My red hat quilt top turned out really pretty, I am very happy with it. My sister Judy said she thought my sister Joan will love it. :-) Well now I quilting it starting in the center & so forth. It was sandwiched at quilt group with the help of some of the other ladies. :? All seemed fine. The quilting started out okay but then I quickly start having trouble with it bunching, puckers uneveness you name it and it seems to be some areas are "Okay". Makes me almost wish I'd never designed/created it. Wish I'd be able to long arm quilt but I had wanted to quilt each block acording to the design of the block, perhaps that is the problem. Maybe I should have just had a single all over design but it wasn't what I had pictured in my head but then this isn't either. :cry: I don't even know if I will let my quilting pals see it when I finished. I don't think I want too my self, soooo ready to be DONE with it. :cry: If I post a pic it will just be blurry my camera isn't cooperating these days. :oops: That is another problem to deal with. And we a skipping Christmas this year, too.

FVG seems to have the right of it. She's certainly had experience with that! :D

Also, I recall reading on another post that the quilts didn't turn out like they thought and were happier with it. Just a perspective you may not have thought of. . .

i am no expert on this. not even close. but i can't help wondering if you need to add some basting to the sandwich. don't we get lumps and bunches because the top and bottom are moving around in different directions to each other, or because they aren't feeding at the same rate?

how lumpy/bumpy is your machine bed? i tape a piece of manila folder and one layer of freezer paper to mine. nowhere near as good as i think one of those silicon mats would be, but it helps me move the quilt around more easily.

AND i'll bet you dimes to donuts it looks better to everyone else than it does to you. :wink:

yOU MIGHT JUST LAY IT ASIDE AND TRY IT AGAIN LATER.
WHEN YOU SAID "SKIPPING CHRISTMAS THIS YEAR" I'M SURE YOU MEANT NOT GIVING GIFTS. SINCE IT IS JESUS BIRTHDAY..NOT OURS......GIVE A GIFT IN HIS NAME TO CHARITY. THAT WOULD MAKE HIM SOOO HAPPY! BLESS YOU!

Deb,
I think we've all "been there, had that problem!" so hang in there. This too will get better. In my case I started pulling the basting pins out as I moved away from the center. No matter how carefully I baste that sandwich there is always a little extra fabric on the bottom. So, pull the pins and shove that fabric on out and away from the center.
Also, When taking a class from Don Lin, he said to only worry about that little bit of quilt that under your needle. I try to make sure that the square foot or so around the needle is smooth, top and bottom, and then quilt away. When I move to the next section I pull the pins, smooth it out and quilt away. And so it goes until I'm at the outside edge and I can breathe again!
I hope you will soon find your own technique that allows you to relax while your working on your project.

I'm sorry to hear you're having a rough time quilting this one. I know it's doubly special since it's for your sister. Maybe before you get too far into it, you might take out the quilting you've done and assess what needs to be done to keep it from bunching. Then start again. Maybe more pins or basting are needed to get a smoother finish. I started over twice before I finally got the last quilt to mind! It was a pain taking it out, but I'm pleased I did. If it's just minor puckering, I usually leave it alone and just hope the recipient doesn't look too closely for mistakes. Luckily, most of my quilts go to people who don't even sew, so the mistakes that glare at me are easily forgiven by them :) Good luck. You do such nice work I know you can make this quilt behave!

Oh can I ever replate--I never could get it right if the piece was more than 36" square. So, I hand it to a quilter now.

Maybe hand quilt it since you want each block to be different?
If all else fails take out what you've done you don't like and leave it for awhile.
I wish you all the luck you need.

I often mix hand and machine quilting. Handwork goes faster than ripping and re-sewing, at least for me.

Deb, if it's not good take it out and do it over. I suggest using some basting spray along with pins or thread basting. Go slowly and don't try to do a large area at one time. I know it's a pain but you will not be happy if you settle for less than you know you want. You can do it although it may not be easy. Go for it girl!

Deb,
Don't be depressed over this...it happens to ALL quilters. It's a matter of thinking through the situation and how it will make you happy. Did you prewash? Are the wrinkles small enough that they will make the quilt look "aged"? Are the puckers really as big as you think or is it the agony of "perfection" dogging you?

Hang the quilt over a rod and let it "hang ease" a little to see if that helps any. Then think about the length of quilting stitches, are they so tight they are pulling your fabric? What foot are you using? Is it maybe displacing the fabrics? (I've had that happen and it really gets my goat!!!!) And get the spray, it's worth the cost to help keep everything in place.

WE all know you can do this and make it a work of art. Put perfection behind you and think about WHO you're doing this wonderful work for, the depression will go away with relaxing and enjoyment!!

Hugs,
Sharon

{{{{{{{Hugs}}}}}}}} The beauty of your quilt comes from the love and heart you've put into it sweety. Puckers or no...that will always show through!!

I am a perfectionist and it seems that I am dissatisfied with every project that I do. I have learned over the years (lots of them) that I am the only perfectionist in my circle of family and friends. No one seems to otice things that look postively glaring to me. Like a lot of others, I have been tempted to fling it across the room or stomp on it or watever. But I find for me, that just setting it aside for a while works just as well as pitching a fit. If you are dissatisfied now, you perhaps will not be encouraged to take it slowly and think that it will be okay in the end. So walk away from it, go have some chocolate, go outside, go shoping, whatever is possible to take your mind off of it even if its just for a little while. Then go back to it. You'll be gald you did. You'll be more relaxed and if you indulge in even a little chocolate, you will fell like you could take on the whole world and still come out on top. Thats my ten cents worth--it was too long to be anickels worth :lol:

Well, just so you know I did baste with those basting pins. Perhapes I should also added some thread basting. I also did take out some of the earliest in the center stitching I wasn't happy with and redid it. However if I stopped and took out everything everytime it wasn't pleasing me I don't think this would ever be finished, so I just did the best I could and kept going. I've done all I can &/or will, it is down to putting the binding on now. Also perhapes this what drove me to take advantage of cyberMonday and go in debt a bit more by ordering me a camera that hopefully I can get some decent pictures with it, to post on here or ebay if I ever try again and succeed in doing something worth trying to sell. Even if it is ceramic ornaments like I sell, when I can. I need to be able to take good pictures. Thanks to all of you for the encouagement. This has been the toughest time I have ever had with a quilt, so much so I even thought about giving it up. However, I have too much invested and I really enjoy the piecing and applique. Now if I can just get better at doing the bigger quilts. So far the smaller things haven't been a problem. Thank you all again. :?

I'm late seeing this post so it may be irrelevant now. I, too, was disappointed with my stitch in the ditch on my last quilt. A friend told me to wash it after I finished all the quilting, and I wouldn't notice the imperfection nearly as much. She was so right! I was thrilled with my quilt after I washed it! (And I pre-wash all my fabric)