Hi - I am new here and new to quilting. I took one class earlier this year and made a sampler quilt.

I am hoping that someone here can solve my dilemma. So here goes. I went to a quilting shop and fell in love with a quilt that was on display for upcoming classes - so I signed up. However, I discovered after I got started that working with chenille is rather challenging. Cotton is flat and easy -- chenille is lumpy and bumpy and a bit stretchy. The chenille is in 12 inch squares.

Anyway, I got the top finished and then I decided to safety pin the layers together and stitch in the ditch. But things are not going well!! The quilt is just a single bed size but I am getting bogged down with that "sausage" that you have to roll up when you are working on one end of the quilt. Then, if I go horizontally one way (across the short side) - I have this huge sausage and when I get to the end and try to turn - well I just about tear my hair out trying to pull the "sausage" back through the machine to go in the opposite direction.

That problem, combined with the face that when I sew on the chenille, it tends to bunch up ahead of me and creates a lump at the end of the 12 inch square - I am ready to tear my hair out!!

Is this just a problem that you have to cope with when you are trying to stitch in the ditch on a regular sewing machine - or is there an easier way to do it?

I really appreciate any help more experienced quilters can give me.

Not sure how to help you as I tie all my quilts and I'm still quite new. Hopefully someone can help you out, But I'd sure like to Welcome you from Washington :D

Hi and Welcome from Smokey Southern California. I have never worked with Chenille, but do you have a walking foot on your machine? If not that may help with the layers bunching up as is helps to feed the top layer in as the feed dogs feed the bottom layer.

This might have required some fairly close basting before trying to quilt it by machine.

Not much help with the quilting part, but i have made several quilts with chenille and flanel and I always tie those. That has worked great with mine.

Welcome from Washington. Good luck on your quilt. I'm no help unfortunatly.

Welcome from Dallas, Texas

I agree on the walking foot and basting really close. Lots of pins or hand basting. I'm not that experienced with glue basting to know how well that works on something like this.

Tying might have worked out better with this project.

Worse case scenario - take out the machine quilting and tie it.

Another learning experience!

Are you sewing all chenille or do you have other fabric with it? If you are attaching chenille and other fabric a tip is to sew with the chenille down and use the walking foot.

I think this is good advice. Until you are more experienced with chenille, perhaps tying is a good idea. I would think the tied floss would look nice with the chenille. I, too, have trouble with the "sausage" but one thing I've learned is I don't try to turn. I end my stitching and get that direction later when I have rolled it the other way. Congratulations for your determination. Let us see pics when you are done.