Piecing Help
 

Hi all, I have started piecing a quilt while in lockdown. But I need your help. I am making 2.5" half squares. But I'm having the inevitable issue of getting getting the little bunching on the first few stiches, you know when the little corner gets pulled down inside the needle plate as the needle lowers.
Someone said, use a "cast off" scrap and sew off of the scrap onto the pieces your sewing. That works a little but there must be a better way.

Glad to know all my fellow Babylock brethren.

Craig

Welcome to the board Craig! After you send one pair through lead by that little piece of scrap, always follow with another pair and another pair, always leaving something under the foot. Many of us keep things going this way calling it leaders and Enders. As thread has gotten more expensive it is one way to avoid waste.

sewing class taught me to always hold onto the top and bottom thread in my fingers when starting out, does the same thing.

My machines are older - I also hold the two threads to the back when I start stitching - for two reasons - so the needle does not unthread and to minimize those terrible starting stitches

I have to start by lifting my presser foot and needle up, placing a little scrap (leader) right under my needle, lower the foot, be sure I’m holding my thread tails in the back, and stitch to the edge of that scrap. Then I can feed my sets of pieces through, one after the other, with only two or three stitches free between each set. (Chain piecing)
When I am done, I finish with another scrap (Ender), stitch across that scrap and leave it in place, with my needle down.
I just have a little pile of offcuts to the right of my machine to use. Others are organised enough to cut their “scraps” in to 2.5” squares, so their leaders and enders wind up being the beginning of a 2” square scrappy quilt.
This has definitely saved me a ton of wasted thread. I also don’t have a bunch of thread trimmings all over to clean up.

Another option is when starting out is to start about 1/4 inch in from the tips of the fabric, take a few stitches and then back stitch to the point and then stitch forward. This is a bit bulky sometimes, so my personal preference is to either use a spider or hold the thread tails to the back of my work when starting out, and using a single hole stitch plate if possible.
Good luck, welcome to the board, and post pictures!

Are you using a single hole needle plate? That always seemed to be the easiest thing to do IMO.

Just want to say welcome to the board, you are going to love it here. Everything that I would suggest has already been said.

Welcome from Michigan!:)

When I have trouble stitching, I place newspaper under project to stablize. Then just tear it away.