Originally Posted by CompulsiveQuilter
I'm determined to FMQ my first -on my domestic machine. I have an awesome, large template and the Ultimate Pounce (disappears with a steam iron). The template is a glorified meander. ------ but some say start in the middle and some say otherwise. What's the best way? And is an all-over quilting pattern easier/better than stopping and doing something different on the borders? 4" border - what pattern would you use there?
When hand quilting in a hoop, one always starts in the middle so any excess fabric moves to the sides instead of getting "trapped" in the middle.
When machine quilting, it's extra work to bury threads if you start and stop in the middle. It's enough if you start at one edge and work towards another edge. That way, if you run out of bobbin thread, you have only one thread per bobbin to bury. Starting in a corner sounds good. You could also start at the middle of an edge and work towards the other edge. The biggest thing to avoid is quilting the border first; you could have extra material trapped in the center that will not "quilt out".