Geometric Quilting Designs

Basic shapes like circles and squares are the common quilting design used in these standout quilts. Browse our gallery of geometric quilting designs for ideas and tips from our machine-quilters.

Around the Square

Avis Shirer machine-quilted in the ditch around the block centers and quilted petal-and-scallop motifs in graduated sizes in each block.

See the whole quilt here.

X’s and O’s

Lila Taylor Scott machine-quilted some blocks with a combination of machine and hand quilting in circular patterns (some with waves and loops in the circles).

See the whole quilt here.

Best in Show

Karen Power machine-quilted large feathered flowers in the setting squares and smaller feather plumes and straight, parallel lines in the blocks. In the border, she stitched concentric lines to echo the zigzag design.

See the whole quilt here.

Tiny Dishes

Designer Virginia Cole stitched circles in the solid brown rectangle. (She used a CD as the template for the large circle and a spool of thread as the template for the small circle.) In the solid tan and solid pink rectangles, she quilted randomly spaced horizontal lines.

See the whole quilt here.

Twinkle, Twinkle

Machine-quilter Jo Richards stitched in the ditch around the star points and block edges. She quilted grid lines in the block centers and border squares, a star in the setting squares, and parallel lines following the stripes in the border.

See the whole quilt here.

Sweet Tea

Cheryl Winslow machine–quilted an arc design around each of the star points and overlapping circles in the borders.

See the whole quilt here.

Points of Pride

Machine-quilter Connie Gresham echo-quilted the blue print section of each block and stitched a curl-and-ray design in the remaining areas.

See the whole quilt here.

Back on Track

Diane Tricka machine-quilted a symmetrical pattern of intersecting angles and narrow shapes. She stitched a wavy line in the sashing and inner border and quilted diagonal lines in the outer border.

See the whole quilt here.

Plaid Tidings

Jeanne Bancroft machine-quilted a 2"-wide grid across the quilt center, skipping some rows to create a large square in each setting square.

See the whole quilt here.

Going Green

Simons outline-stitched inside the pieced blocks and around the petal appliqués.

See the whole quilt here.

Stitcher’s Studio

Using matching thread, Alexia Marcelle Abegg machine-quilted lines in each Spool block center to resemble thread wraps. She accented block backgrounds with a dense pebble design, which makes the spools stand out. She stitched two parallel lines through the sashing and stitched each triangle-square in the ditch.

See the whole quilt here.

Pick from the Past

Rosemary Skinner machine-quilted a 1"-wide diagonal grid in each sashing strip and stitched feather designs in the blocks and borders.

See the whole quilt here.

Around the Square

Avis Shirer machine-quilted in the ditch around the block centers and quilted petal-and-scallop motifs in graduated sizes in each block.

See the whole quilt here.

Pixie Sticks

Sandy Klop used white thread to machine-quilt diagonal lines through the horizontal zigzags created by the print pieces. She stipple-quilted the solid pieces using thread to match each color.

See the whole quilt here.

Electric Slide

Lisa Sipes machine-quilted parallel straight lines every 1⁄2" in the border, the diamonds, and the zigzags that have light backgrounds. She stitched diagonal lines every 1⁄2" in the border and the zigzags that have dark backgrounds.

See the whole quilt here.