10 Ways to Quilt a Baby Quilt with a Walking Foot
Baby quilts are an amazing way to honor new parents. A handmade gift that offers comfort and can stand the test of time will be cherished by its recipient for years. I genuinely think baby quilts are one of the most thoughtful gifts you can give, but I may be a bit biased.
Because a baby quilt honors a special occasion, you may want to break out of your go-to quilting method. Or, a baby quilt may be your very first quilt and you want some ideas for how to machine quilt it! In today’s post, I’ll give you ten ideas for how to quilt a baby quilt. Each quilting method uses a walking foot – no free motion foot or experience is needed!
Wavy Lines
Wavy lines are great for beginner quilters. There is no pressure to get perfectly straight lines and it’s okay if the space in between your lines is inconsistent. I love this stitch when you’re looking for an all-over quilting design that will highlight your piecing and fabric choices.
How to do it: Move your fabric to the left and right while it’s going through your machine.
Chevron Lines
Chevron is a modern zig-zag pattern that looks great as an all-over quilted design. Chevron is perfect if you are echoing a chevron quilt pattern, or you can use the zig-zag look to add a fantastic texture to the baby quilt.
How to do it: Stitch on the diagonal of your quilt until you get to your desired chevron height. Drop your needle and turn your work 90 degrees. Continue stitching on the diagonal of your quilt until you get to your desired chevron height. Repeat these steps.
Straight Lines
Straight line quilting is a simple modern design that will bring any quilt to life. It’s perfect for all aesthetics and it’s great for beginners. When deciding how far apart your lines should be, reference your batting. The batting will tell you how far apart the recommended stitching is. Play around with the length between lines to add interest to your finished quilt.
How to do it: Stitch straight lines using the seam guide for your walking foot. You can also mark your quilt using a hera marker or masking tape to help keep your lines straight.
Matchstick Lines
Matchstick lines are straight lines that are very close together. This technique creates great texture and you can easily make it your own by adjusting the length between the stitching lines. You can create an even look by using the same length between each stitching line or adjust the stitching lines and make some closer together than others to create more texture and interest.
How to do it: Stitch straight lines using the seam guide for your walking foot. Or you can use your ¼” foot to help create even lines with a smaller space between each line.
Zig-Zag Lines
Many sewing machines offer different types of stitches built into the machine. A common stitch is a zig-zag stitch. Use the zig-zag stitch to give your straight line stitching an extra special touch. You may or may not be able to use your walking foot with this stitch depending on your machine, so keep that in mind.
How to do it: Change your machine settings to the zig-zag stitch. Stitch straight lines down your quilt using your walking foot seam guide or a quilt marking tool to help keep the space between your lines consistent.
Cross-Hatch Lines
Cross-hatch lines are a fun play on straight line quilting. This technique is great if you’re using a block-based pattern because it creates a nice secondary pattern on top of the quilt pattern. You can stitch the lines close together or far apart for drastically different looks.
How to do it: Straight line stitch your quilt vertically and then straight line stitch your quilt horizontally.
Double Cross-Hatch Lines
Add more texture and interest by creating double cross-hatch lines. This is the same method as cross-hatch lines but instead of stitching one line, you’ll stitch two right next to each other.
How to do it: Straight line stitch your quilt vertically using double lines, then straight-line stitch your quilt horizontally using double lines.
Diagonal Lines
Diagonal quilting will give your quilt a modern texture and look. This is a great quilting design to use when you want to highlight the piecing and fabric of your quilt. This design may seem simple, but when it’s done you’ll notice the huge impact the directional lines have on your quilt.
How to do it: Straight line stitch on the diagonal of your quilt. Use a hera marker, your walking foot seam guide, or masking tape to keep the space between the lines consistent.
Double Diagonal Lines
Add a bit more interest to your quilt by using double diagonal lines. Much like diagonal lines, the impact of this design will be wow-worthy. The double lines will add extra texture and visual interest.
How to do it: Straight line stitch on the diagonal of your quilt using double lines.
Diagonal Cross-Hatch Lines
Diagonal cross-hatch lines create unique diamond shapes on your quilt. This can give your quilt that quintessential “quilted” look. This is the perfect stitching design for everything from a super modern minimalist quilt to a traditional block-based quilt.
How to do it: Straight line stitch your quilt on the diagonal then straight line stitch your quilt on the opposite diagonal.
Double Diagonal Cross-Hatch Lines
Double diagonal cross-hatch lines will add more visual interest and texture to your quilt. This is a great method if you want your quilting to look involved but this technique can still be done quickly.
How to do it: Straight line stitch your quilt on the diagonal using double lines and then straight-line stitch your quilt on the opposite diagonal using double lines.
Straight Line Grid
This design may be one of the most complicated looking, but it’s very simple. By straight line stitching in three different directions, you’ll get a quilting design that packs a punch. I love this quilting design for modern quilts because it embraces the quilt design while also offering a ton of texture.
How to do it: Straight line stitch your quilt vertically, horizontally, and on one diagonal.
With these quilting designs, you’ll know exactly how to quilt a baby quilt with a fun design that highlights your piecing and fabric choices. Of course, you can always mix and match these quilting designs to come up with a new pattern all your own.
When your quilt is quilted and ready for a label, be sure to check out these 40+ quilt label ideas.
xo, Hailey
Other Posts You May Like:
40+ Quilt Label Ideas for Gifted Quilts
7 Unique Ways to Tie a Quilt
How to Square a Quilt Top
How to Fold a Quilt for a Quilt Ladder
How Many Five Inch Squares Do I Need to Make a Quilt?
I am so glad I found your channel and web site today. Your free baby quilt is amazing and all the ideas to quilt the project are so welcomed.
I have learned a lot today.
Thank you.
I’m so happy to hear that, Nancy!
ditto. me too…another Nancy
Haha I’m glad to hear!