I know Stitch in the Ditch is hard. Is you LA'er able to stay in the ditch very well
 

So, another question to help me understand what to expect when using LA services. Is it really hard for LA's to stay in the ditch when doing SID?? I am asking because my LA did some SID and didn't stay in the ditch for more than a few inches at a time and the "out of the ditch" stitches are more than a hair or two out of the ditch. Really, not much care was used. I suppose this is expected to keep costs down?? I did some SID on my own machine last winter and I know it is really hard and just takes a lot of slow, slow sewing. Using a LA, I imagine it is a bit different. Just wondering.

I don't think SID is really that hard to do myself...one of the few options I do have for my quilts. I use a walking foot and I have no problems. Long armers are using free motion to do it...harder I would think thank a footed machine. Give it a try...you might enjoy it and it is MUCH cheaper! Some people just use a decorative stitch over the ditch and then it isn't an issue to stay in that ditch.

I have a LA, only quilt for myself but do not SID on it. My Lizzie moves very smoothly and if I move at a smooth speed I can't seem to keep my lines exactly on the line, if I move slower it seems to give an even worse jerky line ( it could be the operator's fault LOL) so for SID I use my Janome with the walking foot. I have been know to LA a quilt then take it to my Janome for any SID I want to do. (I pin the SID area before I advance the top on my LA) This all takes extra time but it works for me.

SID on a longarm is not hard but does require practice and good ruler skills.

with a long arm- sid is quite difficult- how straight of a line can you draw with a pair of handle bars 12"+ above what you are drawing on?
that's why many long arm quilters charge alot more if asked to do sid. your quilt will probably look fine-
once it is washed/dried...very few people unless at a show/being judged- look at the quilting with a magnifying glass.
if you were in my area i would invite you in to try some sid with the long arm to see just what it is like. I tell people when they bring me their quilt- i am not real good at free motion straight lines...patterns are easier. i always have samples to show people so they can decide if they really want sid & are willing to pay the extra for it.

Absolutely, it can be done with a ruler, but it's more time consuming than free hand work, and so it costs more. And if the ditches aren't straight, it takes even more time to stay in them. Add to that the fact that the top needs to be well pressed with the seam allowances going in a consistent direction.

I have tried SID with my shortarm which I had before, and I prefer FMQ over SID. I could never stay within the lines when I was coloring pictures as a kid anyway! Kinda challenging holding the ruler and the handle at the same time! Sometimes seams are not perfectly straight, either. I will not attempt SID with my new machine.

In response to "dunster" replying to "tttdoc": I didn't say they it didn't take more time, only that it can be done (and done well) if you are practiced and good with rulers. If a longarmer is going to offer SID then they should charge appropriately for their time but the customer should also expect to receive quality SID in return their money. If a quilt is not a good candidate for SID (ditches are not straight or seams were not alternated to allow for a flat quilt top) then the longarmer may be best served by not agreeing to do it. I routinely SID with my Gammill Vision 22-10 but all my work is custom so I spend a good deal of time keeping my practice up (no pantos and no Statler Stitcher).

If I was a LAer - which I am not - I think I would look over what was brought to me very carefully before agreeing to anything -

It seems like many LAers can and do work miracles - but why should they have to?

I find that SID is easier on my Bernina than on my Longarm. It is mostly because the LA goes fast and the ditches are rarely abolutely perfectly straight. Even with a ruler it is hard.

I don't like SID, If I quilt straight lines I stitch about 1/4" from the seam. I usually do a large stipple. I only have a 9" throat machine.

When I use my LA to SID I always use a ruler. It takes longer to do for sure when using a ruler. When I first started LA, I would take the extra time to make sure I did my best to stay in the Ditch. I wouldn't charge extra for me taking longer, because I knew if I did well, I would have a return customer. I am better now and can go faster, but to me it's about doing it correct and making sure my customers are happy. If you aren't happy with your LA person, you might want to find someone else.

