Follow the photographs to stitch your own rosebud, or watch

the video for step-by-step instructions. Whatever you do, remember that quilting is supposed to be fun--relax and let "nature take its course"!

 

 

Step One--Quilt a "Balloon"	Step Two--Insert a Hook in the Balloon
Step Three--Stitch a "Pear Shape" around the Balloon	Step Four--Echo the Balloon Shape again to Create another Petal