Four Must Have Books for Beginner Free Motion Quilting

I have a lot of books on free motion quilting. I buy as many as I can second hand for a couple of dollars - you can find a lot of second hand books through sellers on Amazon now - or on e-bay. Books are great to have and browse through looking for new ideas and new approaches to old designs.

Here are my favorite books for someone who is looking to start free motion quilting beyond the basic stipple.

First Steps to free-motion quilting by Christina Cameli
Christina has approx 60 or so free motion quilting designs for you to try. She pairs these designs with simple quilting projects - so you get 24 project suggestions AND 60 or so quilting design ideas. For a beginner wanting to know what to make and how to quilt it - this seems the perfect starting point.

Free-Motion Quilting with Angela Walters
Bold easy to follow designs. Angela's focus is on having fun an not on perfection. It is hard not to want to be Angela!

Doodle Quilting by Cheryl Malkowski
A fabulous book - do not be intimidated by the picture on the front. Work from the beginning through the book repeating each exercise/pattern. Each idea is clearly drawn out for you to follow. The patterns do get more complicated as you go along - so as a beginner you will probably want to concentrate on the first half of the book until you feel more confident to try the second half.

Pocket Guide to Freehanding by Darlene Epp
The only draw back of these little books is that they seem expensive because they are purchased in a set (You can find them second hand - but they go quickly so act fast!) They are great little books - no fluff or fancy pictures - just simple clear drawings for quilting designs. I think that the Pocket Guide to Freehanding is the best one to start with for beginners.

Don't want to buy books? I have to mention the amazing resource of the talented Leah Day. Leah has 400+ video tutorials on freemotion quilting designs on her website. Go here to see the designs grouped in difficulty level. Leah's website is my go to place for when I am stuck with inspiration.