Drawing on quilt and reduce puckering
 

I am a new quilter and have only quilted 2 other quilts and both have been straight lines. I am trying to do some free motion quilting for a Star Wars quote that I making for my son. I had the idea of actually writing out some of the words on the quilt in cursive to keep the lettering connected. Is there a certain pen that works well on black fabric that will completely washed out so that I can trace something ?

Also, I have always had a little bit of puckering with my backing. I lay out my backing and tape it down, spray baste the batting and top layer, and then pin it. When I folded it up to put away for the night I noticed that there were still some areas on the back that look like they are going to pucker. How do I minimize this so I don't have to take all of it apart and rebaste it together?

don't know as there is a simple solution for the backing that's got extra fullness before quilting. Maybe someone will come up with a solution. As far as the cursive text, I would get some tissue paper (wrapping tissue) write the words on that, pin the paper to the quilt and sew right thru the paper. Because the paper is so thin, it's easy to position on the quilt and you can easily tear it away after.

This is my favourite marking tool for dark fabric. Always use white chalk NEVER coloured as it won't come out. Start quilting from the middle out so any extra fabric can go to the edges. I kind of make a frame with my hands in my Machinger gloves when I FMQ the area around my needle.[ATTACH=CONFIG]563371[/ATTACH]

When you tape your backing down, make sure you aren't stretching it. You want it flat, but not stretched. That can give you puckers.

I use old fashioned tailor's chalk for marking dark fabrics. Cheap, and works great.

Great tip, thanks!

Next time heavily starch the backing before layering. Starch stabilizes the fabric so it is much less likely to pucker. What you can do with the sandwich you have is lay it out on a large flat sheet, spray starch the back working from the outside edges towards center to minimize overspray, let dry (a fan speeds drying), then repeat spray starch layers several more times. You can do the same to the top. This will help prevent puckers and tucks when you quilt.

I used to do a lot of cursive writing on quilts, especially in borders, and for me, just "writing" with the needle worked best. No following previous markings. But the tissue idea really works, too. You can wet the paper afterward to help with removing it.

Jan in VA

Thank you guys so much! I'm going to try the tissue paper idea to make sure I get good spacing with the letters ahead of time!

Did you stop and tie off the thread with each word when quilting in cursive or writing?

If the thread path is not continued, then yes, you have to secure the ends somehow. Some machines have a 'fix' or 'tie off' function. I don't like mine because it leaves a knot on the back. You can back tack a couple stiches, knot by hand or do 4-5 teeny tiny stitches. You have to do this any time you start or stop your quilting unless it's at the edge where it will be secured in the binding. This is why many quilters are so interested in continuous line designs. Securing your thread when starting and stopping is a PITA.

You mentioned that you tape, spray and pin. I usually tape and spray, then turn the sandwich over and smooth the bottom with my hands. Somewhere in the process of the sandwich, the bottom kind of "grows"! Turning it over and smoothing it helps alot. You could still then pin if you want, buy 505 spray holds for months and months, and pins aren't really necessary if you spray.

I spray baste all of my quilts and don't have a pucker problem with the back. After everything is sandwiched, I iron both the back and the front. I have left quilts for months without quilting them, and they are still good to go when I am ready for them.

Thank you for the tips. It was definitely the back that needed smoothing after basting. I love the iron idea too! And if I can seriously get away with no pinning, I'd be thrilled!

I love using "Golden Threads" quilting paper for quotations on quilts. You draw on that, pin it to the quilt, and then quilt over the lines (I'm wobbly, so sometimes it's next to the lines!). Then remove the paper.

garment makers use a blue or purple pen. The blue disappears with water and the purple disappears in about 24 hours on its own. So I'd only use that one if you were going to do it then. I used a sliver of dial soap to put lines on fabric to quilt and loved it. Even when the soap would fade when the light of the machine would shine on the fabric you could see the lines. Worked great.

I use parchment paper like you use in baking rather than tissue paper for patterns. It is a little bit more sturdy so can take the moving about without tearing yet tears away from the stitching just as easily as tissue paper.

I mark with a Dritz water soluble dressmaker pencil (white). I mark my top before layering so the marking is smooth. I agree that at this point, a paper pattern would be the way to go. You could really even use plain computer paper if that's all you have; I've done it before.

I know it's not what you want to hear, but the only way I've truly been able to deal with puckers on the back is to re-baste that section/those sections. It most often is caused by pulling the backing too taut when taping it to the floor/table. All you want to do is gently smooth it with flat hands & then tape straight down to the floor. You should not need to pull before taping. Also, it helps to tape the top & bottom first, then right & left sides (or R/L, then T/B), rather than trying to tape corners as the corners are the bias.

The other thing that can cause puckers is not starting your quilting with foundation lines. Foundation lines (typically that's SID -- but on modern or wholecloth quilts, you may need to draw lines to divide the space) help to stabilize the quilt so it doesn't shift during the quilting process. If you don't want those lines to show in your final quilting, you can stitch them with wash-away thread (YLI makes a great product).

I know it's more work, but I promise it really is worth it in the end as you save yourself from having to rip out a bunch of stitching that just set the puckers on your backing fabric.