Newbie quilter-quilting on home sewing machine questions
 

This is only my second quilt I've ever made. Aside from squaring up and trimming threads, I'm done with the top. So now I'm trying to figure out how to quilt it.I originally thought I could just stitch in the ditch vertically up the strips and then on each edge of the border. But now I'm reading I need horizontal stitches as well? Is that true? If so, could I just do a few stitches at the top of each rectangle (8 1/2" inches tall)? Or does it need to go across the whole width of the quilt?

Also I would like to do a different pattern for the border to make it stand out, any ideas for something super easy to do on the most basic of sewing machines?

And lastly, if I use a flannel sheet as the batting, how far apart can my stitches be for the quilting?

When I tried to upload a photo it wouldn't let me so for reference, I used the pattern "playing the scales" by happy quilting. http://www.happyquiltingmelissa.com/...-tutorial.html

Thank you!

You may consider exploring some of the decorative stitches that come on your sewing machine. That could be an option for your border area that would add a bit of flare.

my very first quilt was a rail fence and I took a class at the local quilt store. It was lap size and we quilted it on the diagonal about 4 inches apart. Pretty easy and has held up well for over 12 years now.
Just an idea for you.
And welcome to the forum....

Welcome from western NY and happy quilting :)

Assuming that the flannel is made from wool or cotton (i.e. not synthetic), I would quilt it like a cotton or wool batting, which is generally a minimum of 3 or 4 inches apart.

I know others have said that it is necessary to put in "horizontal" quilting and not just have quilting lines in one direction, but I don't quite understand that myself. Quilts made with ties have just tacks at points and no lines at all, and they hold up just fine, so I don't understand why having lines in just one direction wouldn't work, since that's actually more quilting than a tied quilt. If someone wants to explain that to me, I'd appreciate it.

I 2nd the idea to quilt diagonal lines 3-4 inches apart - welcome to the QB!

No reason you need horizontal lines! Look at all the modern quilts that have lovely " channel quilting"!
As for adding photos...this site requires small size ...so what l do is email photo to myself. My email has a " resize" option. I chose medium or small. Then when my email arrives ( a few seconds later), l open photo it and " saveto device".( l use a samsung tablet). That size will post nicely ( chose the icon of tree ( 3rd last) within frame at top of quick reply comment box).

I'm not an experienced quilter, but the suggestion to quilt a flannel sheet at 3 to 4 inches seems excessive. It's not batting, so it shouldn't shift. As long as the sheet is washed and dried a couple of times, it should not shrink any more. I generally use Warm and Natural batting and it says to quilt it 25 cm apart, which is a little more than 9 inches. Why would a flannel sheet take denser quilting than batting?

bkay

It's not the flannel, it's the batting choice that will determine how far apart you can quilt it. Read manufacturer's directions on the batting and follow it. There are a wide range of batting choices, and distances apart you can quilt.

Do prewash/shrink your flannel first!

I've done many quilts on my sturdy little old vintage machine with the feed dogs engaged, but I could do fancier stuff on borders by making multiple trips around the quilt. You can do a lot with an oval that intersects with a diamond and then a row of outline about an inch away from either side.

Do some searches on "continuous line quilt border" or "pumpkin seed quilt design". Even things like little squares aren't so bad because you sew two sides at a time, turn, do turn, etc. and then go around again. You don't outline each and every square unless you are doing freemotion.