I’m new to quilting. I’m a machine guy. I read most threads under “antique and vintage sewing machines.” I got started by fixing sewing machines, and then made masks for the pandemic, and had some cloth left over and decided to try making a quilt. So I started by making a “beginners quilt” and did “stitch in the ditch” along the straight lines. I did NOT wash the batting first, it said I didn’t have to… I haven’t washed it yet. Will the batting do something to it when I wash it?
Now I have made a big quilt out of mask fabric and it is too big to easily stitch in the center on my home machines. I did the borders and pillars using my hand crank. I borrowed tables at the senior center, took my hand crank there.
The squares are 13 inches. Again I didn’t wash the batting. (I did wash the fabric.) Reading some threads on this board, I am now worried about what will happen when I wash it if I don’t quilt the whole thing.
The big borders are 8 and 10 inches. I haven’t tried quilting in them yet, but I did make some test blocks and try quilting in those. Yikes! I tried free motion, bought some ruler templates, tried tracing a template and my stitches are all over the place. The ruler templates don’t work well on uneven surfaces, and get caught on the pressure feet. I got a darning or hopping foot, and tried that. I now know what is meant by juggling the machine speed with hand motion! With all the extra fabric rolled up in the machine, I am not sure I could get anything to look half way okay except doing “meander” like I did on my practice square. I’m afraid to start, thinking if I start and it doesn’t work out, then what…?
What will happen if I don’t quilt in the larger areas of cloth? I guess I need moral support….
See pictures in this link:
https://www.quiltingboard.com/member...bums20558.html