OK, so I've my fabric all carefully marked with my trapunto design, and have my nice fluffy batting basted in place.

I'm using the machine sewn trapunto method where your design stitch over a layer of batting, trim away the batting from the background, and then sandwich and quilt as usual.

Now for the question I've been pondering... When I quilt the design with the water soluble thread to hold the batting in place, do I quilt just the outline or all of the detail lines in my design?

Thanks for your help. :wink:

Wendy

I'm guessing but I think I would just do the outline with water soluble thread.

Which method are you using? The traditional or over batting.

"Trapunto

Trapunto is a whole cloth quilting technique which produces a raised surface on the quilt. Trapunto patterns consist of vines, leaves, grapes, cherries and so on. The vines and straight line patterns are threaded with a soft yarn or cording. The rounder shapes are stuffed with small amounts of batting inserted from a small slit made in the backing fabric. After the shapes are stuffed, the slit is whipped stitched closed. A second backing fabric is then added to the quilt and normal quilting is done all around the previously stuffed shapes.

Another style of Trapunto uses a loosely woven fabric for the quilt backing. Then, instead of making slits in the backing to stuff shapes, a needle is used to carefully push the backing thread apart to form an opening for the stuffing. The threads are then carefully pushed back into place. This eliminates the need for a second backing fabric.

Trapunto originated in Itay in the early 16th century. It appeared in the United States in the the late 1700's and remained popular until the Civil War. "

http://www.quilt.com/History/TrapuntoHistory.html

Generally, you're just stitching the outline to mark your motif, and identify where you need to cut away the excess batting.

If for some design reason you needed to see a certain line within the trapunto, you can certainly stitch it now as well if you wanted. No harm done at all.

Just keep in mind that if you want to break up a design motif later, after the quilt top is sandwiched, the effect will be slightly different because it has the quilt batting in there as well.

You can easily make up a little sample just so you can see the different depths/poofs you get with different layers/types of batting.

the first quilting with the water soluble - you only need to stitch the outside of the design. Your only objective is to keep the batting in the exact place.

Now, if your design is not a solid design (let's say you want a trapunto doughnut) you would stitch the outside circle AND the inside circle. You would then trim away the doughnut hole as well as the outside edge.

Thanks for clarifying. That's what I was thinking, but have never tried this before. I'm off to get started at it for an hour or so before I have to go to work. :thumbup:

Wendy

I would stitch the outline definately but I would also stitch the inside trim as well.best wishes, Therese

With that much work and so complicated, it won't be on my bucket list. Thanks for explaining what it is

And then don't forget to change the thread to normal stuff! I know someone that did the center whole cloth quilt in water soluable and then washed it. She then had to pick out the entire then and re-mark and start all over again. Because the center was a mess.

Word of advice: When using the water soluble thread in the bobbin, make sure to MARK THAT BOBBIN so NOBODY would get the idea of using it with anything else. I wrote big black "W"s with permanent marker on both sides AND I keep it separate from the other bobbins.

i only use the water soluable on the top, the bobbin thread is forever sandwiched, be sure it's a blending color

The final quilting is easier if you stitch all the details- you don't have to guess the final design.
If it is not a very simple design, I stitch the entire design with water soluble thread.

Great suggestion! I keep my water soluble thread and bobbins in a small glass jar in a special place of their own. And I did write with marker on the bobbin, but not sure if it will stay.