What brand machine and model did you get? Are you new to machine embroidery? Have you thoroughly read and practiced what is in your machine manual? I ask these questions as many new embroidery machine owners jump right in without reading manuals and practicing in their enthusiasm to get started, get confusionosis and downloaditis caused by not reading their manual to find out how their machine works, what format the machine takes (makes downloading much easier as some designs do not come in all formats or compatable sizes), and after downloading a design, what additional equipment is required, how to get a design from point A to B to C, etc., and using the machine features and any required additional software to resize and edit a design. As far as search for a design, usually you can google for animal alphabet or any other design and get a whole lot of links to different sites.

I rarely draw patterns on a quilt so it was done freehand. It's really no different than your single strand "Pothos", which is also easy to do freehand. Now that you've got the feel for how a vine is made, try doing some samples without your paper pattern and see what happens. Then try this: go to the picture of my vines again and take your finger and start following the vine around--I think you'll begin to see how I traveled around to fill the space. I think that what prevents folks from trying freehand designs is that we get locked into the idea that every motif in a design should be exactly the same as every other motif and sometimes that's true, as in a formal feathered wreath, for instance (I do use a drawn pattern for that sort of thing). However, in nature leaves, feathers, flowers, spirals, etc. come in an infinite variety of shapes and sizes even on one plant. The way I see it, this variation is what gives a quilting design interest and character. A machine can replicate an image perfectly over and over, but where's the fun in that? I'm currently adding big, swooping free-form feathering to the wide borders on a client's quilt. I'll try to get some pictures with my computer when I'm done, or will try my scanner if that doesn't work. I've got to get a new camera SOON! Annie

Yup, I agree with the above posts. I do everything by hand, and I don't see how the blocks would automatically turn out too big just because you sew by hand. I will say, though, that it is essential for me to have stitch lines drawn onto the pieces. From what I read, people on machines emphasize perfectly accurate cutting so that they can carefully sew a perfect 1/4 inch seam by a guide on the machine. Then, they don't have to mark at all, you see. I have a couple of excellent books, "Quiltmaking by Hand" from Jenny Beyer, and "Mastering Precision Piecing" from Sally Collins. They both include sections on making accurate templates, and they both swear (at length) that templates should include the seam allowance. That way you can pin four or so layers of fabric together and your cutting goes a lot faster. When you're making your template, you use an extra fine Sharpie to make dots at the seam intersections, and later punch them out with a 1/16 inch hole punch. When you get to sewing, you line up your edges (very helpful here if the fabric was starched before cutting) and lay the template again to mark the dots on the top piece facing you. If you need help to sew a straight line (like I always do) you can lightly connect the dots, too. For hand sewing, this way keeps the speed of cutting 3-4 layers at once, and eliminates the effort of drawing stitch lines and dots on every piece, that you then find yourself flipping over a thousand times checking the back stitch line. If you draw the stitch line, and then eyeball the 1/4 inch seam as you cut it, planning to match the stitch lines as you hand sew, you have to draw and cut one piece at a time, and take extreme care as you pin through the dots, and since the seam allowances are uneven, you have to pin lots mores along the stitch lines as you flip back and forth to check alignment. When you make a template, be aware that every time you draw around a shape, your line has added width to the shape. You always use the inside edge of your line as the cutting line, not the middle of your line. It's useful to have a very fine point mechanical pencil that will snug right up to your template, and even so, after you cut there shouldn't be any line left on your piece. If you rotary cut, the same goes for the lines on your ruler. They have width. Always take care that the line obliterates the edge of your fabric, not just butts right up to it, and never showing a couple threads on the other side of the line. It seems trivial, but if you add 1/32 inch to every edge, then that's 1/16 to each piece. If your block has a row with eight pieces to match up to some other part, then the eight piece row will be 1/2 inch (8/16) inch too wide. Hootie hoot ! What a long mixed up rambling of a post! I'm leaving it anyway, since maybe it will help you. The main thing you could do is get either one of those books. They are both thirty bucks, and I enjoy Jenny's the most as a good and comprehensive read--even though I don't do the quilting like she does-- but Sally's is half as thick and straight to the point of accurate piecing, with some really good pictures, but nothing on hand quilting. (Be aware that I love books.)

This one? Here is a link that might be useful: Walmart Fruitful Harvest