Two things you asked about, first of all, you could use a clear thread like a filament type and that way your stitches would be practically invisible. You would relax more while quilting and gain confidence so that you could go on to color thread in the future.
Second, you need to look up about the "scant 1/4 inch". Basically you measure your quarter inch and then take off of that by 2 threads to get the scant 1/4. You will be surprised how much of a difference it can make. A lovely friend of mine in GA taught me that and her quilts are out of this world beautiful!
Originally Posted by scrapsoftime
Hi Everyone
So glad to have found this forum. I have done many small, lap size quilts but all are quick and simple (not a lot of patience with little kids around). I'm attempting to try some new things and slow down a bit. I'm doing a 55x65 size throw quilt and will start quilting later today. I've used several different Moda fabrics (charm packs - simple) with hues of pinks/reds. Want to meander quilt it (will be my third time meander quilting). My ??: since I've not done a lot of this type of quilting, wondering if I should try to use a lighter thread (like pale pink) or go for it :) and use red. Many of the squares have red and a few are solid red but most have lighter backgrounds. And finally a very basic ?? I've been meaning to ask quilting experts forever.... no matter how much I think I'm using a perfect 1/4" seam, my squares sometimes dont line up. Is this something that takes practice or am I just NOT doing a good job on the 1/4" seam thing? I'm a lousy rotary cutter so have been thrilled of late with some of the pre-cut pieces you can buy (like Moda charm packs, jelly rolls etc). Any thoughts much appreciated. Thanks so much!
Leigh