ruby2shoes

I've been watching some youtubes and reading some tutorials on this and they all show it being done with smallish width quilts so the quilter can roll or bunch up the sides and grasp and lift them so as to steer the quilt in a wavy motion when quilting. Looks easy and very effective but I have a a quilt of 60" width and I can't for the love of me roll up the sides and manage this with my hands on either side. There just seems to be too much quilt. So,iIf I leave the quilt flat on my table as I do for "normal" quilting and try to steer/wave the quilt from side to side even just a little bit to create a slight wave I just can't seem to do it. I really don't want to do this with fm....really want to perfect the technique with the walking foot. Has anyone any tips or ideas for me on how I can manage the width bulk?

Tartan

I find puddling the quilt easier then moving a rolled quilt. I might buy the Frog wave painter's tape and use it to quilt along the edge.

toverly

It is difficult with a standard throat space but it can be done. I puddled one like Tartan suggested. It helps to have the machine set into a top to help it slide. Go slow and use quilter's gloves to grip the quilt.

nativetexan

I have done curves with my walking foot just by holding the quilt on each side and slowly moving it one way and then the other. Nothing fancy.

pocoellie

I've done a 65" square quilt with wavy lines with a walking foot, I didn't roll the quilt up though. It wasn't hard and it fit the quilt focus.

QuiltE

Agree! ... I think this one you really do need to do non-FMQing!

My suggestion would be to give yourself some guide chalklines.
What I am meaning is to put lines, evenly spaced across the quilt.
How far? Everyone will have a best personal width. Experiment what width works best for you!

The lines will give you guidance to be relatively consistent in the height of the wave.
With that, your wave lines will end up being somewhat straight across the width of your quilt.

ruby2shoes

Yes but how do you manage to hold so much bulk/quilt on either side, that's my dilemma. I can't get the entire "side" of the quilt in one hand to grasp to then move side to side.

OuiltE, thanks but registration lines aren't the problem as my piecing/color placement gives me perfect guide lines thank heavens.

EasyPeezy

You don't need to hold all the bulk. (You would need very large hands to do that. LOL)
Try to grab enough of the quilt on each side of the needle, sew (about an arm's length
then stop. Move your hands and grab some more and feed it through.
If you are not comfortable grabbing the top, grab it from the bottom.
Just concentrate on the part you are going to sew. The rest of the quilt should
be supported by tables. I put an ironing board to my left with a big table
further left and another big table in front all level with my sewing machine
table. Hope this helps.

Edit: Your hands should make a triangle with the needle. You move your
hands towards the needle then move your hands back and do it again.

Jeanne S

Are you wearing quilting gloves so your flat hands “grip” the quilt sandwich? I do wavy line quilting most of the time and don’t roll it, just leave it flat and just gently guide it right and left in long wavy lines. I couldn’t do it without quilting gloves though.

Rhonda K

Fold the corner of the quilt in on a 45 degree angle instead of rolling.

Example: You want to start quilting on the right side of quilt. Fold the Left-Top corner on a diagonal. Stitch down the wavy line. If/when you change direction, fold the other corner in.

I use this method for attaching binding on quilts. Fold the top left corner in and the bottom left corner in.

If you want to start quilting from center point, just fold in the Left Top corner and the Right Top Corner. Stitch down the center and move the quilt to the next line.

Hope that helps.