Just imagine a big square as the middle and loads( 5 "fat" stripes sewn around that / all different sizes from 2 1/2" to 5" )

the middle is as i said just a big square with a lovely Hello kitty fabric, the fabric around is also in pink and lilacs and the backing will be pink flannel :)

I m even scared to in the ditch as i havent done this before....

Ofcourse i will do a practise piece but i m still worried i ll mess it up in the end; what if if i dont hit the ditch exactly :oops:

i dont have the right feet either i think, it has to be ordered as mums machine is old, mine is still away and i cant order anything for it since i m not sure if i will end up with another machine( they havent called to let me know what happens with my machine yet either :cry: )

Is there something else i can do on those stripes around? and what about the middle bit? its about 12" by 18" roughly.

I really dont wanna just tye it, i need to progress and learn something and feel i m getting somewhere.

Helppppppppppp,lol :oops:

does the machine have decorative stitches? this might be the easiest way to start quilting. you could just mark straight lines down the centers of the stripped border and do a pretty deco stitch.

for the panel do you think you could do outline stitching or echo stitching around some of the designs to enhance them?

It sounds like a good plan. No need to be scared. We all had to jump in at some point.

One idea on the stripes is to miter the corners.

The key to the quilting is to do good preparation.

When your top is finished, press it well. Likewise with the backing, press it well and make sure it is at least a few inches larger than the top.

Make sure the batting is larger than the top but smaller than the backing.

I tape my backing down once it is nice and flat on the table. Then I carefully center the batting. Lastly, I center the top and pin baste it. I make sure that the pins are no further than my hand width apart, and that they are not on a seam that I plan to stitch over.

Once the quilt is sandwiched and pinned, you can move it around without worries. Check the back to make sure there are no pinned puckers.

You could quilt a grid pattern. Just go slow until you get the feel for it and take lots of breaks to keep your shoulders from tightening up.

It will be pretty and your friend will love it. No worries about the "perfect" SID - you should see some of mine (all wonky) and NOBODY even noticed.

Don't be scared. Relax, go slowly and you'll be just fine. If you sew slowly, you'll do just fine stitching in the ditch. You don't even need special feet. (I quilt on a machine that's almost 40 years old and only has 1 foot and it works ok.) If you make a mistake, you can always take the stitching out and try again. You could do outline quilting in the middle square.

Have fun and I look forward to seeing pictures of the finished product.

I think it got one or 2 decorative stitches.
I will try doing a small sample and show you tomorrow or friday as i m going to hospital 2morrow for treatment( i go once a week to get pain relief in form of intravenus and injections in my whole back and neck and my hips and my right arm :wink:

Thanks for the suport ladies; i certainly need it; it really feels like i m gonna do skydiving or something huge :oops:

:D My mom told me long time ago that the world belongs to the braves....
One step at a time is a great advice...You will build your confidence with each stitch....
Good luck :lol:

Just try to relax and go for it! Quilting is supposed to be fun, try not to stress over it! Everyone makes mistakes. I picked on out of a magazine a couple of months ago and we know how perfect they try to make those be! Besides, you will likely be the only one to notice the mistakes! Be sure to post a picture after! :)

You can do it! Quilting straight lines is a great way to start. You don't have to worry so much about where the stitched lines fall, the idea is to hold the top, batting, and backing together. And don't forget to lengthen your stitch before you start. Have fun!

lenghten how much?

I lengthen mine to 3.0 for quilting. My normal sewing setting is 2.2. Some of the more experienced quilters might have more information, but quilting stitches are usually longer than piecing stitches to adjust for the three layers.

my machine is old and its only got 1,2,3,4 and 3 is normal so i guess 4 is the longest i can put it on :wink:

Please don't misinterpret "lengthening the stitch" with "setting the longest stitch possible" - you don't want to baste.

When I quilt my SID, I find that leaving the stitch length the same as when I sew my blocks, the quilt moves very slowly through the machine and the stitches seem too small. I bump my length up by one notch and see what that looks like. Now I HAVE quilted on regular length and noticed that I forgot to change the length.....so I changed it mid-stream and kept on going.

When I use a special stitch on a project, I usually leave a note by the machine where I write down the settings so that does not happen.

Try different stitches and stitch length on your practice piece and write down what each one is. That way you can go back to it later and use it as a reference piece. I find that I have favorite settings that I go back to time and time again.

Good luck ....and happy thoughts for your therapy.

This is the best advise you can get,I don't need to use my words. Been there done that,just recently on the AtticWindow quilt. The key is to go slow, and if you use a thread that will not stand out but blend in you will not notice when you get out of the ditch. I got out countless times the Quilt was very large and heavy. It made me sweat even with AC on. I used beige on the attic window and unless you look real close you can't see when it is out of the ditch.
Jump right in and do it but take it slow. I did better with a applique foot where I could see really good. I do have the STD foot but for some reason I had problems with it. Whatever foot is more comfortable for you is the one to use. Have fun show pictures.
BillsBonBon