I am now at the point where I'm ready to machine quilt my project. I have pin basted the quilt...only have 80 pins...so I had to make then stretch in order to get the whole quilt done. For those of you who machine quilt, I have a some questions. 1. Do you remove the pins as you quilt? 2. How do you start and stop your stitching? I don't have a frame or clips for holding the rolled sides of my quilt, so how do you go about holding the rolled sides? My machine is a basic Brother sewing machine so my work surface is very small on the machine. I have magazines stacked all around the arm or my machine and seems to be working, but my space is still very small. The desk my machine is on is also small, maybe double the size of the machine, so I'm just trying to figure out the best way to work with the machine and the quilt, KWIM?

Any advice on machine quilting, I would love to hear. Thank you, you all are great!!

I don't roll my quilts I just drape them over me and move them through the machine. Getting quilting gloves helped me a lot. When I start I pull up my bobbin thread and then do 3 or 4 stitches in the same place to anchor my thread and do the same 3 or 4 stitches at the end. I try to start from the middle and work my way out. I don't know how big your quilt is buy 80 pins may not be enough. Maybe you should baste it to. I like basting spray so I don't have to do that. Good luck and keep us posted.

I did use basting spray before pinning. What do you mean pulling the bobbin thread up? Could you explain that a little more to me? If you don't roll, doesn't the quilt just bunch up between the needle and the machine?

It's best to use a walking foot and yes, you do remove the pins as you come to them.

I have found that accordion-pleating works better than rolling for fitting the quilt under the arm of the machine. Just make loose accordion-type pleats the height of the space and don't worry about securing them.

I prefer to start at one side of the quilt and work to the other side so that there are no loose ends to bury, but this won't work with all patterns. There are two different ways to secure threads if you have to being or end in the middle of the quilt. One way is as mentioned -- making several tiny stitches in a row almost in place. The other is to hand-weave the threads into the quilt after you are done. There may be a tutorial on this on the website; it's best to use a side-loading hand needle (so you don't have to thread an eye) for this method.

Bringing the bobbin thread up means that, when you are starting a line of stitching, you make just one stitch first and then raise the presser foot and tug on the top thread to bring the bobbin thread up. You secure both threads together on your finger before lowering the presser foot and starting to quilt. This ensures that the bobbin thread does not create a thread nest underneath or get tangled up in the first few inches of quilting.

You might want to secure your magazines and place some vinyl over them to make a smoother surface. See this Youtube video on how to create a good surface for machine quilting:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g14govA4pIM
The vinyl is very inexpensive at Walmart.

How is the machine quilting coming along? :D

I have started it, and I'm using my walking foot. Take a little getting used to. I would love a pair of quilting gloves but hubby won't let me spend any money on my crafts right now, so I've done this quilt with everything I already have. It's coming along slowly but surely. Thanks for asking!!

I have heard of people using rubber gloves or gardening gloves to quilt. If you have a clean pair of either of those laying around, they might work.

I always use gardening gloves With little rubber nibs - they are much easier on your hands and I couldn't quilt without them, quilt is almost impossible to move without them.