Bobbin Quilting Fun!

I was so happy to take Michele Scott's Bobbin Quilting Fun class at the Charlotte AQS show. I had been wanting to do bobbin work for a long time. Leslie's posts and projects at Marveles Art Studios had inspired me to try it maybe 2 years ago.


Here are two of my samples from the class. I laid a single strand of Isacord (a 40wt thread) on top of the sample for scale. Theses threads would never work on the needle side of the machine!

bobbin quilting free motion

I had even bought a fairly large stash of thick threads to use for bobbin work too! I am a thread addict after all. But I just hadn't done any.

silk and rayon flower

Above is a sample where I needed to tighten the needle thread (top tension). This is also a great time to use invisible thread, which Michele encouraged us to use.

Michele took me from thinking, to actually doing. It was so easy, I don't know why I had waited so long.


Here's the 'top' of my piece, which is really the backside. Flip it over and viola! (There's that piece of Isacord for scale.


In case you're not familiar with the technique, bobbin work takes a lovely decorative thread and puts it in the bobbin. You quilt (or stitch, it doesn't have to be a quilting project) with your project upside down. This keeps extra thick or delicate fibers in the bobbin where they are subject to less tensioning and friction, not to mention, they don't have to go through the eye of the needle.


In the class, the Janome 8900 machines we used already had the bobbin case loosened to accommodate the thicker threads in the bobbin. Using my extra bobbin case at home, I reduced the bobbin tension screw a quarter turn and all was ready.


If you get a chance to take a class with Michele, do it! She's a riot. Bobbin work: another tool in my quilting tool box. Can't wait to use this in another project!

10 comments:

  1. Michele did a program at our guild a couple of years ago. You are right--she IS a riot. I am sure you enjoyed your time in her class. Your bobbin work looks great.

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  2. Very interesting. Pretty, too.

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  3. Fabulous Amy! Love the feathers with Fantastico. SOOO many possibilities!!!

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  4. Thank you Amy for this posting. I didn't know what bobbin quilting was....
    Great pics and explanations once again, here on Amy's Free Motion Quilting :)

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  5. Wow Amy. Beautiful results. I really enjoy your blog and seeing all of your gorgeous work.

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  6. When I bought my sewing machine (baby lock symphony) the dealer told me about doing specialty bobbin work but I've never seen it. Looks beautiful!

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  7. That looks great and so fun. I haven't tried it yet but hopefully some day.

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  8. Hi! Are all sewing machines capable of doing bobbin work or is it just the specialty quilting machines? I have a Singer Simple 2263 & I was trying to do bobbin work with an embroidery stitch but the stitch only happened on the upside and nothing on the bottom side. Do you know what I could be doing wrong? :(

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