Thread: Hand Quilting - Thick Seams

Wonderful advice. Thankyou all & for the nice welcome. I have given "stab stitch" a try but like Kat Sews, was a bit concerned about finding just the right spot to come up from the back. I even crawled on the floor to have a look (I'm using a "Grace Quilting Frame"). Then I decided to just come up as close to my thread as possible. It worked & I'm not going to worry if it's in a perfect position or not when I check the back on my finished quilt.
I also tried the fake backstitch & for the 2 or 3 stitches it worked fine also.
Next time I'll make sure to take fat seams into consideration when marking my quilt pattern. Has anyone tried to use a curved needle for this? I'll give that a try also on my next fat seam & will let you know if that could be an alternative method.
Hinterland gave sound advice when she said that "Life is too short to worry about it." Sometimes I am too much of a perfectionist. Sigh!
Cheers, LindaA

a curved needle (all the ones I've seen anyway) would make an enormous hole and a large stitch?

My Dear Jane is double sided so millions of seams on both sides. I normally quilt with a size 12 quilting needle, because of the bending and breaking problem I dropped down to a size 10. And I doubt even in the top shows the judges go over the back inch by inch. Life IS short, tear into it!

Stab stitch!! Welcome to the Board!!!

For anyone really concerned about the back, take a hint from the machine quilters and use a busy print. It makes it harder to see much of anything.

Janet

I stab stitch too. Too avoid the crooked stitching issue I take a second needle and poke it through where my other needle should go through...e.g. if I'm at the back of the quilt and have to return to the front I first take another needle and poke it through the front where I want my needle with the quilting thread to come out. Then I go in with my needle in thread right next to this needle and I'm at the front again and you can't tell it was stab stitched.

I hope that's clear...sounds confusing to me, but I'm not sure how to explain it clearer, lol.

Stab stitch is definitely the winner here. I take the extra time to turn the quilt to the back and "fussy stitch" (HMMM...need to add that to the Acronym List...LOL!) to make sure the stitches are spatially the same on the front and the back until I'm through the tough spot. This will prevent your needle breakage since it will not be bending as in the rocking motion technique. Its more time intensive, but the end result is worth it. Another's suggestion of pinning the area so the fabric remains stable is definitely good advice!