Some of the finished results depends on how straight the seams were sewn. Bit most results for SID depend on the LA'ers skill level and the machine. When I had my Tin Lizzie I was rarely satisfied with the results and thought it was my lack of skill. When I got my Nolting I found that SID was not all that hard and with the use of a ruler, looks great. But straight and even seams are a bigggggg help.

SID is not hard and is not always free-handed. I use a ruler. I would caution you that our SID is only as good as your pressing. If your seams are pressed all crazy, it does make it a little more difficult. I SID around applique, in blocks, along the borders....it is all about the pressing, taking my time and using my fave ruler! :)

When I purchased my Pfaff Quilt Expression machine ten years ago, I added some quilt friendly feet to the price tag. One of the best choices was the quilt in a ditch foot. There is a piece that moves the seam aside and lets the needle stitch in the ditch. Love it.

The artist who does my long arming will not do SID. She says it is too physically demanding to try to hold that huge machine's needle in that tiny ditch. froggyintexas

SID on longarm
 

It's not super difficult...I have a TL18LS & do a lot of SID
Several things can affect the straightness of SID...one major one is the seams themselves, how they meet at the corners & if they are pressed in the same direction. If the four corners of blocks are not pressed properly, they can be real thick and that can throw the LA person off... so can seams that are pressed in more than one direction..usually done to make the corners match up. Makes lining up the seams easy, but not SID...which you are supposed to follow the low side of the seam... Paperpieced quilts cause issues also. If a LA quilter does ruler work, and the seams aren't straight to start with, then you will probably see some threads not staying in the ditch.
Marge

We have computerized our machine with Intelliquilter and even that didn't improve SID until I took the private IQ training with Susanne Moreno. Now I can do quality SID but it is still physically demanding and time consuming. We are charging accordingly. I would not presume to do it on a client quilt without a great deal of practice on my own projects.

I ditch stitch on my longarm, and find it extremely tough on my body and eyes. I also have an Intelliquilter, and the way I do it is to slow my machine speed way, way down, lower my needle so that's it's just slightly dragging on the fabric, and trace the ditch first, that way if I make any mistakes, I can just hit the undo button. Once it's recorded perfectly, then it stitches out perfectly. It probably takes me twice as long as it would if I used a ruler, but I don't have to worry about bobbles or ripping.

Same way I do it. Either that or raise and lower the needle each time which is even more physically demanding. I do have hydraulic legs on my Millenium so I can adjust the machine height. That helps. I do have a lot of SID on some wall hangings coming up.

I have hydraulics on my frame as well.... you want to hear something funny? I have the underside of my frame end to end filled with rubbermaid drawers, I can't lower mine without squooshing them! :)

being a l/a er, I do sid, but depending on the quilt I will either just go for it or use a ruler that I had made at a local glass shop....have had it for years and it has served me well. It does take a lot of practice and control - no computer here, I am a hand-guided L/Aer

I have a long arm and quilt for just a few customers. I am pretty happy with my free motion and my panto graphs, but some days my SID looks like I'm drunk! Using a ruler to steady the foot helps, but sometimes its not pretty! I try to practice on things that are 1. mine 2. won't show much or 3. destined for the dog rescue pile. If someone wants SID, I will show them what I can do and let them decide. (when I 1st started doing SID on my long arm , I felt like I was taking a bike riding class and was told I HAD to stay on a straight line...can you say: challenging? lol)

I have seen many 'freehand' quilting done by longarmers and I will take the computer designs anytime. I always choose designs that are done by computer machine stitching. I learned my lesson that free hand to the local LAs here mean miss spaced and uneven quilting.

If you limit yourself to only computer generated quilting, you can be losing out on alot of good quilters. You need to communicate well with your LAer so you are both on the same page. I have seen good and bad free motion quilting...and at the same time good and bad computer generated quilting. Communications is the KEY! My customers know I"m human and will let me know if they want/need something I am not doing.

Both of these quilts were done freehand...