I first learned how to pebble and swirl from Angela Walter’s Craftsy class “Machine Quilting Negative Space.” Angela Walters is an excellent instructor— especially for people who have quilted some, but are really looking how to become comfortable with a toolkit of free hand designs that can be stitched into just about any quilt. If you’ve been trolling Pinterest for those heavily-quilted contemporary pieces full of pebbles, swirls, spirals, and other designs that climb right up out of the batting, this is the class for you.

Why choose this class instead of a different one?

1. Angela uses a long-arm machine in this class. It doesn’t really matter for learning the designs unless you are a total newbie and would prefer seeing someone with their hands oriented to their domestic machine. For the rest of us, it means that the camera view is clear and you get a sense of the rhythm and movement of the designs.
2. It’s a classic introduction to a basic toolkit of contemporary free motion designs. Swirls, clamshells, spirals, pebbles, feathers— if you’re looking for that heavily quilted free-hand look, this is a great starter class to build your toolkit of go-to designs.
3. Don’t scrimp on the paper and pen! Doodling really helps to get the design down, and especially, how to move from one design to another.

While you can get a pretty good sense of a particular design by looking at quilts in museums and around the internet, Angela’s specialty IMO is to teach you the flow of a design, both in how to complete one element and in how to replicate it across your surface.

I have purchased many Craftsy classes— and have a wishlist of 15 more courses, which would represent a considerable investment. This is one I do not regret buying! If you purchase through this link within the next 7 days, I may get a small commission that will help me write more reviews, as I just became a Craftsy affiliate! It’s 50% off for Black Friday!