Quilting On My Machine
 

I thought I would ask you girls to give your input on this. I sew right now on my brother machine with the regular size neck area. It's not wider like some machines for quilting. I am getting ready to quilt on it, and do you think I can do it successfully? I have quilted by hand, and enjoy it, but I need this one done by Thanksgiving so I need to use my machine.

Also, any tips on how any of you have rolled it as you go along to be able to get it fully quilted on a regular size machine? I have it tacked down, so I won't be doing any quilt as you go, because I had to keep the top as it was made by my brother in laws grandma who raised him.

Thanks to all!

Susan

I did numerous quilts on my regular Brother machine. I just had to roll the right side to be able to fit it thru the machine. It's not super easy, but it can be done.

I have quilted several quilts on my small Brother machine. It can be harded with larger sized quilts. Lap quilts are the largest I don't mind quilting through the small neck space but there are quilters here who have done queen size quilts in their small DSM. First of all, how big is your quilt?

I find it easiest to quilt over all designs on larger quilts. Both of these are about 60"x80" and were quilted with a walking foot.

I found it easier to accordion-fold rather than roll.

I find it easiest to "shove" and "puddle" the quilt:)

i don't roll, i 'puddle' it as i go

You don't need to take the top apart or split the backing to do a QAYG. Before i got my long arm, I would put the top & backing together, but cut the batting in thirds. Sandwich the first piece of batting in the center, roll the excess top & backing up to keep it out of the way. Quilt to within an inch or so of the edges of that piece of batting. Join another piece of batting on by whip stitching or using one of the fusible products made for this purpose. Quilt this section, then repeat for the other side. Rolling just the top & backing up makes a much less bulky object to get under your machine arm. As you add the other pieces of batting, you will only have 1/3 of the quilt under your machine arm at a time.

I don't roll either; I "puddle" (or, I think Leah Day calls it the "smash and flatten" method) - for me that's easier than trying to deal with a roll. You'll figure out what works best for you once you get started, though.

The largest I ever quilted on a small machine was a twin size. It really wasn't bad at all. I didn't have the machine flush in a table or a supreme slider at that time, either, and I still got through it fine - in fact I was really proud of it because the quilting turned out so good! (It was maybe my 3rd quilt.) I did SITD with a walking foot.

The biggest challenge I had was that the machine I was using was too light and kept scooting away from me! I finally used heavy duty double-sided tape to stick it down to my folding table, LOL. (Hey, it was all I could find. And it worked!)

I sure appreciate all of your comments.

I have quilted small things on my machine, and up to a lap quilt. This quilt is probably a twin size, because it will lay across a full size bed of mine, but no over hang at all.

Later I will be attempting to use this machine to quilt a queen size quilt on it even if I have to do the quilt as you go.

I do have two other machines that were my mother's. They are the older heavier machines. One I need to oil, etc. and I have another dad gave me after mom died in a case. I need to look it over good to see what I can do with it.

On this quilt I am just going to do simple straight lines or stitch in the ditch.

Susan, I would definitely look into maybe quilting on your mom's old machines. I am now quilting on a vintage singer and love it with the extra couple of inches of throat space. So much easier!!

I would advise against stitch-in-the-ditch. Very nerve-wracking and slow to do. Straight or wavy lines are fast and easy to do with a walking foot. The nice thing about wavy lines is that they do not need to be evenly spaced apart, making them faster and easier than even just straight lines that are not in the ditch. I will try to attach a couple of examples:
http://www.bijoulovelydesigns.com/20...-tutorial.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvBjmFimpgA

Also, I highly recommend heavily starching the backing fabric and the top before you sandwich. This stabilizes the fabrics so they are much less likely to shift or stretch while you are working, minimizing the possibility of tucks or puckers.

Edit: I agree with accordion-pleating the quilt that is under the arm of the machine. This worked much better for me than rolling. A roll can get somewhat stiff and unwieldy; the loose accordion pleats are easier to adjust as you work.

I do like the idea of the swerving lines.

The quilts you girls showed in the pics above are so pretty, and nice quilting.

