Help! First Quilt Need Help Quilting it!
07-02-2017, 08:07 AM
#1
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Help! First Quilt Need Help Quilting it!
Hi this is my first quilt I just finished, I am a newbie! The quilt size is 48"x 64" and I would like to quilt it myself, but have no idea what I am doing. I watched a ton of Youtube videos and learned some things, but I am having trouble deciding on a design. I would like the stitches to be straight, but that's as far as I get. I'm afraid that when I turn over the quilt its gonna look like a hot mess. I have a regular sewing machine (Heavy Duty Singer), I also need a walking foot. Any help or advice would be wonderful. Thanks in advance!
07-02-2017, 08:52 AM
#2
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Location: western NY formerly MN, FL, NC, SC
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first, check what the quilting spacing requirements are on your batting. if it allows 10", I would start by stitching alongside the piecing lines... that is easier than quilting in the ditch 
. if it looks good after that, you can choose to add more straight lines within the diamonds... perhaps like this https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl...act=mrc&uact=8
If you don't like the first part, you could always go back and tie the centers of the diamonds. good luck
. if it looks good after that, you can choose to add more straight lines within the diamonds... perhaps like this https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl...act=mrc&uact=8If you don't like the first part, you could always go back and tie the centers of the diamonds. good luck
07-02-2017, 09:07 AM
#3
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You need to decide on a basting method so the quilt sandwich is ready for quilting. After the quilt is well basted with a nice smooth back, I would follow the design with a straight quilting design. A walking foot is helpful when quilting straight lines. Be aware that every time a quilting line crosses another, there is the potential for getting a pleat in the back. I make a frame with my hands in my Machinger gloves to carefully keep intersections flat as I quilt.
07-02-2017, 11:01 AM
#6
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Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Texas
Posts: 5,546
Hello & welcome to the boards from Texas
It's going to be a beautiful quilt when you are finished. My first thought was to do echo quilting in the diamonds. You could do as many as needed according to the batting requirements. Here's a "rough" drawing of what I had in mind.
It's going to be a beautiful quilt when you are finished. My first thought was to do echo quilting in the diamonds. You could do as many as needed according to the batting requirements. Here's a "rough" drawing of what I had in mind.
07-02-2017, 01:11 PM
#7
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Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Southern Indiana
Posts: 3,111
your quilt looks great. I would be sure that you follow directions on the batting package before I decide on how to quilt it. Some batting you quilt 10" apart and some you have to quilt 2" apart
I would suggest quilting next to the seams as well. that seems like a good start and you will have the seam to guide you. If you get the quilting done with stitching next to the seams - the I like osewme's idea of the echo quilting.
can you make a practice sandwich to practice quilting on before you start on the quilt? That might help you gain some confidence
I would suggest quilting next to the seams as well. that seems like a good start and you will have the seam to guide you. If you get the quilting done with stitching next to the seams - the I like osewme's idea of the echo quilting.
can you make a practice sandwich to practice quilting on before you start on the quilt? That might help you gain some confidence
07-02-2017, 01:20 PM
#8
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Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: kansas
Posts: 6,407
Nice job! Once you get it sandwiched and basted, check out the Angela Walters "Quilting is my Therapy" website--she does lots of nice geometric designs that you could do with either regular foot or walking foot and her new Midnight Quilter youtubes she uses her domestic machine instead of the long arm and gives lots of tips.
Welcome to quilting!
Welcome to quilting!
07-02-2017, 03:17 PM
#9
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Join Date: Jun 2011
Posts: 981
Welcome to the forum. I agree with what the others have said about having a good secure quilt sandwich, it is time consuming but worth it. I suggest that you use basting spray for your first go at machine quilting; you will not have to worry about removing pins as you quilt. Also I encourage you to get the walking foot. The width of your foot can help you with spacing your quilting lines. Good luck and definitely work on a practice sandwich first. Your first quilt is beautiful.
07-02-2017, 03:18 PM
#10
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Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Illinois
Posts: 2,140
Hi aleday,
First of all, welcome to Quilting Board! Congratulations on finishing your first quilt top! It looks great!
I know there are a lot of beautiful quilting designs out there, but I've run into too many former quilters who tried to take on a more complicated design with their first quilt and quickly gave up the craft altogether. For that reason, I recommend treating quilting like any new skill -- start with foundational skills & build from there. Being able to enjoy the process
I would suggest sticking to Stitch in the Ditch for your first quilt and just quilt the squares (2 HST's). You will have enough to worry about with keeping the quilt supported & in the ditch without having to also take on intricate designs.
