I have pieced many many quilts but have never quilted one of my quilts. Reading all of the experiences here on this board (which I love, by the way) I decided to take the plunge and try to quilt one. Can someone tell me why my stitches have turned out so tiny??? I have tried everything (including reading the machine manual...last resort). I have changed the tension, the stitch length (have is as long as it will go), the width (wide as it will go). Sewed with a walking foot/without a walking foot, even took the machine apart and cleaned it! WOW, that was a plus for the machine!! Changed the pressure, the tension, everything I could think of and still.....tiny stitches. I'm definitely not happy with the way it looks. It will be an autograph quilt for my grandson's 8th grade graduation, so perfection will go by the wayside, BUT, If I am ever to quilt again, I have to fix these tiny little stitches!!! All advice soooo welcome! I know someone has the answer. THANKS

did u drop your feed dogs?

Are you Free Motion Quilting or ar you doing a straight line or stich in the ditch? If we knew we might be able to make some suggestions.

Sheila

No.....would that have changed the size of the stitch?

No free motion....not that brave yet! Just straight line and then I also tried stitching in the ditch.

Ah yes--we need more information. Free motion is one thing, walking foot attached to machine properly is another. Also, do tell us what type of machine.....we all have been there done, this thing called first quilt and we want to help. Quilting ones own pieced quilt top is the frosting on the cake. What an accomplished feeling it yields. Do not, I repeat do not let this discourage you.

I remember one time I did not hook that bar "thingie" to the needle and nothing worked. Took me three hours to figure that out. LOL Then when I got my new Bernia820 I again forgot to hook the the back "thingie" when using the walking foot attachment. Go figure! LOL Hopefully, we can help you. Good luck and let us hear from you once again.

OK~~~my machine is an older Janome~~~~nothing special, does have some decorative stitches, I love the machine, it has always performed very well. I know it's not the machine!!!! Has to be ME!!!

The walking foot worked OK, it just made the same tiny little stitches!!!

The reason I wondered about the shank being hooked up in two places properly is because it may not be pulling the fabric through in an even manner. I assume you have machine set on a larger stitch length? Maybe try it on basting length. Who knows, perhaps machine had a hiccup and is stuck on small stitching. Now I do not have Janome, does the walking foot have its plastic feet still applied on the foot bottom? Sometimes these break off if they are not made of metal? You might want to check Internet for these same problems with your machine model number. Good luck.

Just for grins: What happens to stitch length when you change it on regular pieces of fabric? Does it change?

What batting are you using? Does the sandwich travel easy through the machine, or do you have to pull and tug?

I agree with these questions. Make sure that the machine stitches normally on two pieces of fabric first. If that's okay, then I wonder if the batting is too thick for the machine to handle.

Are you supporting the weight of the quilt? Is the quilt bunching up so it's not moving freely under the needle? My quilting area is very small and if the quilt bunches up against the back wall it doesn't move freely and my stitches are very small. (hope that made sense) I also use my ironing board to help support the weight of the quilt on the side by me so there's no extra tension or pull on the quilt. This also affects the size of my stitches.

Take that piece out and try a regular piece of fabric to see if it is the machine or the bulk of the fabric causing the tiny stitches. If it is the machine it is possible that the bobbin is hanging up somhow. I have to ask, did you put the foot down while changing the tension? If you didn't, it didn't change a thing. It has to be down to change it.
Also, check the way the thread is being held all along the line of the machine. Sometimes it accidently gets stuck somewhere, or the tension disks need cleaning with apiece of dental floss. All else failing the machine is just not happy with the density of the quilt. Oh one more thing... open up the machine and clean out any threads hanging around that don't belong there.

I was having a problem yesterday with little tiny stitches. I was so frustrated. I turned my machine off and when I came back and tried it again, it worked fine. Why? Who knows.

It was the quilting fairy. She waved her magic wand over your machine and fixed it.

Are you using the walking foot with the feed dogs dropped? It could be that the quilt sandwich isn't feeding properly. Make sure the dogs are up.

Oh, and something I'm always doing--Once I've positioned the quilt sandwich to begin sewing, it's often so thick that I forget to lower the presser foot bar. You'd know if you were doing that pretty quick though...the bottom thread is all loopy and the machine complains.

Yes, the stitches DO change with 2-4 thickness of fabric and the batting is the thin batting that JoAnn's sell by the yd off the bolt. The sandwich does not travel easily, I would stop about every 4-6 inches and straighten the fabric and adjust the weight (it is just a lap quilt) and I did make sure the presser foot was down! Maybe the machine just cannot accomodate the sandwich. I have done a Quilt as you Go with flannel batting with no problems.
Thanks for your help>>>always enjoy your comments on the blog!!

Yes! Supported the weight and adjusted every 4-6" of sewing. I'm drawing the conclusion that the problem could just be the weight not allowing the sandwich to move. Thanks for your help!

I had a similar problem when quilting a Downy quilt. My batting was pretty heavy and weighed my quilt down too much. I had to put on rubber gloves and 'help' it along. This helped. also I put my quilt on a couple of phone books to further reduce the drag. Will never use that batting again! Hope you figure out what did it. Let us know.

The stitches are fine with 4 layers of regular fabric. I did change the tension with the foot down....but, good point! Easy to forget. The machine did get a good cleaning but your idea about the thread sticking is something I didn't think of!!!!! Will try that....thank you so much!!

Gosh, I hope the quilting fairy stops by at my house tonight!!!
(Probably get the tooth fairy instead

:lol:

OOOOHHHHH......PHONE BOOKS!! Now there's an idea! Thanks. The batting I used was really just about as thin as it comes but I will try the books to easy the drag.

What are feed dogs and where is it?

Aren't they those little four legged creatures that bark for treats???

Actually, they are the "teeth" under the presser foot that moves your fabric along as you are stitching.

My machine did that once. Anyways, it turned out to be the weight of the baby blanket and it not moving freely. Hope you get yours figured out.

What kind of walking foot are you using. Is it made specifically for your machine or is it a generic "brand"

The walking foot came with the machine. So, I'm thinking it is the weight. Thanks!

At this point, I believe that is my problem as well, even though I used a very light weight batting.

I agree with turning it off and on again to see if the stitch length resets.

Hi I want to read this thread, when I have more time.

I love reading this thread, thanks