Use Fabric Panels to Perfect Free-Motion Machine Quilting

Oct 25, 2010
Christine Mann

Practice Textured Stitches on Fabric Panels - Photo by Christine Mann

Pre-printed fabric panels offer the perfect canvas for practicing free-motion machine quilting or free-motion embroidery designs and techniques.

Mastering free-motion machine quilting or free-motion embroidery takes practice – there’s really no substitute. Putting in practice time at the sewing machine develops the muscle memory that makes your stitches fluid and consistent.

Quilt fabric panels with pre-printed designs give you a great way to practice just about any free-motion sewing technique you want to improve, from basic stippling to precise outline stitching or intensive machine embroidery. The panels are inexpensive and can be used to make quick quilts for charity or for friends and family members.

Fabric Panels for Throw Pillows, Quilt Blocks, or Quilted Wall Hangings

Fabric panels come in a wide variety of different sizes and shapes. Many panels are squares designed to be turned into throw pillow covers. These are a good size for machine quilting practice because it’s easy to maneuver the panel under your sewing machine’s throat. There are also smaller panels designed to be used as part of a larger quilt, or large-scale panels that can be hung on the wall or used as table toppers.

Look for panels with a design that has some open areas for practicing stipples or continuous-line quilting designs, and some fairly large-scale elements you can outline with machine quilting.

Buy Inexpensive Fabric Panels Online

The best source I’ve found for low-cost fabric panels is Ebay. A recent Ebay search for “fabric panels” turned up more than 20,000 results. There are panels featuring Christmas and other holiday themes, TV and movie characters like Dora the Explorer, Mickey Mouse, and Cinderella, animals, hobbies – practically any theme you can think of. To narrow your search to a particular type of fabric panel, just search for the subject that interests you, such as “owl fabric panel” or “Halloween fabric panel.”

Fabric panels are also available from online quilt stores like Keepsake Quilting or Clotilde.com. Local quilt stores may have a few, but you will find a much wider assortment online.

Supply List for Practicing Machine Quilting on Fabric Panels

You will need:

One or more fabric panels
Thin quilt batting (also called wadding) cut to a slightly larger size than the quilt panel. Learn more about quilt batting options.
(Optional) backing fabric cut to the same size as the quilt batting. You won’t need backing fabric if the panel will be made into a pillow. If you plan to add borders to the panel, you may want wait to add backing fabric until after you sew on the borders.
40-weight sewing machine thread. I recommend all-purpose or 100% cotton machine quilting thread. Use a high-quality thread to minimize breakage. Don’t start out with rayon thread, metallic thread, or invisible threads – they are all prone to breakage. Try them when you have more quilting experience.
Sewing machine with feed dogs that can be dropped for free-motion stitching. (If your machine’s feed dogs can’t be dropped, you can cover them with a piece of cardboard.) If your sewing machine has a needle-up/needle-down feature and speed control or stitch regulator, so much the better!
80/12 quilting or topstitch sewing machine needle.
Darning or free-motion sewing machine foot.
(Optional, but highly recommended) Quilting gloves or rubber fingertips (available from office supply stores) to keep the fabric from slipping under your fingers.

Learn more about sewing machine supplies, tools, and equipment that make machine quilting easier.

How to Practice Machine Quilting Designs on a Fabric Panel

First, layer the quilt sandwich and baste the panel so the layers don’t slip or pucker while you stitch.
Drop the sewing machine’s feed dogs and set the stitch length to zero. If your machine has a speed control setting, set it to medium speed.
Put your hands on the fabric on either side of the needle, about six inches apart, as shown in Photo 1 at the bottom of the page. Holding your hands in this “U” shape keeps the fabric taut for stitching.
Use your hands to move the fabric around under the needle and create stitching patterns. The goal is to create smooth shapes with even stitches that are all the same size.
Many fabric panels have a printed border around the outside edges. I like to start by stitching around the borders to stabilize the quilt sandwich for the rest of the quilting. Do this freehand to practice drawing a line with your needle.
Try drawing outlines around some of the larger shapes on the fabric panel. Try to move the fabric at a constant speed and keep the foot pedal at a constant pressure. This is what makes for even, consistent stitches.
Experiment with creating textures such as grass, wood grain, clouds, or rippling water if there are parts of the fabric panel where they would fit in with the design.
Fill in some of the open areas in the panel with a stipple or another continuous-line quilting design you’d like to practice. Try sewing into small spaces and sewing back out without breaking the line of stitches. Don’t worry if your movements feel jerky or your stitches look uneven. You are developing the muscle memory that creates a smooth, professional-looking line of stitching.
Keep breathing and take breaks if you feel your arms, shoulders, or neck getting stiff. Have fun! The more you practice, the better your machine quilting will look and the more fun you will have.

Once the whole fabric panel has been quilted, it is ready to incorporate into a sewing project such as a quilt, a throw pillow, or a table topper.