Originally Posted by dcrc966
I have tried to get more than 6 stitches per inch, but can't make them smaller. How do you accomplish 8-10 stitches per inch?
It's mostly practice.
I keep the quilt sandwich fairly loose in my frame. I make sure the needle goes straight down, and when I feel it come through on the bottom, I rock the needle right back up. When it comes through the top, I try to push only long and hard enough to have a stitch-size bit of needle show. When I'm satisfied with that, I rock the needle up, and go back down straight.
I also try to stack the deck for small stitches: it is easier to make small stitches if you quilt along the bias instead of the straight of grain, and if you can avoid crossing seam allowances, so much the better. If your quilt sandwich is thick or stiff (because you have a thicker batting or you're using a particularly heavy fabric in your top or backing), it will be much harder to make small stitches.
All that aside, it's far more important to make the stitches even. They look more attractive, and it's better to have 6 even stitches than 10 sloppy ones.
Janet