I'm almost ready to start quilting my pieced together lap quilt. Hopefully, backing/binding today. It is quite large so it's going to be a challenge fitting it in my regular size machine!

My question: I'm thinking about using Stitch in the Ditch and would like to just stitch the straight lines around the objects in the quilt, which are pieced blocks.

I'm wondering, how far apart can stitching lines be to still allow the quilt to hold up well? I see all the pretty stippled quilts and wonder if that is for looks, or is it necessary to have seams that close together to hold the batting in place?

Thanks!

I use the setting that keep it all together, or i camset the stiches manual 1/4 to 1/16

It depends on what your batting says. Some can be quilted farther apart and some must be quilted closer

Depends on your batting. Look on the bag, or go online to the company that produces it. It will tell you how far apart you can quilt. It waries a lot, like from 2" to 10".

Do read the label on your batting. That is the only way to know. I have two different battings at the moment. One says a minimum of ten inches apart, and the other says a minimum of four. Big difference!

Ditto to the previous replies. Check the instructions on your batting. If you didn't get instructions with it, look at their web site.

Thanks everyone. It is Warm and Natural Cotton I think, but I don't have the label or know the weight. DH picked it up for me, I'll ask him if he remembers.

I think warm and natural is like 8". I like to make lines about 2" apart. No less because I like floppy quilts and it seems like closer together quilting makes it stiff.

the (density) of the quilting- how close you need to quilt your quilt--
is totally dependent on the batting you choose-(and your preferences)
the batting will tell you on the package if you need to quilt the quilt every 2" (very dense quilting) or up to 10" apart...and any number in between.
it is necessary to read the batting packages and choose one that meets the quilting you want to do.
warm and natural (or most batts with scrim) can have up to 10" between stitching lines--hobbs heirloom cotton batt has to be quilted at least every 2".

It does depend on the batting.

the batting you choose will tell you how close you have to quilt your quilt.
you need to read the batting packages and choose a batt that meets the requirements for the amount of quilting you want to do on the quilt.
some batts have a scrim - like warm and natural- and you can have up to 10" between quilting lines- you can quilt around blocks with it without additional quilting--
and there are batts that do not have scrim--
some batts you have to quilt every 2"- which is a very dense quilting- and there is any other number between.
hobbs heirloom cotton batt needs to be quilted every 2"
there are a few batts that have 4" or 6"...
so, when you go to buy batting read the different packages and purchase the one that sounds like it will work for your project.
it's good to try different batts...i keep a batting journal- so when i am finishing a quilt top i can go through it and choose the perfect batt for that quilt.

With Warm and White or Warm and Natural you can quilt up to 10" apart, but I keep it closer to 6-8" at the most. It works great...no shifting at all.

What is scrim? Never heard that term before.

scrim is the gluey stiff stuff on the batting. It makes it so it won't fall apart with far-apart quilting.

technical terms. :mrgreen:

thanks everyone, I hadn't heard of scrim either. So I should be ok with Warm and Natural 6-10" quilting? I called Joanne's for help, asked if they needed the SKU on the receipt to know which batting I bought. They said they only sell one, and went to find out the instructions. I was disconnected, and when I called back I got VM, and it wouldn't go through.

What kind is the one that is 10" apart? I've been looking for that & haven't found it. Thanks.

Here it says up to 10"
http://www.warmcompany.com/wnpage.html

Your batting package will tell you how close the quilting needs to be together....

hope your clerks know more than the ones at our local joanns

Ditto...this is the way to do it.

If you're SID, make sure you outline all the important components so it looks "finished". Some blocks outlined and not others will make the unquilted parts stick out. When I FM, I use the width of my hand as a guide. That to me is the farthest apart it should be quilted to look right. And it depends whether you're doing a bed quilt or wall quilt. More quilting makes it stiffer and not so cuddly, so you might want to reserve the tight qulting for the wall - or tablerunners/placemats.

It depends on the batting----like they said, read the label carefully---but it also depends on what it is. If it's a wall quilt, likely to be washed only a few times ever----I'd do what you want regardless of the instructions on the batting. If it's a bed quilt----or a kid's quilt----follow those directions!

I struggle with machine quilting and usually do some diagonal straight line quilting about two inches apart. My favorite quilting is by hand, but it takes a long time to finish. It is difficult for me to handle the bulk of the quilt in my Bernina machine. I have a Bernina stitch regulator and use that for small projects but can't seem to handle a large quilt. Just as someone above said, the closer the stitch lines are, the stiffer the quilt. It also depends on the look you want. I like the old fashioned "crinkled" look and I can get that using the warm and natural cotton batting. I even hand quilted one using a stencil of meandering lines. Good Luck

I usually stitch in the ditch and do free motion on the borders. I don't like the whole quilt- quilted so much that it is stiff and not cuddly. All that fancy quilting to me is for entering in a show. I like soft and pliable quilts. Just my preference.

As always on this Board - - I am glad this question came up - - I know a lot more having read this far than I knew before! :-)

Marysewfun

Your batting generally determines the distance in quilting lines. Most stippling is for enhancement. The quilting should enchance your piecing, not over power it nor create the "plain Jane" look. In longarm quilting, I tell customers never more than a fist width apart at any point, regardless that Warm and Natural, or any other co. says 10 inches apart. Even your backing and cotton on top will sag at 10" apart. Talk to those who longarm quilt in your community - most are willing to share their thoughts too.

depends on the batting, should say on your batting package how far the lines can be apart

it depends on your batting , i use warm and natural or white because you can go up to 10 inches with no stitching with this batting but i make it less

I was told at a class that the fist method is fairly safe in most cases. Make a fist and lay on fabric, fingers down and that should be the maximum width to space your quilting.

As a general rule of thumb, I quilt 3" apart. that covers just about all types of batting and will secure the quilt adequately.

I was taught that poly batting needs to be quilted 2-4 apart and cotton 4-6 inches apart.

HI Every one I was at quilt shop thursday where I go and I was doing stitch in a ditch and Sandy the Lady who owns the shop told me you can sew your seams 5inches apart no larger. I was sewing log cabin squares and I was sewing around each square around each strip but not on the sashing and she said it was fine because there isn't that much space between the sashing and the squares.

All due respect to Sandy, it really does depend on the brand of batting. All are different and the warm and natural do say they can be quilted up to 10" apart. I prefer closer quilting but there's no hard and fast rule.

I was taught to place an open hand on your quilt, and if there is no stitching somewhere beneath your hand , then it needs to be more closely stitched. Your hand should cover some stitching in every placement. But then again, I think it is a matter of preference.