Oops. I see you've already tacked the sandwich together. In that case, you can apply several layers of spray starch to top and backing to help stabilize fabrics. A fan speeds drying between layers of spray starch.

Susan- I've always been a hand quilter but am learning FMQ. I am doing a twin size for my brother and it's not too bad at all! I've been dreading it but Ginger's Mom told me to go for it so I am :)
I have a Juki and the harp is about 9 inches. I never thought I could do it but I am!!!!!!!!
So I know you can too. Trust me, I'm very very new at this!
Oh- the puddle method works for me. Also Machingers gloves.

Forgot to mention- I'm doing something like a large stipple. It won't be the prettiest but my brother won't care. He doesn't know anything about quilts except that his little sister is obsessed with them!!

I only roll for Stitch in the Ditch. Anything else I either fold or puddle/push. Check out Ann Peterson's class at Craftsy about quilting large projects on a domestic machine. Lots of good tips.

It can be done, I puddle and jam my quilts, I have quilted a queen size on my Bernia 1008, with a 6 inch throat. It can be done. Oh, this was free motion.

I will let all of you know how it turns out.

Susan, I quilted many large lap quilts to twin size on my Brother SQ9185. It has the regular size harp. I didn't roll the quilt through, I kinda shoved and spread it out as I went along. It was sort of hard in the beginning when starting in the middle of the quilt but got easier when getting to the sides. It is doable. But after about 2 years of doing this I decided to get a Juki with a 9" harp. So much easier on the shoulders and neck. Both SusieQOH and I got out Juki's at the same time and both are starting FMQ for the first time. Good luck and just remember to have fun and enjoy it. It can be done.

If you're planning to FMQ the top, you can turn your machine so that you're actually sewing with the small end of the machine facing you (large/motor end far away from you, towards the top...). This gives you much more side to side room. This works because the hopping/FMQ foot only touches down when making the stitch and the feed dogs are not engaged/stitch length is set to zero.

I have made many quilts and machine quilted them. I decided last week to straight stitch 7 quilt 45x60". The D9P puckered really bad in some areas, I just kept going thinking it would get better it didn't. I was ready to sew on binding. I decided I could not live with it. I have spent several hours the last two days unquilting I will have a couple hours tomorrow to finish it. Then I will FMQ it and that is my usual quilting method. I should stick with that. I was trying my best to do it nicely, I must have stretched it or squares were cut wrong. I will donate these quilts but want to be proud of my work. Good luck on your quilting adventure.

I find working in a small area easier than going across a quilt numerous times - that's too much pushing and pulling for me. I flatten an area under the arm, FMQ it and move on to a new area - maybe 10 inches square. I always turn the quilt as needed so that more than half the quilt is not under the arm. Center to edge, turn, center to edge, turn, etc. My QOV are twin size and it hasn't been a problem. I am a puddle and pusher, not roller.

I like the center to edge then turn, and repeat until finished.

I also feel no matter where my quilt goes for someone else which this one is, or myself, I want to do my best.

All of you have been so helpful, and another big thing is all of you have helped me to feel so much more motivated, and excited about it. :)

I will keep all these good notes from you for all my quilts to come.

This is how I have my Janome 8900 set up...in fact, I had a acrylic table made especially for turning my machine. It works wonderfully.

I also use the puddling method as taught on a Craftsy class I took a few years ago. I've made up to king size on my domestic. The hardest part is sandwiching the quilt in preparation for the quilting process.

Before I got a longarm I quilted many large quilts on my DSM. I couldn't have done it without Marti Michell's book, Machine Quilting in Sections - https://www.amazon.com/Marti-Michell...+marti+michell. She now has a class on craftsy on this subject. In the book (and probably in the class) she shows several different methods of quilting in sections, and explains why each method would be appropriate for different styles of tops. I highly recommend the book, or the class.

I also liked to puddle my quilts.

