I am working on a twin sized quilt for my Granddaughter's graduation in May. I usually hand quilt everything except I have done some throw sized quilts on my sewing machine. It was a struggle. Am I going to have major problems machine quilting this? My machine is a Brother Pacesetter with a throat size of only 9 inches. I think I'm going to be afraid to start it. Any suggestions? I don't want to have it done by a professional as I want the work to be from me. She is special, as all granddaughters are. Thanks.

Yes you can do it on a reg machine, you can either roll it really tight OR do the quilting in sections like make 4 baby quilts then put them together. But some do it a block at a time then after the quilting like the sections Put them all together.

I have quilted every one of the 100 some odd quilts that I have made on my own home sewing machine. Some on my old Pfaff and some on my newer Bernina with the 7" throat, or whatever they are. I have made at least 12 queen size.
It can be done.
I have never quilted in sections and put together.
I have done a lot of diagonal quilting where I have rolled it but have also "nested" the quilt and worked on a small area at a time.

Drop your feed dogs, use a darning foot and go for it if you are free motioning it. Otherwise, raise your feed dogs and use a walking foot for straight line and stitching in the ditch.

You shouldn't have any trouble. If you do, let us know and someone will help.

I don't like rolling my quilts tight as it becomes very stiff and its like moving a log around. I just squish them as tight as I can get them against the inside.

Cathie, I quilt on a regular machine and have used my Brother also, my feed dogs don't drop on it so you have to use the darning plate, I divide my quilt visually in fourths, then working from the middle ,i sew down.stop.then back up top and then continue going middle to bottom , while working to my right out to the edge.then back to the middle then work left, you have to roll your quilt when working left.When bottom half is done turn and do top half. Hope this helps you, I'm sure someone on here can explain it better for you, I could show you better than explain it.Good luck, I'm sure she will love it whatever you do.

9 inches is really a good size! I've done twins on a 5x5. I roll each side and secure with clips and start in the middle and work outward.

I did on a Queen Size quilt on my domestic machine. It was a struggle, but worth it in the longrun. I used the squish method. Rolling it made it stiff and hard to manipulate.

Take a close up look what was done here:

http://www.quiltingboard.com/t-40990-1.htm

it's a beautiful job without stippling.

Jois

9" of space is do-able. i think there are several members who successfully machine quilt on machines smaller than that. my machine quilting is still pretty awful but here are a few things i've figured out as i try to get better. they may not work for you, but they make a difference for me.

1. i roll the part of the quilt that will go through the throat when i'm doing long straight lines. i prop the roll over my shoulder to keep the weight off the machine.

2. if i need to work on an inner section and will need to turn the quilt while i'm "sewing", it's easier if i either scrunch or roll it into a circle around the section i want to quilt. (have you ever seen the paper pouches they use to oven-poach fish on a cooking show? like that.)

3. i had my machine in the bottom right-hand corner of my table. i make sure the space all the way around the table is clear of chairs so that nothing interferes with the movement of the quilt.

4. i try as hard as i can to make the quilt "float above the machine surface. the more weight resting on the machine bed, the more drag there is. if the quilt bunches up too much either behind the machine or to the left, i end up with a "traffic jam". i lose control of the movement and end up with stitches so teeny tiny they are nearly impossible to pick out if it goes too wrong to leave alone.

5. i have not been able to master the skill of moving my quilt around by placing my hands flat on it and sliding it around. even with one of those silicon mats, i can't achieve smooth movement. also, my hands get tired very quickly. so, instead of torturing myself i hold the roll or scrunch up in my right hand while the left is either scrunching some of the excess or it's under the excess, lifting the quilt. (hard to describe.)

6. once i've figured out the best way to hold the quilt, the next critical factor for me is the speed at which i sew. too fast and i not only can't control it but the stitches are waaaaaaaaay too small. too slow and the stitches are huge and the movement gets jerky. (curves become spikes. not attractive. :lol: )

i'd like to believe that my machine quilting would be better if i had a 36" throat. i suspect, though, that it will only improve when i have mastered the art of controlling the sandwich as is passes through and around the machine. until then, i plan to always use threads that match the top and back. that way, the gafooples don't show as much. :hunf: :lol:

^^^Patrice has got a lot of great tips! :D

Patience, those were really good tips. You've inspired me to try again. Thank you. sherry mcd oklahoma

I FMQ all the time I clamp my quilt backing,then batting and top. Pin about every 3 - 4", drop the feed dogs, loosen the tension, set stitches to zero, take the pressure off the presser foot by turning the knob above the needle,put a new needle in, clean & oil machine, test on a scrap quilt sandwich. I roll quilt, start in the middle, I go from center to bottom, re roll, turn quilt go to the center quilt, from center to bottom, re roll it and turn quilt, go middle to bottom, on the width, re roll and turn quilt and go from center to bottom. I always quilt next to quilting and just keep going until it's done, removing pins as I come to them. I wear garden gloves with little rubber nubs and try to keep the speed of the machine fairly fast and try to move quilt at a comfortable speed. Try not to go too fast as you go around, a little faster on straight places. Relax and it will go easier. If this is your first, practice, practice, practice, before you start on your actual quilt. Always stop every so often to get quilt to move freely. I have a glass top table and that makes it much easier. I have made lots of twin to queen size and this works for me. Straight stitching is sometimes the easier method, I don't do it often and don't care so much for it. I hope this works for you.

Thanks everyone. I am going to try it. I think I'll move my machine to a table where I'll have more room and support for the quilt. Got to get the top finished first. I'm getting ahead of myself. I'll post a picture when I'm finished. Be prepared with sunglasses. My granddaughter loves orange!

