Thread: Really Scary

I'm quilting my first quilt doing stippling. I keep doing it over, tearing out and doing it again. I have done shadowing, stitch in the ditch, diagonals etc. I read you just have to do it and will get better, but how do I get over it is a bad job, rip it out. I hate quilting, but love to put together the quilt tops - I can't afford to have them done by a quilter. Can some of you tell how you learned to stipple? Thanks

Orangeroom, that is a perfect situation for me. I love to make the tops, but not doing the quilting. I have a quilt that has been all pinned together since 2005, and still isn't quilted. And now the future recipient is finally in a relationship, so I know I will have to quilt it one of these days.

I made up a dozen practice swatches about two feet each side, using cheap muslin and batting scraps. I cannot imagine starting out on a real quilt, much less ripping out the stitches every time!

Originally Posted by Prism99

I made up a dozen practice swatches about two feet each side, using cheap muslin and batting scraps. I cannot imagine starting out on a real quilt, much less ripping out the stitches every time!

I wholeheartedly agree!

First of all, get some scraps to practice on. And relax, it's supposed to be fun! I am willing to bet you're too hard on yourself - that the quilting is better than YOU think. Watch some of Leah Day's videos and other sites on the web. You get it!

Contrary to popular belief, all over meander is not always the easiest thing to do. I recommend making a practice sandwich and marking it with a design that you like with chalk or water soluble marker. Then try FMQ by following the marked line. You may find that is more to your liking. Even when I FMQ on my domestic, I was never a big fan of all over meander. I avoid it whenever possible now that I have LA. There are too many other FMQ designs I like better.

Also remember, looking at quilting when you are only a few inches away and concentrating on about 18 square inches at most leaves room to be very critical of yourself. Believe me, when you do a whole quilt and even it it has tons of mistakes it is very hard to find them when taking in the whole quilt visually. What you see when you are 5 inches away, you will not see when you are 5 feet away. Quit being so hard on yourself.

Google Leah Day and scroll down until you see Free Motion Quilt Project. She has done several video's on stippling that are very good. Start with lesson 1 and you will learn a lot. She has been posting one lesson per week.

Originally Posted by grocifer

Google Leah Day and scroll down until you see Free Motion Quilt Project. She has done several video's on stippling that are very good. Start with lesson 1 and you will learn a lot. She has been posting one lesson per week.

I second this. Watch her videos and practice, practice, practice.