Echo quilting
 

Hello again!

I'm getting a little nervous about finishing my quilt. I basted my quilt tonight and it's time to get it quilted. This is a wedding gift so I want to make it as perfect as possible. Originally I thought I would just do tons of horizontal stripes, but I was drawing out some ideas on my ipad that I kind of liked. Hopefully the gray can be seen well enough. First question is, can I do this with a walking foot? I used a free motion foot with my first quilt and I'm not good enough at it for something that is being given as a gift. Second question is, if I do a design like this, after I've done the triangles and start doing the straight lines, how do I transition from each line? Do I stop and tie it off at the end of each line or do I stitch in the ditch a short distance and then turn and keep going? (Or do that without stitching in the ditch, say half an inch from the seam?)

I thought this would look neat on the back of the quilt and bring the triangles onto the back. I'd love to hear more interesting ideas!

I'm attaching pics of my sketch and closeups of two examples of how I'm envisioning the straight lines.

THANKS!

When I make a quilt with an angular design, I actually like to do the opposite - quilt it with softer curves. I feel it gives the quilt more 'life' or 'movement' and then doesn't detract or 'fight' with the original pattern.

I agree it would be a great feature on the back, but most people will care about the front (although I do know someone who gave a beautiful, intricate quilt as a gift and the recipient preferred the pattern of the fabric on the back, lol).

It's a lovely quilt whatever you decide :)

There may be places you will have to knot off...just do a quilters knot and bury threads.....just be careful doing those diagonal lines on your DSM....bias pulls/puckers on back....make are you have basted well......take your time it will be lovely.....linear is the new modern! Btw....your piecing/ placement is great.

There may be places you will have to knot off...just do a quilters knot and bury threads.....just be careful doing those diagonal lines on your DSM....bias pulls/puckers on back....make are you have basted well......take your time it will be lovely.....linear is the new modern! Btw piecing/placement is great.....pattern? Template for kite piece?

I think your design is lovely and will look great when you get it done. You will have to do a lot of starts and stops but I always figure for a quilt that I'm going to give to someone for a special occasion, it's worth it.

A walking foot works better for straight lines. However, there will be lots of turning and shifting the quilt which is also difficult.

I would hate for the piecing to disappear in the type of quilting you are planning. I would first ditch the blocks vertically and then diagonally. The I would SITD by using FMQ technique the four small triangles in each pyramid to accent your piecing. I like the quilting to stay in the background and let the piecing and fabric be the star of the quilt. Good Luck !

I have a lap quilt that I would like to quilt with a geometric pattern somewhat like you are contemplating. You can definitely use your walking foot, but as others have said you will have lots of turning the quilt to make the corners. If your quilt is not too big, just have patience and take frequent rest breaks. This is my plan.

I mainly do a large meander or large stipple. I hate doing straight lines because of all the turning. Maybe do a grid, corner to corner in each direction.

Looks like you already have plenty of good advice. Your quilt is very nice. I'm always one that tends to shadow quilt. I stitch about 1/4 to 1/2 inch away from the edges of the pieces on the inside. It tends to draw the inside out for a little poof that makes the quilt pieces stand out. You might try that.

Your quilt is beautiful! Just wondering, how did you use your ipad to audition your quilting ideas? Did you take a picture of the quilt? Then how did you draw the design on? I have an ipad mini and would love to use it like you did to audition quilting ideas.

Thanks gals! I decided on stitching just outside the ditch, what's the term for that????? :) So far I've done my long diagonal lines and my horizontal line through the middle. It's looking good. I'm not sure if I'll be able to do the smaller triangles as well, maybe after I practice more. I took my first seam out twice!

Joanneg - I used Adobe Ideas, PS Touch works similarly too :D I might have paid for those apps but I'm pretty sure there's a free version of PS Touch. I was looking for a line tool but I couldn't find one on either app, but it might be in there somewhere, I was just impatient! Hahaha :D If you try it and find that you like it a lot, you might look into getting a nice stylus. My hubby says the Jot Pro Stylus has a fine tip, I want one :D

I like what you ended up doing. Looks great! :thumbup:

I like that better, not so busy and the quilt won't be "bullet proof" lol

Here's what I completed today! I'm trying to decide if I should try to do the little tiangles. I think I figured out how I can move it to do them, just wondering if it looks better with or without them quilted. Anyone still up to give me opinions?

What batting are you using? That determines the max distance between lines. If your batting doesn't require closer lines, then you could leave it as-is.

I think it would look good either way, but doing the small triangles will add quite a bit of additional work to the quilt.

What does the back look like?

Your quilting looks really good! You made a very good decision doing it this way.

Dina

Your quilt looks great as is IF your spacing between stitching lines does not exceed the maximum specified by your batting. If you have the time and inclination, adding quilting to the smaller triangles would look good, but optional.

I have done the same sort of pattern on a customer's quilt (on my longarm, but you can do the same thing on DSM), and rather than tying off for every square (for me, triangle for you) I just did a straight line over to where I wanted to go. You can see it in the third picture of my blog, here: http://farmquilter.blogspot.com/2014...mer-quilt.html Works really well.

That is beautiful work! Thanks for the inspiration!

I'm quilting the little triangles :D I'm about a third done. I'm hoping to get it all done and get the binding put on tomorrow. I need the quilt ready for our trip next week but my kids are having a Halloween party and I need to give up my sewing table so they have party room :D I have a thousand things to do before Halloween and then a thousand more between Halloween and our trip!! Yikes!

Yes,yes,yes you can use your walking foot for the straight and any gentle curves you may decide sometime to use.
I like your idea myself I would just do 3 curved lines on each triangle to begin with this way you stabilise each triangle and can do a line or column without stopping and less ends to thread in.

The quilt is pretty, and I agree about the triangles fighting with each other. Curves, curlyques, or some such softer design would be my preference.

I hear you on the recipient liking the back of a quilt better. I gave my mother a table runner I made for her with flying geese on the front (her request). The backing was just a fabric that looked pieced, but wasn't. I went over one day, and she had it with the back facing up. She liked that better!! Yikes. Ok, she is 92!! All is forgiven!!

I think you will find a simple cornelli/stippling stitch to be the easiest and very attractive as well. There would be no great directional changes and you could make the meandering loops as big as you liked.
PS. I just saw your solution and I think it is an excellent one - enhancing the quilt. Good show.

Hang in there, you can do this with patience. I agree you may have starts and ends. If I am patient turning a quilt is not that bad. I have done a queen size quilt straight line on my home machine with a walking foot.
Baste really well, especially borders, they get pulled on a lot. Have fun and enjoy the adventure!

Yipers! Your choice of fabrics! The colors. The designs! A complete, intrinsic whole. Magnificent.

Maniacquilter said it well. I too would hate to see the fabrics, etc. disappear in the quilting. Whatever you finally decide, please retain the "whole." And since I am a tactile person, allow me to mention the drape of the final quilt.

When you have finished, please do show and tell!?

Pat

That looks great! Love how the stitching crosses at the "intersections"! And it will make a nice looking pattern on the back, too. Beautiful quilt!

Finished the quilting and got the binding on!! All I have left to do is finish sewing the binding and wash it :D can't wait to see it finished! I will post in the pictures forum when I get it done. Which has to be tomorrow because we leave early Thursday morning. Thanks for all the help and advice. I'm off to you tube to pick up some hand sewing tips. http://www.quiltingboard.com/attachm...d=497705&stc=1http://www.quiltingboard.com/attachm...d=497706&stc=1

It's beautiful! Great work. I know the recipient will really love it.

I really like what you decided on. Though a lot of work, it is just right in my opinion.