wishiwerequilting

stitching in the ditch usually hides a multitude of sins!

quilter53

Do I need to quilt all ditches? Does that make sense? I use the same color when it turns and goes on the other side. Do I treat that as one or quilt in the stitch between. Now I am really confusing you.

wishiwerequilting

I understand what you mean (i think) :lol:
If you look at the block image I think what you should do is do the light side of your block first, going in the ditch around the center square first starting in the upper left hand corner, then down the first light rectangle in its upper right corner and then on to the next light rectangle across the block and so on. Occasionally you may have to retrace your steps and you will quilt over something already done, but this will not be noticable if you are careful.
does that make sense? it will be helpful if you trace the path you are going to quilt on a piece of paper, such as graph paper, and either use colors or numbers with arrows to help you remember your path. then paste it up on the wall by your machine for reference. I put a small safety pin in the block center after it is finished.

quiltmom04

I LOVE free motion quilting!! Leah Day has a good site, and her designs are fun. But I've found that designs quilted that closely end up being stiff as a board, and really are best for decorative wall hangings. You can still use those designs, only spaced farther apart for quilts.

rkymtnquilter

FMQ just takes time and LOTS of practice!! It can be really relaxing once you get the hang of it. I took a class from Harriet Hargrave and learned quite a bit. But the bottom line is....practice, practice, practice. Get cheap muslin and put a piece of batting between two 12 inch squares of muslin and just start practicing. You can draw patterns on the muslin before putting it together with the batting. Start really simple - straight lines. Then add some curves. The work up to simple flowers....etc. Harriet told us to practice about 20 minutes a day....EVERY DAY!!! Happy quilting! :)

RST

On the log cabin question -- how to quilt: I really like to do something to counter all those straight lines, so I've done things like a big spiral centered on each block, and radiating out, then with petals or sun flares, kind of like an Aztec looking sun. I'll have to see if I can find some photos to show what I mean. When I do that approach, I use a medium grey or beige thread that will not stand out too much on either side of the block.

You can also do a meandering pattern, and if you are not confident of your abilities and want to hide, use a thread that will blend with the darker side, and do those areas all at the same time, then switch thread to a lighter thread and do those portions of the block. Free motion work allows you to travel pretty easily from block to block.

I personally have no problem with doubling back on my stitching line, and I'm fine with crossing over -- once it's all done, it will not show up, and I don't do quilts for contests or shows, so I don't care about the rules.

quilter53

thanks Lisa that does help. Glad I didn't completely confuse you. :D

quilter53

When using a darker thread either for the back or the front sometimes the other thread shows. Do I need to adjust the tension? I have a Viking D1.

terr-terr

I took a class last year and am learning - I do enjoy it and bought a second, bigger, machine - but my sewing is still a lot shaky...

rkymtnquilter

The new Pfaff I got has a sensormatic feature on it that it senses when you are moving the fabric and when your hands are still and stitches only as you are moving. It's really cool! Keep practicing....it'll come!!