I am a relatively new quilter; thus, my knowledge is somewhat limited -- I really don't know what I'm supposed, or not supposed to be able to do. My first pieced block quilt (a log cabin) was quilted on my Singer 201-2 (an old vintage machine in tip-top shape!). I rolled my quilt (half of it) and began my stitching in the center of the quilt. My quilt was a very large Queen Size, and yes, it was not easy, but I quilted it SITD, and had no puckers at all. Now, I'm not saying this quilt was perfect -- it wasn't, but I think it turned out pretty good for a "first"! I'll have to resize the photo and re-post later.

JuneBillie - I am in the same boat as you. I need to eventually quilt about a 60 x 60 quilt on my machine and haven't done it before. I'm thinking of doing simple straight lines too. I have a disappearing nine patch pattern and to do stitch in the ditch would be too much. Sometimes it's just taking the plunge and trying it - and that's where I am! The quilt I'm making will be larger than baby size but for a baby.

Before I got my PQ1500s (9” throat) I quilted large quilts on either my vintage Brother or my PC420PRW bother have throats in the 6to 7 inch range. Puddling or accordion folding are the way to go. Also Make Sure you have good support to the back and to the side of your machine, you do not want to have to deal with any quilt drag on a larger quilt, it will wear you out and will also result in ugly stitches whether FMQ or doing quilting using a walking foot or your regular foot.

Rob

Just saw the wavy tutorial - that looks great!

I did not read all of the replies so if I'm doubling up, forgive me. My DDL taught me that when you have the majority of the quilt on the front side of your machine, throw it up over your shoulder to lighten the weight. This helped me. Also, there is a tutorial on Craftsy, which helped me. It is Quilting Large Projects on a Small Machine by Ann Peterson.

I have used my DSM for many quilts, even king size. Paula Reid has a Craftsy class where she recommends smooshing or squishing (technical terms) not rolling your quilt. I adjust my quilts so that I have the least amount of quilt possible under the throat. I adjust my quilt a lot.

More good tips and comments that I appreciate.

Gosh, I thought I posted the picture of the very large Queen size quilt I did on my 201-2. At any rate, here it is. This quilt was 88" X 118".
[ATTACH=CONFIG]583993[/ATTACH]

I anchor my quilt well with about 3 SITD rows each direction, depending on size. If I plan to ditch the whole thing then I might do more. When the quilt is that secure it doesn't matter where you start quilting it. I do as Harriet Hargrave said and start at an edge to the left of the machine. Keep going until you get to the middle and turn. A quilted roll is quite a bit smaller than one that has pins and more maneuverable.

I've quilted a twin size and a queen-size quilt using a quilt-as-you-go technique, and that has worked out for me. Mostly, though, I make lap quilt/throws. An important consideration is the type of batting you use; I specifically use Soft & Bright polyester by The Warm Company -needled and just 1/8th of an inch thick, it just glides through my machine and drapes beautifully, adding just the right amount of warmth and weight to lounge around on the couch or chair with. My machine is a Brother SQ9185 Compterized Sewing and Quilting machine. Good luck!

I learned to quilt on a very small Brother machine. It might have had 5" at best. I machine quilted a queen sized quilt on it. Not saying it was easy, but I did it! I at times rolled a little of the quilt, but found that too stiff to move easily, so found that pooling the quilt with an extra table at the end of my sewing table to support the weight of it to be the best way for me. If your machine is lightweight, use rubber shelf lining under it to keep it steady.

Becky's Crafts, my machine is about like that.

I am going to have to put some of that rubber stuff, because it slides some. I have about 1/3 of the quilt done. I had to stop for a bit due to all the wrestling with it, and my tendon swollen and sore in one hand. (bad arthritis) I think it is a full size, but just didn't have any of the extra strips on all edges before binding. I had some of it over my shoulder at times, and did some quilting in a certain area, and at times I would roll some. I think I did a little bit of everything from everyone's tips. :)

This is one my brother in law had made for him by his grandma, and ask me if I could do anything with it. It was so bad that I kept her top square pieces as she had them, and put a new batting and backing on before doing all the rest. I washed it to begin with. The inside and backing it came with had parts missing. The fabrics she used for the top squares are from stretchy fabrics instead of cottons. It was from what she had a long time ago as many did.

I think he will be pleased to see it when finished though.
I sure am learning a lot from it though. I am pleased with that.