I have a Juki with a nine inch throat and have quilted all my quilts on it. Most were full size or larger and they all went just fine. Go for it.

I did these 3 quilts on a small machine several years ago. They have been given away, so I can't take closeup photos of the quilting, but you can see some of it. Not award winning quilting, for sure, but satisfactory and relatively painless.

Hi!!! I was just listing some of the ways you can quilt it on a reg sewing machine. I always prefered Free Motion on my reg machines as I do now on the Longarm Free Form.

Make a sandwich and practice on it. The more you do it the easier it becomes. I've done MQ with just a walking foot, there are a lot of continuous designs that if you go slow you can accomplish this. FMQ does have a larger learning curve and patience requirement.

I don't know if there's one quilt I've done that hasn't tried my patience at some point or another. I've learned that if I'm getting frustrated, put it away and come back to it. Sometimes that break clears the mud and I get back to enjoying. If I don't enjoy its WORK and that's nooo fun!!
:-D :-D

OMG, Gorgeous

One more tip:
Use whatever you can to lessen the weight of the quilt.
A table or ironing board will help. One behind the sewing machine and one to the left will really help. If it pulls it will affect your tension and cause big problems.

Havve you checked out http://daystyledesigns.com ?

That is a really neat idea. I never thought of that, doing the quilt in 4 baby-quilt sizes and then put them together. Thanks for sharing that.

I have done queen sized quilting all in one piece on my 7" machines. I'm getting an old Pfaff with 8 1/4" throat today in a cabinet to clean up for quilting though as it is bigger from top to bottom and will have more room and it is only $45.00. Hurrah

I go for the squish method too! Check out Leah Day's video on her website

Oh, and the BIG table to the left really helps too. I have added a rolling office chair when needed to support the quilt

I quilt all my quilts on my Janome 6600. No problem!! Can't afford to pay for long arm quilting and I have done queen size quilts.

I was having the same trouble as you, but here is what I did: I make the quilt sandwich and then cut away the right hand third of the batting only. Use a wavy cut lineand label the top of both pieces of batting. That way you can easily replace the cutout batting when its time. Meanwhile, quilt the center third. You will not have the batting in the throat of your machine as you have cut it out. Turn around and quilt the right side of the quilt. Now, replace the cutaway batting. Whip stitch it exactly in the same place it was before you cut it away. Now you can quilt this third. Easy peasy!

I haven't read the whole thread, but it can be done. I have done all of mine (only six) on my regular sewing machine. Some were baby and lap quilts and a couple of twins; I did do my queen size too. Yes it can be a struggle - even more so if you use a lofty batting. I've used warm & natural is all of mine so I mostly had to deal with bulk from fabric. I rolled my sandwich very tight, worked from the center out and tried to work with the least amount of bulk in the throat.

Wezie: Your purple quilt is beautiful!!!!

Thank you! All of my quilts are "experiments" because I have a need to do something very different each time. That purple one just grew from a few paper pieced blocks.

I wanted Cathy to see the quilting can be done on a small machine, with certain limitations. I can't even begin to describe how much I'd like to have a proper long-arm machine set up. I know just the one I want, too.

I'm a fan of "fluff and stuff" myself. To me, and it's only my opinion, it's just easier all around than trying to roll and clip.

Congraulations Gayle... Two kids to be so very proud of. I am extremely happy with you for the coming home of your daughter, I will keep her in my prayers that she is not pulled back into a second tour anywhere over there. bluestarmom and proud of it.

So that is how you do it. I have a very old Bernina with a 6-1/2" throat. I guess I need to buy a walking foot. I've been sending mine out, I've only made two so far. 8-)

kids quilts are great with a walking foot and the serpentine
stitch (wavy). you can adjust stitch length and width to what
you like. very forgiving to just go along the seams like stitch-in-ditch. even bindings look great with this stitch.

A twin size quilt shuld not be a problem I just finished a king sixe quilt for my bed I did it in several pieces, I did the 12 squares first then added the three borders, I have since bought the 830 bernina , very large arm then just this week finished a kingsize all in one piece

I havent done it yet, but hopefully I will soon. sorry Penny

I have two ironing boards, one to iron, and one that I put at table level on my left side while quilting. It really comes in handy to help hold the weight of the quilt. My machine and table are level (flat bed to sew on) so I slide the board down to fit just under my table.

I to am a scruncher, fluffler, smoosher LOl I bought the bicycle clips and tried rolling, but it just reatrained my movement too much.

You will be fine, i have a Janome 1600 P-QC and it has a 9 inch throat, plenty of room for almost anything.

Sounds like you are starting out right by doing small quilts first. Twin is the size you should try next, so go for it, be brave. Always start in the middle and move toward the edges. I do free motion. Drop the feed dogs and use the darning foot. Another thing I always do it a practice piece. I layer up some extra blocks or just some ugly or plain fabric and practice on it first so I get the feel of the quilting design first. For example I wanted to do grass and I practiced that motion before I did it on my real quilt. Have fun, every quilt is a learning experience.

Just thought of another thing I do when quilting a bed size quilt. My machine is in a table top so I have a lot of space on the table at the same level as the machine. If my quilt is large and heavy I put a small same heighth table at my left to help hold up the quilt.

absolutely stunning, and both of them just yell out loud that they are comfortable, cheerful and what a treat either for yourself or a family member.

Yes, practice, practice, practice.

Have a very sunny and georgious Easter Sunday..