mary123

When you piece your quilts, do you double stitch your seams?
(On some quilts I have bought seams will come open and fray making
it hard to patch some quilts, so frequently I double stitch on my piecing of
my quilts.) Just wondering how many of you do that, or am I just wasting my time double stitching.
And do you backstitch at the beginning and ends of your pieces?
Thanks.

DOTTYMO

I do. On long pieces I always do but I must admit if I chain piece I tend to forget. With this new machine it has a fix button few stitches in one place and I use it far more. Like yourself I have found seams coming undone . I do like paper piecing and I hand stitch and always double stitch when working by hand. I think I must follow the same practise.
Will be interesting hearing from the very experienced quilters.

petthefabric

The short answer-no. I do use a shorter than normal stitch length. I've not had any problems. My king size quilts have been to the cleaners several times. At first, they didn't want to take them. I signed something about them coming apart at the seams, they weren't responsible. After the first time, they've never hesitated again. Mine do not come apart. I've heard of problems with store bought quilts coming apart. Could be lots of reasons: thread count, raveling fabric, poor seam width consistency, Top stretched when quilting putting undue stress on the seams. Quilting helps stablize seams and most storebought are so loosely quilted, they probably don't help the integrity of the seams.

Sucia

I don't unless there is an urgent reason. Generally speaking the more stuff (thread) you try to stuff into a small area (your block piece) the more trouble you are going to have controlling it and the stiffer the fabric (the quilt) will end up. ( I used to be a hand weaver, too.)

I sew everything on the machine, and I use about 10-12 sts /in. If the stitch line is going to be intersected by another line I don't back tack. And this is talking about good quality quilting cotton, too.

In 30 years I've never had any horror stories.

I do have a friend I have to re stock with quilts about every 5 years, but they have a big family with dogs and cats and the quilts get loved hard and dragged around the house and washed in the washer every week. I have the fabrics for her next 2 quilts picked out and ready to go as soon as I get my niece's wedding quilt done (which has had the pattern and colors chosen, but not bought till the start of the month) and the wedding was last weekend. HA! Not slow here.

SherriB

I don't double sew my seams nor do I back-stitch. I was sewer before I started quilting and it took me a bit to stop back-stitching every seam. I have made several quilts for my grandchildren that are washed weekly and no seams have come undone yet. I try to use good quality fabric and threads.

117becca

I don't either. I hand quilt my quilts, and I get an additional up close looksie. I have been known to fix a rare seem and use some fray check to keep it in place.

hopetoquilt

No... It woul take forever to finish a quilt. I use good fabrics and threads and have not had a problem. My sons daycare quilt was washed ever week for 2 years and held strong the entire time.

NJ Quilter

I do not. Most all seams in the quilt intersect. Those that don't - and if I remember - I, too, have a 'fix' button on my machine which is a computerized version of back-tacking.

ckcowl

the only time i double stitch seams is for flannel raggy quilts. i do either backstitch or take a couple tiny (in place-locking stitches) at the beginning of seams that are not crossed over (so locked during constuction). I do (stay stitch) a line of stitching all the way around a finished quilt top to keep the edges secure so no seams are pulling apart along the outer edge when quilting

NikkiLu

I don't but was gifted my BFF's fabric, etc. after she passed away and she had some unfinished blocks - two different fabrics sewed together in two's - I did not like the two together so decided to take them apart and had the most difficult time picking out the seams as she had sewn them together with two lines of stitching. They were juvenile prints so maybe she double stitched them because a child would be getting the quilt.