Hello,

I am a Tennessee Vol. I have been sewing for many years, but I have never machine quilted a quilt. Where do you start on a quilt when machine quilting?

Tennessee Rose

I am in the same boat. I also want to start machine quilting. But the couple times I have tried. I did not like the results.

I have taken several classes making blocks, but I have never quilted. My grandmother quilted with her hands. I do not have time for that. I need a dummy book on quilting.

You start in the middle and work outwards.

Thank you so much.

There are many places on the internet that have beginner tutorials (free) that might be helpful. One such website is
http://www.victorianaquiltdesigns.com/

Me too.

So far I have only done stitch-in-the-ditch and straight-line grid quilting. Have not ventured into free motion but that's my goal for this year.

I roll up half the quilt and start in the center working along the lines to the edge. Then I reroll the quilted side and do the other side. Same with the other direction. I actually like the way they come out and they wash fabulously, but then, mine are utility quilts - no muss no fuss.

OK...even though you did say you were a Vols fan...and I'm a Memphis fan...I will help you just as if you hadn't told me... :lol: :lol: :wink:

When machine quilting...I generally loosely wad up one side of the quilt...stuff it into the throat of the machine and start with the straight line quilting in a place fairly close to the middle of the quilt. I do all the straight line quilting first- from the center sections outwards. This "locks" the fabric in place so to speak for me. After I have all the sections straight line (in the ditch) quilted, I will go back to do my other designs.
Good luck with your quilt...would love to see your pics of it!

I always start in the middle and work my way out.

Thanks for your information on machine quilting. This seems to be the best advice I have received.

By the way................I am a Vol Fan, but I'm not a hater of other Fans. I'm so glad that you helped me even though we may be rivals.

God Bless

When I machine quilt, I sew in the ditch down each side to anchor it first. Then I fold it so that I have a section to work on and go from there. As I finish a section, I refold the quilt to do the next section.

:)

Thank you for the information.

Have a good day.

I can see that you are a serious quilter. Thanks for the info.

Have a good day.

For those of you that are just starting machine quilting:

If you find that you really, really just like making the tops, it is ok to have someone else quilt them for you. The quilts get finished, and you get to move on to a new project. Some people get their joy in finding the right fabrics and in putting the tops together. I struggled for a long time trying to wrestle tops in my home machine. I wish someone had told me sooner that it was ok to find a partner in the project!

The other thing about this is, you'll have input to help in making your quilt-making better. Let her/him know you are open to suggestions and critique. When I finally started sending my tops to a long armer, I found that some of my troubles in quilting on my home machine were construction issues on the top. My LAer made me a better top maker.

Try to quilt a quilt on your own, AND hire someone to quilt a different top. You'll then have the information you need to set YOUR priorities!

Disclaimer: I'm a LAer now. But I did give this same advice years before I started LAing!

Use a walking foot and do a grid, center of quilt first.
I do free motion on the borders cause all your quilt is to the left of the machine so its not to hard to handle that way. Use a simple continuous line stencil like leaves or hearts.
I hope you have a large throat sewing machine, it makes so much difference when stuffing the quilt thru.

I just plunged right in last night. This is all new to me. I actually machine quilted on a small 30X30 wall hanging. I was pleased. With more practice I'm sure I'll get better. I had trouble keeping my stitches the same length, using a fab-u-motion attachment.

The advice I can give you is this:

*It is going to take practice.
*Make sure you can lower or cover your feed dogs.
*Have a walking foot and a darning foot.
*You HAVE to have a machine with enough throat space. For my birthday my DH bought me a new machine with 9 inches of throat space. SO EASY TO QUILT NOW!!
*Buy some good books about machine quilting. I love my books.

Good luck with it. I can stiple and meander, and am learning free motion with designs and such. The hardest for me is relaxing my shoulders..and getting the stitch speed/hand movement speed in sync.