Builder Quilt + Walk, Jog, Run Book Review

I admit....it's been a long time since I've done any free motion quilting!  For many years I did all of my quilting on my Juki sewing machine and then later on a non-computerized Handi Quilter longarm.  And I've missed FMQ!

I now own a computerized Handi Quilter and it's just too easy to load up a design and let the computer do the work while I shuffle around working on other things.  

I have really been wanting to try free-motion quilting again and see if I had any muscle memory left.  So when my friend Dara Tomasson asked if I'd be a part of the book tour for her new book Walk Jog Run: A Free-Motion Quilting Workout*, I knew this would be a great way to for me to brush up on my free-motion quilting skills.  

And guess what?  I was so rusty!  And nervous!  But after several practice sessions I quickly remembered how much fun FMQ really is.  

*this post contains affiliate links

Dara's book covers so much great information and it was a perfect refresher course for me - but it would also make a terrific reference book for those of you who are trying free-motion quilting for the first time.  

The first section of the book covers the basics: what tools you'll need, tips for choosing threads and batting,  and even trouble-shooting tension problems.  It's filled with a ton of great info.

The second section covers TEN different FMQ designs and includes plenty of tips for successfully creating each design on your quilt.  Dara covers:

• straight-line quilting
• directional e's and i's
• loops
• daisies
• paisleys
• stipple / meandering / puzzle
• circuit boards
• wishbones and fancy L's
• ribbon candy
• clamshells

And each design has a project to go along with it.  

The quilt I chose to make is called the Builder Quilt and the design that goes along with this pattern is  called wishbone.  

I thought it was clever that she designed a quilt with rows that were the perfect height for practicing this wishbone design.  It was nice to be able to follow the design of the quilt as I quilted the wishbones.  

I tried to make my wishbones just touch the seam allowance at the top and bottom, and then I spaced them out from side to side having one wishbone in each small block, and two wishbones in each large block.  You can see what I mean in the photo above.  

I also tried to make the little loops on the ends all the same size.  That was tougher than I thought it would be, but I definitely got better with practice!

The Builder quilt pattern was a fun one to piece.  Dara's instructions and diagrams were clear and easy to follow.  I added a few more rows and columns to my quilt to make it a large throw size since I knew my teenager would be using this one.

You can find Walk, Jog, Run: A Free-Motion Quilting Workout here on Amazon.  And learn more about Dara Tomasson here on her website.

Quilt details:
63" x 73"
Pattern: Builder Quilt from the book Walk, Jog, Run by Dara Tomasson
Fabric: Harvest Road by Lella Boutique for Moda Fabrics
Quilting: Wishbone quilting (from the book Walk, Jog, Run by Dara Tomasson)