Quilt Your Quilts with Doodles!
Posted by Kathryn Patterson on Mar 28th 2019
If you’re already a fan of Cheryl Malkowski’s 2012 book Doodle Quilting, her new book, Doodle Quilting Mania, needs little introduction. This new volume follows up on the over one hundred and twenty machine quilting designs in that popular first collection with two hundred and fifty new ideas for what and how to quilt on your tops. From traditional to modern to whimsical, there are designs here for every taste and style.
Cheryl divides her doodle-inspired designs into Travelers (patterns that get you from one area of the quilt to another), Boomerangs (separate motifs to quilt in specific areas), and Ensembles (ways to combine Travelers and Boomerangs to get full coverage for your quilt). She has also included loads of designs for quilting blocks, sashing, star and chain quilts, and borders. Most of these patterns are designed to be quilted with no need to mark your top in advance, a huge time saver. What little marking is suggested can be accomplished quickly and easily following Cheryl’s directions.
Here's an example I fell in love with at first sight. This detail from Cheryl’s Spring Garden quilt features a Clematis design that is one of the Boomerangs. It’s shown here combined with a Traveler design Cheryl calls the Pointed Double Hook, and some simple Leaves thrown in for good measure.
It would be easy to look at that quilt photo and think, “I could never do such a beautiful design. I’d go nuts trying!” But Cheryl breaks down the pattern so simply, and gives such clear instructions for stitching it out, that anyone with even basic machine quilting skills can do it. Here are the components that go into this pattern:
Cheryl has tips for what to keep in mind as you stitch, including stitching order of the different parts of each motif, and words to think as you go, which I find super helpful. “Think – up and around, back, point, and down,” is the perfect mantra for stitching out those Pointed Double Hooks!
With two hundred and fifty new designs to combine, the creative possibilities are unlimited. Once you get this new volume in your hands, you won’t want to let go until it’s part of your own reference library!
