How to Quilt a Dream Big Panel

Hello friends! I recently finished my 6th Dream Big panel, and I’ve got some questions about quilting on it. I thought it might be helpful to share my experience with you in this post.

My 6th Dream Big Panel

My 5th Panel

How do you quilt it?

This is one of the most frequently asked questions. Although the question has a broad meaning, I interpret it as “How do you start it?” My first approach is to come up with a theme. Dream Big panel is such a great option for practicing any kinds of quilting techniques such as feathers, filler designs, grid work, rulerwork, etc. Once you decide the theme, I highly recommend printing out the image of the panel in black and white to actually draw your design ideas. Knowing what to quilt on each petal will make your quilting process easier and more efficient.

Do you use rulers or templates?

I use various curved rulers to shape and frame each petal. However, some petals have unique curves, so I have to adjust the ruler as I quilt. I admit that not all petals are perfectly traced, but once they are filled with quilting, they only look beautiful. As far as templates go, I do not use them. For grid work, I mark the lines with a water soluble blue pen.

What kind of batting do you use?

My favorite batting combination for the panel is a double layer of wool and 80/20. This will make your quilting pop out and lay flat when it’s displayed. On the last one I quilted, I used a double layer of wool. However, I didn’t notice any big difference between the combination of wool and 80/20.

I hope this post gives you a glimpse of how to get started with a Dream Panel, and I really hope you try! And, let me know if you have any questions about quilting one.