Maybe go with a 50wt cotton thread in light ivory/cream so it blends in with the fabric -- and if you haven't already picked a back, busy prints help hide any little bobbles in the quilting. For 50wt thread, I use a Microtex size 80 when doing straight line quilting; I started quilting on an old Singer Genie 353 from the 1970's. Whatever needle you use, changing to a fresh needle before you start quilting will definitely help. A good stitch length for Singers is 8 stitches per inch (a little under 3mm in metric).
Start in the center & work your way to the right. Then, start back at the same point & work your way left, followed by center to top & center to bottom. The reason for that is to ensure that the fabric/batting is evenly pushed to the outside edges of the quilt, rather than bunching up the fabric/batting somewhere in the middle of your quilt top. As a side note, quilts typically are also basted from the center out. If you plan to pin baste (I do!), I strongly recommend investing in some of those curved safety pins they sell at Hobby Lobby or Joann Fabrics. You can pin with regular safety pins, but it's more challenging. Also, know you'll probably need many more safety pins than you would think. I probably use 300+ on baby quilts. You want to put them about a fist's width apart in each direction.
For stitch in the ditch, you want the stitches to sit right in the seam between the two pieces. There are different types of walking feet available that are preferred by different quilters. With lower loft batting like Warm & Natural, I like having a walking foot with a ditch foot. It has a little piece that extends down & is meant to ride in the "ditch" created when you press your seam to one side (you sew just barely on side that doesn't have the seams pressed toward it -- the lower side). For higher loft battings like Hobb's Wool or Warm & Plush, I prefer an open-toe walking foot because it does not drag on the fabric & allows me to best see where I'm quilting.
Some walking feet come with multiple attachments (ditch guide, open toe, closed toe), whereas others are cast as one piece. The third party walking foot I bought for my classic Singer was all one piece.
Once you've had a practice run or two with doing stitch in the ditch quilting, there are many other wonderful, more advanced straight line or free motion (requires a darning foot) designs that can be learned.
Good luck! Hope you post more pictures once it's quilted. I can't wait to see how it turns out!
First of all, welcome to Quilting Board! Congratulations on finishing your first quilt top! It looks great!
I know there are a lot of beautiful quilting designs out there, but I've run into too many former quilters who tried to take on a more complicated design with their first quilt and quickly gave up the craft altogether. For that reason, I recommend treating quilting like any new skill -- start with foundational skills & build from there. Being able to enjoy the process
I would suggest sticking to Stitch in the Ditch for your first quilt and just quilt the squares (2 HST's). You will have enough to worry about with keeping the quilt supported & in the ditch without having to also take on intricate designs.
Maybe go with a 50wt cotton thread in light ivory/cream so it blends in with the fabric -- and if you haven't already picked a back, busy prints help hide any little bobbles in the quilting. For 50wt thread, I use a Microtex size 80 when doing straight line quilting; I started quilting on an old Singer Genie 353 from the 1970's. Whatever needle you use, changing to a fresh needle before you start quilting will definitely help. A good stitch length for Singers is 8 stitches per inch (a little under 3mm in metric).
Start in the center & work your way to the right. Then, start back at the same point & work your way left, followed by center to top & center to bottom. The reason for that is to ensure that the fabric/batting is evenly pushed to the outside edges of the quilt, rather than bunching up the fabric/batting somewhere in the middle of your quilt top. As a side note, quilts typically are also basted from the center out. If you plan to pin baste (I do!), I strongly recommend investing in some of those curved safety pins they sell at Hobby Lobby or Joann Fabrics. You can pin with regular safety pins, but it's more challenging. Also, know you'll probably need many more safety pins than you would think. I probably use 300+ on baby quilts. You want to put them about a fist's width apart in each direction.
For stitch in the ditch, you want the stitches to sit right in the seam between the two pieces. There are different types of walking feet available that are preferred by different quilters. With lower loft batting like Warm & Natural, I like having a walking foot with a ditch foot. It has a little piece that extends down & is meant to ride in the "ditch" created when you press your seam to one side (you sew just barely on side that doesn't have the seams pressed toward it -- the lower side). For higher loft battings like Hobb's Wool or Warm & Plush, I prefer an open-toe walking foot because it does not drag on the fabric & allows me to best see where I'm quilting.
Some walking feet come with multiple attachments (ditch guide, open toe, closed toe), whereas others are cast as one piece. The third party walking foot I bought for my classic Singer was all one piece.
Once you've had a practice run or two with doing stitch in the ditch quilting, there are many other wonderful, more advanced straight line or free motion (requires a darning foot) designs that can be learned.
Good luck! Hope you post more pictures once it's quilted. I can't wait to see how it turns out!
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