Continuous Cable border

**jetmaio** · 09-14-2015, 10:43 AM

I just give up, I have been trying now for over an hour to figure out how to sewing this cable border. No matter what I try it looks to me as though I have to backtrack every cable. Is that correct or am I just not seeing the forest for the trees. I also tried to find instructions by searching on here, on google, on stencil sites. Can someone please direct me somewhere that will get this border done. I had already sewn it almost halfway on my longarm but took it off and ripped all the stitches out. It looked terrible, I'm not very good at the backtracking.

**ckcowl** · 09-14-2015, 10:57 AM

Step away from the machine and grab paper and pencil. Work it out on paper, which also sets the pattern in your brain, making it easier to stitch when you have the design figured out.
I'm not sure what ( backtracking) you are doing on your cables, did you snap a picture before you ripped it all out?
You can run a line, stop, cut thread, go back to beginning to run next line.... But a picture of what exactly you are trying to do will help us give you more insight.

**Tartan** · 09-14-2015, 11:21 AM

I am not the best at back tracking when machine quilting. I find a way to outline stitch instead. Rather then backtracking on the spiral designs in the center, try placing the back track about 1/4 inch away from the first line of stitching. You still get the cable effect but with a little extra stitching.

**QuiltnNan** · 09-14-2015, 11:35 AM

this is not a continuous line quilting design. The Stencil Company has a lot of them here http://quiltingstencils.com/continuo...borders-2.aspx
otherwise, i'd do the stop and cut thread as others have suggested... i'm terrible at backtracking, too

**dunster** · 09-14-2015, 11:44 AM

Keep in mind that most of these designs started out being used for hand quilting. A thinner thread helps when you have to backtrack, and I like Tartan's idea of avoiding the backtracking by changing the design - for the better!

**bjchad** · 09-14-2015, 11:48 AM

Yes, you will have to do a little backtracking. Starting at the bottom right of your stencil, stitch up and to the left along the s curve, do the hump of the next curve and backtrack down and follow all the way down this second s curve. Backtrack over the bottom "smile" until you reach the next s curve and then keep on in the same way. All the backtracking is at the outside of the cables, not along the entire curves.

**jetmaio** · 09-14-2015, 03:31 PM

Thank you all for helping me make a decision. My decision is that I will do a much easier border design so I can go on to the next charity quilt. I will also throw this stencil away so I don't go through this again in a couple of years. I will post a picture once it's all done.

**ManiacQuilter2** · 09-15-2015, 05:43 AM

I have used this stencil before. I just locked my stitch jumped over two "ropes" to the next line that was in line to where I was. Then I would lock my stitch and continued. Four times stitching around the border and you will be done. Carefully clip you threads on the front and the back.

**kathy** · 09-15-2015, 05:52 AM

I used a ruler template for a rope and yes there is a lot of backtracking.

**bearisgray** · 09-15-2015, 06:24 AM

Instead of discarding the template, you can mark it with permanent marker for how to do it - or say "not a continuous design"

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