Walk, Jog, Run: A Free-Motion Quilting Workout

Happy Saturday! Today is my day to tell you about Dara Thomasson‘s new book, Walk, Jog, Run – A Free-Motion Quilting Workout: Muscle-Memory-Building Exercises, Projects, and Tips. 

You guys may have noticed that I am no free-motion quilting expert. In fact, to me, the quilting part of quilting is not my favorite. I love the design and the piecing. Quilting is just a necessary evil that’s required for the finish product. LOL. So my signature quilting style (when I don’t outsource the quilting) tends to be diagonal straight lines with my walking foot. I like how diagonal straight lines look, and I am marginally competent at that style, so there we have it. Done and done!

So when Dara asked me to review her new book, I was all like, uh-oh. FMQ is not my friend. But I guess that actually makes me a good candidate to review a book like this, right? I got out a mini-quilt that I made a few months ago for the cover of my Perfect Flying Geese Templates and tried a few of the exercises and fills described in her book. And what do you know? They don’t look half-bad. And I never would have the guts (or motivation) to try these fills if not for the book.

FMQ is definitely a skill that requires muscle memory, and this book will help you get there. It not only includes exercises and tips, but also a number of cute projects that you can make and quilt that fit within the lesson plans. If you’re interested in learning free-motion quilting from the ground up, Walk, Jog, Run is a good book to have in your library!