Jeanette Frantz

Okay, I am going to play the "devil's advocate" here, in a way. I rely heavily on what are the manufacturer's recommendations, and I rarely have anything where I would quilt 10" apart. But, I think bkay has a valid point. I have some batting (very expensive, too, I might add) that states quilting lines a maximum of 10" apart. On the quilts I've used this particular batting, I have definitely quilted with quilting much less than 10" apart. This batting could almost be used as a blanket in of itself. I do not care for extremely dense quilting myself -- but that's just my choice. I don't want quilting lines one inch apart. I think how densely you quilt is dependent upon the batting, the quilt top and the quilt backing. Frankly, it's a quilt maker's choice, not anyone else. Also, I think I would quilt place mats much more densely than I would a bed quilt -- JMHO~

jatejeda

My Warm & Natural cotton states up to 10" apart. I believe Quilters Dream also states up to 10".

Iceblossom

I'm not a huge fan of the current trends of machine quilting, I prefer a puffier poly batt and less quilting than is currently popular.

I can say, however, that I do believe in no less than 3-4", or that fist size should be used in most cases.

When I go back to my earlier quilts the seams and such are still lovely but because I was quilting more like 6"+ apart, the centers of the larger pieces of fabric have mostly rotted away. So a lot of it depends on how long you want the quilt to last. 10 years of heavy use at 6" or 20 years at 3"...

juliasb

I was told early on no more than 4" apart, which happens to be about a fist apart. I usually quilt closer. It is most important to preserve the life of the quilt. Always considering the work that has already gone into making a beautiful top.

ckcowl

warm n natural is one that says up to 10” apart.