Quilting: Inside to Outside, Or Outside to Inside?
 

Do you quilt from the inside to the outside, or from the outside toward the center? Why?

~ C

I start in the center and work my way out, generally speaking. I have started on the outside and worked my way in before, only to end up with a slightly baggy center because things shifted (or maybe stretched) slightly despite being glue-basted.

Plus the center is the hardest to reach, so I like to get that done first.

Start in the center. Any shifting will work its way to the edges. If you start on the outside you may end with too much or to little in the center

i agree with sewnoma

I'm on a marathon of watching various classes right now and one of the teachers suggested that you should quilt from the outside in. "Interesting," I thought, since I always go from the center out. She works on a grid, using SITD on the boarders first, then the rows of blocks, always working toward the center. She does spray baste and set it with the iron, so the sandwich is very secure. I haven't finished the video, but so far, it appears that she doesn't have any issues with is puddling up in teh center. The reasons she does this is 1) you don't have a lot of bulk in the harp of the machine until you get to the center. 2) You assured that your borders are nice and straight, with no wavy edges.

I haven't tried this method yet. I may try it on something small, like a pillow cover, or crib quilt and see how it works out.

~ Cindy

I usually start at one side and move vertically - seems to be easier on my old Kenmore that doesn't have a large harp, although I find myself quilting towards me on the first go-round and away from me on the second. Guess I'm just used to it.

I start in the center, go down to bottom. Start in the center again, go to the top. Again start in center go to right edge. Again start in center, go out to left side. Then I quilt each quarter, always quilting next to quilting.
After a couple hundred quilts it always works for me.

I remeber hearing Barbara Barber from Great Britain speak at a guild meeting once. She said she'd start in a lower corner, perhaps right side and work her way across. She said where will judges' eyes go? To the center, first but not probably to a lower corner. This stuck with me since it seemed so unconventional at the time and she had won ribbons at major shows.

When I plan to do my quilt on my DSM, I glue baste the quilt and let it dry completely. I learned from Cindy Needham (and other) to stabilize with STID. I do that from the center out horizontally and vertically. I do it with the 100% cotton thread I plan to use on the back in the bobbin and an appropriate color of Bottom Line on the top. This completes a grid quilt. There will not be any moving in the grids. Then, I quilt wherever I choose. If I have a difficult motif in multiple places, I can do all the hard stuff and then go to easier stuff. I have done this on small and king sized pieces and it works well for me.

I use the board method with pins and I quilt any place I please. I don't use a lot of pins, but nothing shifts as long as the back isn't fleece. Fleece seems to pull up somehow. I had to trim an inch off two Christmas quilts because the fleece was smaller than the top after it was quilted. Why? No puckers or full spots, so who knows.

Yes, I start in the center and work my way out. Doesn't matter if I am hand sewing or using the machine, I start in the middle and work my way out.

Like Sewnoma and Quiltnan, I start from the center and work my way out...I would be curious to know what tutorials Tropit is watching that shows outside/in.

That is basically the method that I use.

I've always been told to start at the center to avoid bunching.

I took this class too and have completed several large, including King sized, with this method without a ripple or a pucker in any. It has worked very well for me.

I spray baste the quilt sandwich first and then pin the four corners and a few along all four sides to insure the edges are taunt and won't come loose during the quilting process.

I begin with stitching a plus sign down the center of the quilt if there are rows that allow me to stitch in the ditch. Now the quilt is divided into 4 sections. I will continue to sitd from the inside out using the plus sign is my guide until my rows of blocks are done. If there are borders, I sitd those last. I can quilt all over designs or individual blocks and not worry about shifting. I read this method on a blog years ago.

Hi jmore,

I'm watching, "Small Machine, Big Quilts, Better Results," with Ann Petersen. I'm not finished watching it yet, but I think that I've gotten through the chapter explaining why she starts from the outside. Her idea is that she doesn't want to try to squeeze all that bulk of the quilt into the harp of the machine, like you would if you started in the center. She stablizes the whole thing first with stitch in the ditch, so each section is going to stay put, so no worries. This also leaves a straighter, outside edge because if started in the center, there might be some fabric pushed out to the sides and borders would be misshapen with all that quilting and shoving things around.

I'm also taking another class with Marti Michell that explains techniques on how to divide the quilt up and quilt as you go, so you don't have to deal with all that bulk. With her method, you can also start your quilting anywhere you want.

~ C

I'm intrigued by the idea of setting the spray baste with the iron. Did she demonstrate any particular kind of spray? I may have to give this a try.

From center out, you can smooth as you go to the outside.

She did, but I don't recall the brands...sorry.

~ C

I have a sit-down George by APQS with a 20" throat. I quilt from the inside towards outside. I usually quilt in quarters so there is not so much fabric to maneuver, especially if it is a larger quilt. I have done a queen size that way with no problems. Kathy

Inside toward ourside.

It depends a bit on what it is I am quilting but I usually start at one end and work to the other end instead of inside to outside. I am not trying to win awards - I don't see well enough to do very fine work. If you've basted enough, it shouldn't really matter where you start.

I cannot SITD; my work is too "wobbly" to look good.

I do from center to outside. Just the way I learned, and knowing me, I would over think going from outside in.

I believe Ann Peterson uses 505, which is what I use and always set it with the iron before quilting. It also gives you the opportunity to correct any wrinkles, folds or puckers that may become apparent that were created in the sandwiching process as the spray baste still allows for repositioning.

If you SITD with invisible thread, no one will ever see your wobbles and it gets better with practice!

I generally do straight line quilting first and begin with something edge to edge. Smaller details and fmq are added later.

If you use a wash away basting thread it does not matter how wobbly your STID is because it washes out when you wash the quilt.