Maybe you haven't heard of Baptist fans but I see you have been very busy making a lot of lovely quilts. Baptist fans are also known as Methodist fans and one other name that I forget (Google!) and it just strikes me from the times that I have seen it done that it really "makes" a square design quilt top come to life. Feel very ignorant myself so pleased to have added to another's knowledge!!

Joe Cunningham makes lovely music too!

Thanks a lot for posting this question. I have been quilting since 2002 and didn't know what Baptist Fans are.

He is also in show 101 - an interesting guy.

If you subscribe to The Quilt Life, he writes a column for every issue. If you don't get that magazine by mail, I think that all the TQS members got one issue of the on-line mag for free- check him out! He's quite articulate about how quilting fits into his life. Kathy

Well that's it, to the bottom right I go!! Thank you so much, this Joe Cunningham guy must be famous, I am very interested to see how the Baptist fan pattern looks on my quilt. I love your BOM quilt on your profile. Very many thanks!

Hi Margarita, you do have to start at the bottom left or right, depending on which way your fans go. If you are right handed, you would start on the right side for hand quilting. They are are little fiddly to mark. If you believe Joe Cunningham in this, you won't worry too much about perfect straightness. In the US in the old days, they did this pattern because it was easy to quilt the curves, so they probably didn't mark much. I love this pattern!
Kathy

You are very welcome.

Well I didn't know who Joe Cunningham is but a quick whizz around Google found him and the magazine article where he describes freehand quilting Baptist fans, very interesting. Thank you so much!

I think when Joe Cunningham did this he just started at a corner and continued on. I may be wrong.

I know I want to quilt Baptist Fans by hand on my finished sofa quilt top and I have already spray basted the whole thing without marking the top. So can anyone tell me - I don't see how to start in the middle with this pattern unless I try and mark it all now,and I find with handquilting as I do it on top of a table, I move it around so much the chalk marks wear off. So can I begin at the bottom/top? I really want to finish this quickly! I have some Quilter's Rule nested circles 1" to 12" to do this but I have looked and looked on Google for beginners instructions and they all seem to be for machine quilting - I can follow instructions but I can't find any. Help!