DSM quilting a heavy king- puddle or fold?
 

I need to figure out how to deal with this monster, lol. It's Plaid Obsession, and with all the piecing, its heavy! The question is, which is easier to move around when doing straight lines with a walking foot?

Also, any tricks for doing SITD with a WF?

Thanks in advance for the help!

I prefer to puddle even when doing straight stitching. Just my preference, you will have to try both to see what works for you. Recently I have given up on STID and stich beside the ditch. Preferably on the side the fabric was pressed, for extra security. You can see the quilting thread but the little bobs and weaves to the left or right don't show up as much. (at least to me). What drives me crazy about STID is when the thread disappears and reappears.

Puddling is easier. If you roll you have that stiffness to contend with and more fabric in the harp. Please consider how Tartan says she does hers with a ruler foot and ruler. When using a walking foot you don't have the abilities of movement that you do with the ruler foot and ruler. If you aren't comfortable doing FMQ then you certainly can do the walking foot but it will be more time consuming and will be more difficult.

I can't do the puddling or the folding it seems. i do scrunch it up a bit and stuff it through. hate doing that!

What kind of ruler foot do you use?

Here is something else that may help you. When I first started quilting I bought a Harriet Hargrave book. At that time she was pretty much the queen of machine quilting. She says if you basted and machine anchored your quilt well you can start at the edge of your quilt and go toward the middle. So that is what I did. Basted really well with tons of pins and put at least six anchor lines in, then started on a corner. Working on an edge without all that bulk helps tremendously. I would work in strips all the way across, go back and do another until I got to the middle or close. You do need to be careful and feel under the quilt that you don't make pleats where your machine anchoring lines cross. Then I would start on the opposite side and do it all over again until I met in the middle. Your outer edges are now compressed from being quilted and will roll or scrunch up smaller. I now spray baste and start in the middle but I have a machine with a bigger harp. Best of luck on getting it quilted.

I puddle and try to keep quilt straight and from getting caught on something.

I prefer the puddling method. I've done king size on my DSM, it is a challenge but doable. Such a feeling of accomplishment when you can say, yes I did it all myself.

I have always had better luck with puddling/scrunching. It also is faster. Don't spend as much time refolding, rolling, etc. Just make sure it is supported and doesn't catch on anything. You are only quilting what's under the needle! Post a picture when it is done. Sounds pretty.

I would rather FMQ than SITD. I will have to handle the quilt much less that way. I just cleaned my machine and will start my first king size today. Answer to question - puddle definitely.

Puddling is easier for me. Generally, I find the bigger problem dealing with a large quilt is having plenty of support for the weight to my left and behind the machine so that it doesn't try to get away from the needle. I also find stitch-in-the-ditch harder than almost anything else, though that may just be my peculiarity.

i am so with you. I have the hardest time with stitch in the ditch. I try never to do it. I have the foot. I have tried a walking foot. I tried going next to the ditch. It never looks good to me whe I do it.

Well I have to agree with the rest of the folks here. Puddling works better for me. If the quilt is folded or rolled it seems to be heavier and more difficult to move. I've quilted a quarter of the quilt at a time when I made Orca Bay by Bonnie Hunter and still puddled the quarters. I did a lot of outlining and stitching in the dish and the quarter pieces were easier to handle. Surprisingly the connecting of the quarters went rather smoothly. I blind stitched the back of the quilt where the quarters joined.
Good luck with your method of choice. Every one is different and some things work better for you than someone else.