Quilting on home machine
 

I read all the posts on the QB for stitch in the ditch, watched YouTube videos and read several blogs about it. I had done SID on my very first quilt- Convergence by Ricky Tims- what was I thinking! So I am thinking this can't be too hard since the little quilt is about 30" X 40". I glue basted and it looked so good. Changed the needle on machine to a quilting needle, put walking foot on and some soothing music. Starting in the middle and working my way out was working pretty well. But as I worked my way around the quilt, puckers appeared here and there on the front! Seam ripper and I bonded even more yesterday. I stuck it out and finished but certainly way below my standard of approval. Will put binding on tonight and wash. Has anyone experienced this frustration with SID? What other resources would you suggest to improve on this? I spent 4 hours- yes, four hours on this little quilt! And at the end, I feel more relief than it being a learning experience and it certainly was not fun.

SID takes time and practice, just like any quilting does. It will be easier the more you do it. I like SID on small projects because doesn't take anything away from the fabrics or the design of the project. Sometimes, things can be quilted too much.

Try lengthening your stitch length a bit, turn in different direction with each seam- don't do everything vertical then try to do all horizontal... do one vertical, one horizontal, etc till done ( I also reverse direction- top to bottom, right to left, bottom to top, left to right) that helps keep things even. And practice. Are the things that have worked for me.

use quilting gloves and spread the seams out with your two hands as you move down the seam.

I just found this site for machine quilting tips. Just 6 little tips. Maybe they will help you. I know I'm going to try several of the suggestions. I stink at machine quilting. And it stresses me out to no end. Especially since I spend a lot of quality time cutting, trimming and piecing. I just want to quilt without wanting to wring my quilt within an inch of it's life. lol I know, practice makes perfect.

https://beechtreelanehandmade.com/20...hine-quilting/

I find it easier to FMQ than to stitch in the ditch.

I am like Pocoellie, I have more control with FMQ than with SID. I love straight line quilting but also is so much easier than stitch in the ditch IMHO!

I was having that problem too & I'd been using a walking foot & my quilt was spray basted well. I read a tip that suggested to ease up the pressure on the pressure foot & that worked well for me.

Recently on the Singer Featherweight site a member posted that she uses the zipper foot (the kind that has a moveable ankle on it) and lowers the pressure on the top and finds that stitching slowly she has more visibility and control for SID. I haven't tried it yet, but it is worth considering. When I start SID I think it's going along pretty good...but then I come to where my seams are pressed in the opposite direction... and I end up with a zig and a zag where I don't want them.

Four hours doesn't seem too bad, especially for a first attempt. FYI... "Quilting Needles" are designed for FMQ, to go around curves. I use a Microtex needle for straight line quilting; others prefer to have one needle for every type of sewing/quilting project & use a Top Stitch. Size of needle depends on the thread.
I set tension to 3, stitch length to 3mm & because I use a high loft batting (Warm & Plush), I have to adjust the balance on my Bernina 350 (I don't have an adjustment for pressed foot tension or that's probably what I'd do). Also, slowing down the speed of your machine (by slide/button or with a shin for speed pedal) will help reduce the pulling/pushing of moving the Quilt through the machine, even with a walking foot or dual feed.
The other thing that can cause puckers is if the quilt isn't properly supported during quilting. You want it fully either up on top of or suspended above the table; ideally, flush with the machine bed. If it hangs off the table, that can cause the fabric to slightly stretch or pull, creating puckers.

Good job finishing your first quilt! It really does get easier next time!

I agree with IQ2. What works great for me is sew just a few inches at a time, spreading the material out in front of and behind the needle using my thumbs and index fingers, with hands flat as possible and all fingers spread out. If I see that I may be approaching a pucker (like possibly 8 or 10 inches away), I can kind of manipulate the top fabric over the bottom and ease everything to eliminate the problem. Yeah, practice. =)

Use a twin needle with one not threaded for straight stitching. I do all my quilting on my home machine. I do crosshatching. The best quilting design for most pieced quilts. Everyone says I love your quilting.

Thanks to everyone for your suggestions. I discovered that my walking foot was a little off so that probably caused the puckering on just the top. I had missed a section that I discovered after trimming up and had to put the walking foot back and on and what a difference. I will look at different needles, too. I looked at my Craftsy freebie classes and lo and behold there is one for machine quilting. So I will spend the time to watch that too. I did purchase gloves today so next time I am more ready and hopefully it will go much better.

I do a lot of stitch in ditch quilting but next time I'm thinking about stitching just on the side of the ditch. That way things might not be so noticeable when I get out of the ditch. I've seen this done on other quilts & I like the look.

SID without puckers requires a lot of prep work on the sandwiching. It sounds to me that your sandwich was not as taut as it should have been. Check out some tutorials on making a taut sandwich and you should be fine next time.

Thank you so much or posting. Never knew about quilting needles.Gonna try.

I do not like SID; I cannot, for the life of me, stitch a straight line when trying to do this. I decide on a wavy line or some other more relaxed line of stitching and go with it. If there are pictures in the fabric, I go around those. Animals are fun.

I took a class once on FMQ and machine quilting. If you are doing only SID, start at the top in the middle, SID down. Turn quilt around, start row next to one you just did, SID that row in opposite direction, and keep alternating from center to the right, or in other words advance to next row to your right until all rows from center to right are done. Then start again with row next to your very first row you have SID, turn quilt around so you go center to right again, row by row.

If you want to do an all over FMQ, say feathers for example, then first stitch down your rows with water soluble thread, then FMQ your feathers all over. Once washed your water soluble thread is gone. I did a queen size Drunkard's Path on my Viking Diamond Deluxe once. Puckers in the rows disappear after the wash. Feathers were the only quilting.

Instead of gloves I use Stitch 'N Grip pads. Bigger one for right hand, smaller for left.

I prefer to stitch about a 1/4" away from the seams. I like that look better.

I use a stitch-in-the-ditch foot for this. It has helped me keep it in the ditch much better.

I've found that walking feet that have a hook that goes *around* the needle screw work better than walking feet that have an arm that sits on top on the needle screw. The ones that sit on top tend to get stuck up and then I get puckers unless I keep them super well oiled