Originally Posted by
sewannie
Hi Jennifer 23, I have a question on the diagram you posted on my quilt. Since I have never quilted before, I've read that you don't want a lot of starts and stops when quilting. If I did the above straight line quilting, would I start quilting around the entire outside first, then stop, then start on the diagonal lines across the blocks and stop after every line? Or should I start in the middle with the diagonal line across the middle blocks? Would I go across the blocks then down the sides and try to keep moving without stopping? Sorry for all the questions, but I really want to do it right and have it look good at the same time. I also backstitch with every start and stop, correct? Thanks again for taking the time to reply.
Hi, sewannie! I'm not Jennifer 23, but I think I can help answer your questions. (And I don't think she'll mind.
) Beautiful quilt, btw. You can be very proud of your piecing!
You can approach the vertical, horizontal, and diagonal quilting lines in any order, but you might find it easiest to sew all of one group before switching directions. (Personally, I’d start with the vertical or horizontal, and get used to manipulating the body of the quilt, before attacking the diagonals.)
To help prevent ripples and accidental folding/bunching of the backing, it will help to sew the middle-most line first, then sew the next one to either side and so on working from the inside of the quilt to the outside.
NOTE: If you sew the outer box that surrounds your blocks first, you might end up with rumples/folds on the back of the quilt when you add all the inside quilting, so I would sew that box
after the inside lines. (And the very outermost lines last of all.) But, since you are not sewing all the way to the edge of the quilt top, it will help to mark the boxed sewing area so that you don’t overrun a stopping point. You can use strips of painters tape to mark where to stop sewing along each side of the quilt. Painters tape will not damage your fabric or leave a residue. It could also be useful for marking your diagonals before sewing those lines. Simply position the tape so you sew alongside it but not on it.
I hope this is helpful!