Hi Grace,
You can spray your quilt sandwich with basing spray, there are several kinds available, and the quilt in the ditch, or even across the diagonal. I have a couple of patterns that I have used that I quilted across the diagonal with first a regular straight stitch, using a walking foot, and after I got my new machine I used a fancy stitch without the walking foot. There have been a couple of good threads on here lately about spray-basting, everyone's preference and how to best do it. After I baste mine, if I am quilting on the diag, I frequently will use cheap narrow masking tape and mark the quilting lines on one direction, then roll the quilt from either side leaving a tape line in the approximate middle to start the quilting, just unroll from one side and reroll on the other until you go across the first half of the quilt. I then will put in on the floor and reroll the quilted side nice and tight and start over with the other side. I have made about a dozen queen size quilts and have quilted them on my regular sewing machines.

I have quilted in the diagonal, mine are spaced 1-1/2" apart.

On a couple of quilts that had 9" blocks, I just came down each block from corner to corner so the stitching was 4.5 in apart. It depends on your batting, I always use warm and natural and you can quilt up to 10 in or so apart. You could also then go from corner to corner the opposite direction so you end up with like a cross-hatching.

I am trying to bulid up the courage to machine quilt, I think the idea of diagonal lines would be a good starting point.
Katherine

I did mean to ask did you start from the edge or the middle and work out?
Katherine

I found a gal in Fresno that was VERY reasonable. She did a full size for me, the charge was $35. Her quilting was pretty good. That was a little more than a year ago, so her prices may have gone up some. If you would like, I can give her a call and PM you. At the time I brought in the full, I asked her how much for a king and she said $55.

Jean

I finished a 50 x 60 Christmas Wreath Log Cabin quilt this year and wanted it done in time for Christmas to give to my mother. No one locally had time. SO I used the internet, found Ginny at Sew Kountry Fabrics in Clarksville, AR. I took a chance and sent her that quilt and a lap size trip around the world. She is extremely reasonable!

I never thought I'd send off a quilt but hey the people here are way high compared to her and their skills are actually the same.

I have 3 quilt tops that I really like and want them professionally quilted, I'll be sending to her after the first of the year.

Even with shipping/handling, etc it's still a better price.

My machine quilting skills are coming along but that's not what I enjoy.

Best of luck to you!

My lqs suggested having a longarmer baste one I am working on. I just may do that.

Thanks for the suggestion.