Pull out those unfinished objects! Cindy Needham will inspire you with stitching techniques to put gorgeous finishing touches on your work of art.
Whether you're a beginning quilter or an experienced enthusiast, instructor Cindy can help you find the inspiration for finishing your pieced or whole-cloth quilts. Her exciting repertoire of creative quilting stitches and techniques will turn a daunting task into manageable pieces and spectacular results. Cindy will show you ways to divide and conquer the space to create a quilting design that's uniquely yours. Start out with stencils, deconstructing them to create original patterns. Explore medallion-based designs and then go on to freeform elements - including feathers, fillers, and repeating motifs you can use to highlight your quilt with beautiful areas of sunshine and shadow.
Take your quilts from beautiful to spectacular with free-form machine quilting!
See all lesson detail
Hide all lesson detail
Lesson plan
10:51
Lesson 1. Introduction
Meet your instructor, Cindy Needham, and learn about this class and the Craftsy platform.
35:09
Lesson 2. Pin Basting
Get a handle on assembling your quilt sandwich by dividing your work surface into quarters, arranging your backing, then pinning and basting. Cindy has some great tips for maneuvering a large quilt.
29:15
Lesson 3. Threads & Tension
When it comes to quilting threads, one tension does not fit all. Cindy dives into thread delivery, changing your bobbin tension and even thread shopping.
27:14
Lesson 4. Techniques & Tools
Set up your workspace for a comfortable quilting experience and prepare your quilt with Cindy's expert advice and tips.
Cindy will inspire you to create new and fresh designs by combining stencils and dividing negative space with fun shapes.
24:32
Lesson 6. Medallions
Create a dramatic focal point with medallions. Cindy shows you with her detail-oriented approach to pieced and whole-cloth quilts.
16:48
Lesson 7. Design Basics
So many choices; where to begin? Cindy starts off with her sources of inspiration, then shows you how to use a stencil square.
22:50
Lesson 8. The Basic Three
Lines, curves and circles are your friends. Cindy shows you how to build creative designs with these basic three shapes.
You can use stencils, but free-form feathers are more fun. Cindy shows you how to stitch and customize feathers and then fill them in!
34:57
Lesson 10. Backgrounds
Cindy explains the difference between scribbling and stippling. You'll also learn to quilt clam shells, grids, pearls, swirls and cathedral windows.
20:35
Lesson 11. Making Borders Fit
Cindy guides you through a little bit of simple math and creative design elements to make border-planning a breeze.
"The lessons, the teaching style, everything about this class is excellent. It is my go to source that [I] reference often. If you are a beginner quilter, absolutely start with this class because Cindy explains the whole process. If you're experienced, you'll learn new ways to do things. I can't believe you can learn this much for such a low cost. Thank you Cindy and Craftsy."
- Eunique53
Cleveland, OH
5000+ students have enrolled in this class
Recently Enrolled
Cindy Needham, Instructor of Design It, Quilt It
Cindy is a nationally recognized quilting instructor. She is the author of Wholecloth Linen Quilts. She fell in love with quilting over 40 years ago while her family was stationed in the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina and Virginia. Her articles have been published in many magazines, including Quilters Newsletter, American Quilter and Machine Quilting Unlimited.
Elsewhere