I need a cheering section-instruction please!
 

So......I have a quilt top that is 87w by 113 long. I was going to put it on a quilt frame and hand quilt it but I am overcome by some urge to try and conquer it on my Viking Rose. Crazy..right?!?!? Nothing fancy--if I machine it -I will menander. I have never done one quite this large on my home machine. Am I crazy? Should I hand quilt it? Not taking it to a long armer as I'm doing this for my daughter for a wedding gift. Paying for the wedding has taken all my extra $$. What is your experieced thoughts??

I would first try seeing if I could get it THROUGH my machine before trying to sew anything on it.

Scrunch/wad/puddle/roll - whatever you would usually do to be able to stitch on it.

Would I be able to get the center of it under the needle and be able to maneuver the fabric around?

If you can, just shove that puppy into your machine! I don't know how big a Viking Rose is, but I FMQ'd a 120" square quilt on my Janome 6600, that has a 9-inch throat. Worked fine and that was my first ever FMQ quilt.

I don't roll up my quilt, I just cram it in there and flatten out the immediate area I'll be working on. The rest of the quilt puddles around the machine. Just flatten your work area as you go and make sure you don't have a corner of the quilt sneaking in underneath. Support behind and to the side of the machine helps greatly.

I've done one that size on a Brother 1500. It has about a 9 inch throat. I'd say it can be done. I, too, am a crammer not a roller. Get as much table space as you can. I use every folding table I can fit into the room, but it works.

I just cram it in there, too. :D

I have a friend who quilted a king sized quilt on her grandmothers' featherweight. I'm not saying I'd ever attempt it but I guess if there's a will there's a way! Good luck! :thumbup:

Just make sure you have support for the quilt to your left and at the back of your machine. I would not worry about the size of your throat, I machine quilted many of my quilts that won top prizes on my Bernina with a 7" throat. It is most important to have the quilt supported so the weight does NOT tug while you are stitching.

Rah! Rah! Rah!
There's your cheering section. I have never quilted anything that big so I can't give any advice. Just wanted to cheer you on.

I have quilted that large on my home machine. So I know it can be done. Have you ever FMQ on your machine before? If not you might want to practice on something smaller first.

Otherwise - go for it! Here's me cheering you on!

RAH! RAH! REE! Kick em in the knee! RAH! RAH! RAS! Kick 'em in the ...... other knee!

Yes, you can do FMQ-ing really well on your machine. The key is to tightly roll it and start in the center.

I would suggest you do some practice pieces first though.

If you want a looser pattern of quilting you can do it with the feed dogs up, though you would probably want to use a HERA marker or such to draw the design first.

YES, you can do it, go, go, go.....I used to quilt everything on my Juki til I got my Innova so YES, it can be done!!!!!

The other option is to quilt it in sections. I used Marti Michell's book, Machine Quilting in Sections, to guide me through that process before I bought a longarm. There are many different methods you can use, and the book explains why you would select each method based on the type of quilt.

Yes I've done large quilts on my little Bernina. You can do it! Just have the 87 inch part horizontal. Then it won't be so bad!

I have a Viking Rose and yes you can FMQ your quilt on it! I have done it myself. Enjoy the process :)

I would quilt it in sections. You can cut the backing the same size as the top, but cut the batting into 3rds. Sandwich the quilt with the first third of the batting in the center and pin as usual. Quilt to about 1" of the edge of the batting. Now take the next piece of batting & butt it up against the first. Whip stitch the 2 pieces together. You can also use a really big zigzag. Sandwich this portion, pin & quilt. Repeat for the other side. This way you really reduce the bulk, just take care you don't catch the unsandwiched portion of the top or backing!

if doing it on your machine I would add the batting in sections so you do not have as much under your harp. It is doable but you would have to be creative

The Viking "Rose" was my first machine. I didn't know any better way back then and quilted on it all the time. The first quilt I did on it was King size. I put it on my dining room table (with the leaf in) and went to town. Yes it was cumbersome and awkward, but that little baby did a great job on my (also first) big quilt. I do hope you have a walking foot. Keep the quilting simple. Post a picture and let us know how it goes. Happy Quilting.

You go girl! It will be a fun learning experience for you, and a lovely heirloom gift! :)

I always thought rolling them up would be a pain, now I see wadding is permitted I may try that myself, before I was put off by having to try and roll it up and work with it. Good luck and I am rooting for you too.

A BIG THANK YOU to my cheering section!!! I am filled with confidence and great ideas!! I have FMQ many times on oversized lap quilts on my machine so this one will be the "next" step, leap or JUMP for sure! I will post pictures!

I did stitch in the ditch on a very large quilt on my Featherweight. I asked myself: why am I doing this when I have a good Bernina in my sewing room? I guess: to see if I could; so I could brag about it! But my batting was thinner. If you have a polyester batt, it will not roll as tightly.

I have quilted several large quilts on my Bernina 1130. It is important to have a large flat surface for the quilt. I stitch in the ditch to stabilize the blocks or sections in the quilt and then work on one section at a time. If you stabilize in this manner it is not even necessary to start quilting in the center. I have found that the whole process is easier since I started using Elmer's washable school glue to baste with. It was much harder in the days of using safety pins. I have gotten to the part that I enjoy the FMQing the most.

My experienced thought on this is that the worst part of quilting this on your machine will be basting it so that with all the moving and scootching and pushing and readjusting that will be required when quilting this, that the layers don't get separated and you get all kinds of puckers and folds on the back. If you have a hand quilting frame, that might be the way to baste it. Other wise, maybe a longarmer could quickly baste it for you to quilt. I have no idea what that would cost, but it might be worth an inquiry.

What a great suggestion, wish I had used this method a long time ago before I got a machine on a frame.

I once did a 110 x 110 king quilt on my DSM, although I've done smaller ones too, but why start with something little? LOL. It takes a little patience, but you scrunch the quilt up and wiggle it through your machine. I even did feathered wreaths in the plain blocks. I would look at a tutorial or two if you haven't FMQ on our DSM, but it can be done. It will be a learning experience but you will be so proud when you finish. One thing, be sure you have enough table space to support the quilt, like putting your sewing table up against a wall, then have a table to the side so you're not trying to support the quilt yourself while quilting. Hope this helps.