I have seen message board members talk about SITD. Can anyone explain this to me. My Grandmother used to do this but she liked to keep her secrets secrets. She took everything to the grave with her. No food recipes, No quilting patterns not a thing. Not even when I would ask her to show me something. She would just show up at my home with it already done.
I would appreciate any help with this.

that is stitch in the ditch which means to stitch within the seam line or right next to it. i do next to it. you simply put your hands on either side of the seam going under the needle and stitch very close to the seam line. when you let go of the fabric the stitching won't show for the most part.
i don't like stitching on top of the seam threads myself. but it's an easy way to get a quilt finished.

Thank you so much. I have been quilting for years but i still have so much to learn.

I generally machine quilt but was thinking about trying it by hand. That is if I have the patience to do it.

here is an example.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nb3qmsNbTqE

I actually have a special foot to do SID. I compare it to a plough in the field following a row. The little guide follows the seam line.

It really helps to have all the seams pressed to one side when doing SID or the needle wants to jump to the low side. I call that MAD or meandering around the ditch.

I had the honor of scribing for the judge at our county fair. She would say "stitches in the ditch should stay in the ditch." She would also comment that SITD is one of the hardest quilting techniques to perfect. I never worry about it too much as I never plan on entering a quilt to be judged....I don't need the pressure! :)

Thank goodness it's one of the hardest stitches to perfect! ;-)

I thought I was making a hash of something that was supposed to be one of the simplest ways to quilt.

However many times I've tried... I still can't seem to get this technique right, so I always end up pulling out the stitches and quilting on the diagonal.

Looks like shopping for a new foot attachement is on the cards.

I mostly FMQ or once in a while I will stitch with my walking foot and let it ride against a straight seam, like the border seam or down a long strip when I make that type of quilt. I'm no good at SID, I find it hard to sew straight enough.

Thank you so much. That was great instructions. I guess i am gonna have to get a walking foot.

I have SITD on all my quilts; at least I have something to follow :-) ; haven't had the courage yet to FMQ by that is coming in my next one. I have found that if I have trouble staying in the ditch I just need to slow down a little bit or adjust the weight of my quilt. I've had to pull a few threads but if I use a neutral color I don't really worry about it because it "fades" in to the background.