Manalto

I've made this Double Irish Chain (already shown here) and am wondering how I should quilt it. I read that an Irish Chain should be quilted with long diagonals through the center of the squares. I don't feel obligated to do it that way, but it sounds nice. How about quilting every diagonal row, skipping one, and then quilting diagonally in the other direction for an "X" effect? Other suggestions? How about the borders? Parallel lines? What's a good thread color? I have a milk-chocolate brown that's slightly lighter than the darkest brown in the quilt which I thought might be nice. The back is unbleached muslin; should I use a bobbin thread to match the back? Lighter than the top?

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dunster

Here are some ideas - https://images.search.yahoo.com/sear...g&action=click

A lot of the examples use a circular feather motif in the center areas (brown in your quilt). I generally prefer curved lines to straight lines on a quilt that is all straight edges. I think this one is nicely done - http://quiltsonbastings.blogspot.com...ain-quilt.html

yngldy

I made an Irish Chain for my second quilt. The kids used it a lot when they were growing up. I stitched diagonally and the stitches popped. I put it away to fix one day, and can't remember where it is now. lol Not sure why stitches popped, probably tension. Someone here can tell you how to do it right, then I will know also, when I finally fix it.

If you go on Pinterest, and put in Irish Chain, you will find numerous ideas on how to quilt it.

Your quilt is very pretty. Can't wait to see how you decided to finish it. Please post pictures.

Manalto

This is incredibly helpful! Just by asking, I've managed to evolve beyond the obvious (to me) solution of using a geometric pattern on a geometric quilt. I see now how fluid lines soften and give it dimension. Thanks for the mini-lesson!

PS - A Young Lady of my recent acquaintance wants to know how to sew a quilt so the stitches don't pop. (And so do I.)

Bree123

I'm starting quilting on a single Irish chain tomorrow & am using orange peel design in the squares. Just depends if you want to stick with a walking foot or do FMQ.

Manalto

Orange peel will look great. My only choice is FMQ because it's a big quilt and I want to try my Singer 31-15, with its roomier throat space, to do it. (Fools rush in.) I haven't found a walking foot for that machine yet.

MadQuilter

Do you mean during piecing or during quilting? Do you mean "pop" as in break or "pop" as in peek through?

My first question would be what is the stitch length, and the second what is the tension? If the stitches are too tiny, then they like to pop Break) when the piece gets straightened out. Lengthening the stitch usually takes care of that. For piecing I generally use 2 - 2.5 mm and for straight quilting I go up to 3 or even 3.5 mm.

It is also important to understand the tension on your machine. Different fabric combinations and different thread combinations require tension tweaks. Play with it until you have the right mix (where the bottom thread is not visible on the top and vice versa).

Hope I understood your question correctly.

Bree123

I've found that new cotton thread with cotton fabrics helps (instead of mix & match). I also now label my spools with the month & year purchased and figure 3-4 years tops is probably a good life for my thread. Setting proper stitch length for walking foot & even stitches for FMQ help. Also, if you make your stitch lines closer together (no more than 2") it will reduce the strain on any one area of the quilt. In my own experience & what I have read from many quilting instructors, too much space between quilt lines is the biggest culprit for broken threads over time. Old thread or low-quality thread is the biggest culprit for broken threads while stitching.

Finally, I feel I would be remiss if I didn't mention laundering. Quilts are really not made to withstand hot water & high heat, or Clorox 2/bleach. We know that as quilters, but too often our recipients do not. They wash quilts like they wash towels & sheets. I put washing instructions on all my quilt labels & let recipients know they're there. So far so good. Of course, I learned these lessons the hard way, researching the solutions after I was dealing with falling apart quilts.

Prism99

Quilting lines along the diagonal can pop because fabric stretches along the bias whereas the stitching does not. When someone sits on a quilt, for example, the fabric is subject to the kind of stress that will stretch it. The solution is probably to have quilting lines closer together to distribute stress over a larger area and to limit how much the fabric can stretch along the bias between quilting lines.

One of the difficulties of quilting lines on the bias is that the fabric (especially the top fabric) has a tendency to stretch as you sew. Using a walking foot helps a lot, but does not entirely eliminate the problem. What also helps a lot is heavily starching the top and backing fabric before layering. Starch stabilizes fabric so it is less easily stretched along the bias.

Manalto

Thank you for that clear explanation.