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.

MAXIES2, I drew a line fron one corner to the other and started there then used my guide for the 1-1/2 and worked one side, then turned and went the other way resulting in the cross hatch.

This was the 1st one this size I did my my sewing machine.

Thank you sewnsewer 2, I will have to give it a go and let you know how I get on
Katherine

Good luck, it really is easy, post it when your'e done.

I just quilted a 50" by 50" and I just don't like it. My only motivation is to not have to pay for it. :roll: That's my size limit--I'll gladly pay someone to quilt my bigger projects on a long arm to avoid that part. :wink:

Do you quilt one entire half of the quilt first, then just turn it around?

Ms Grace, yes, I quilt from the center starting line over to the left and then turn and then turn again like this example.

The colors represent how I quilted it, and which way I was going, but I used one color of thread :lol:


I hope this doesn't confuse you.

Thanks! Very helpful. I'm a visual learner! :oops:

sewnsewer that is a beautiful quilt you quilted!

You're welcome Ms Grace.

Thanks Quilting Aggi.

I would love to find a laq that was reasonable. Here you can fingure at least $100 for a twin & that would be a very basic computer generated pattern. I also would love to have a set up that I could learn & do it myself.

[quote=Ms Grace][color=darkblue]I know everyone here LOVES to make quilt tops, as do I. However, I do not like trying to get them together. :(
I've tried tying one (came out, but I prefer the quilted look), I've tried quilt-as-you-go, (easy, BUT time consuming).

Ms. Grace, it's funny, I've been on the same track of thoughts, while working on my current project. A queen size which has now turned into a super queen because I've tried the quilt as you go method (long story), but I've come to realize that I don't enjoy the sandwhiching and basting part of the quilt process as much as I like making the tops and I even enjoy hand quilting. I don't like to sit at a sewing machine for hours on end. I've tried hand basting... takes so long!, I've tried pinning.. my fingers get really sore and peel on the tips (even worse than hand basting) thought about spray basting and that would have been the perfect thing for the 2 baby quilts I just turned out. I think the next thing I will try is pricing my long arm quilter for sandwhiching and machine basting for me to hand quilt. That sound lihe the route to go!

Thanks for the suggestions everyone, I hope I enjoy the next quilt more than I did this one (which is NOT finished yet and it's going to be a gift for my mother n law Christmas Day) Here ya go mom.. now give it back so I can finish it! LOL