I’m not a big fan of the quilt police. There are so many rules in life, I don’t need to be constrained by rules in my quilting too. In my latest design video tutorial for APQS I’m throwing out the rule book to create a sashing design I’m calling Spaghetti Swirls.

The Spaghetti Swirls sashing design ignores one of the cardinal rules of machine quilting by crossing over the quilting lines. Watch the video below to see how to quilt spaghetti swirls.

How to Quilt Spaghetti Swirls

I don’t think it gets much easier than this! We’ll start by quilting a gently waving line. Quilt a loop and continue quilting circles around that loop. We’re ignoring the rules and we’re going to cross over our quilting lines, making circles around that loop until you get the size you're looking for. Travel on with a gently waving line and quilt another loop.

Some machine quilting teachers don’t want you to cross over your quilting lines like this. But I say go for it! In my books, it’s perfectly acceptable and can make a lovely design element!

Where to Quilt Spaghetti Swirls

This design would be great in a sashing space. You would quilt the swirls big enough to fit snuggly in the sashing. I quilted the spaghetti swirls in a wide open space, making a simple linear design. Imagine if you quilted this design on a grid with swirls traveling up and down your space too. Wouldn’t that be fantastic behind some whimsical appliqué? You could also travel a little more between swirls to create an all over design.

Now It’s Your Turn!

Now that you know how to quilt spaghetti swirls, it’s your turn to give it a try! I would love to see your version of this design. You can share pictures of your quilts with me at the Quilted Joy Facebook page, tag me on Instagram, or join the community in the Quilted Joy Clubhouse!

If you would like to explore more tips and tricks for longarm quilting, don’t miss the Quilted Joy Learning Center!