shall I quilt or shall I tie?
 

I finished my DP9 lap quilt and now I'm trying to decide whether to tie it or quilt it. I have only quilted two others, both were smaller than this one. The first one I did not have any problems, but the second one, the fabric seemed to slide and I had to add a strip to the end. what do you'll think? see pic below.[ATTACH=CONFIG]458823[/ATTACH]

I think it will look freat either way!!! Show us when your done!!

Either would be nice, if I were doing it I would quilt.

I don't know. I only tied one quilt the rest I machine quilted.. Either way would woek out well.

It will look lovely either way. Quilting can be very intimidating but remember that practice makes perfect. I still struggle with my quilting so I understand your dilemma. Please post pics when you are done.

I am a quilter...

Your quilt is very pretty, I love the colors. It's your quilt, do what you want to do!!

Its a really pretty quilt. I have had problems in the past with the backing sliding or puckering up when FMQ and what I have done to eliminate that problem is safety pin it ALOT. I have found doing this holds the layers together quite well and minimizing shifting of the fabrics. I would tie it or quilt it whatever you are most comfortable with doing. Good luck!

I tied six Christmas d9p quilts last November. But I backed them in soft, long minky I don't think would have quilted up well. If the back were anything else I'm sure I'd have done some FM practice.

It's a very fun quilt. You did a great job. I would do what you are most comfortable with. You can practice machine quilting on smaller pieces to gain confidence. I know how hard it is to wrestle with a large quilt, especially if you are not experienced in machine quilting. Whatever you decide, it's your quilt, your choice.

[QUOTE=audsgirl;6537134]It's a very fun quilt. You did a great job. I would do what you are most comfortable with. You can practice machine quilting on smaller pieces to gain confidence. I know how hard it is to wrestle with a large quilt, especi

Ditto.

If it were my quilt and I were using thin cotton batting, I'd use the machine and quilt it. If I were using fat, fluffy poly batting, I'd tie it.

It is pretty and will be nice either way.

thanks for all the replies. I'm going to try quilting it, and use the safety pin suggestion by zzmom!

I'm for quilting!

I only tie comforters, as they are usually too thick to quilt.
I only quilt my quilts. Ultimately it is your quilt and you can do whichever you want. It is very pretty.

either way is fine. but if you choose machine quilting, try using elmer's glue to baste as the fabrics will be more stable

It is totally your choice obviously but I would love to see it quilted not tied. Pretty quilt!

I am also only a quilter. I never use fat polyester batting which is the only reason I would tie a quilt. I would stitch diagonally going thru the center of the large squares (known as crosshatching). Very easy to quilt. You could continue out into the borders. Or you could stitch vertically and horizontally. You made a very pretty quilt. Have fun. That is why we quilt !!

There was only one quilt which told me to tie it… it was made of 1" squares (finished) and the theme was Monet's Garden. I couldn't "see" where to put any quilt lines that wouldn't take away from the (finally, after 3 years of working on it) design. My arthritis doesn't allow me to tie knots, so DH did it for me! I used floss and matched the color of each knot to the design color at that particular spot and he did the tying. It was the only "perfect way to quilt it.

I would quilt it. Simple straight line quilting one inch apart would look great on your pretty quilt. But I have had the same problems as you so understand your concern. Pin a lot and use a walking foot.

What about SITD around the border, then tying in the center? It might be that you could use SITD along the edges of the block just to hold everything together securely, then tie in the centers of the blocks (and perhaps the block seams) to add visual interest. Even with all your super colors dancing around the top, the ties would certainly pop out, too! Whatever you decide, you will have a great quilt when you're finished with it.

I personally prefer quilting. To keep your fabric from slipping, make sure you baste it together well. If you baste with safety pins, don't spread them out too much. If it's basted well, it won't slip!!

If it is a coverlet, 52x80, I tie it. I try to find a really nice perle cotton, they have variegated thread now in the Perle, and I double it. With anything over that, I have it quilted by a professional that does beautiful work. It has been a while since I have had to make a huge quilt, but like I said, that size I do have quilted. I like to do the tying down of a quilt. I just got a small quilting frame and I use it to keep the quilt taut and it is easier to tie. Before I used a humongous oval hoop. It works, but is bulky. But for pulling your fabric taut, it works great. I also pin it down from center out to make it nice and smooth and then as I finish a block or area, I remove the pins. I don't baste. Good luck to you. Edie

Well, this has been a learning experience. I did not realize that the thick batting would make a difference. I did quilt horizontal lines and I did not have too many problems. Using the safety pins helped alot. I quilted around the edges of the middle portion. I don't think I will sew any vertical lines. I have not purchased the thin batting for any quilts, mainly because I like mine to be thick and warm. Anyway, for future quilts, I will make better choices :)

ou did a good job. Do whatever you are most comfortable with. If you don't like the idea of the ties showing on the front, tie from the back and the strings won't show on the front.

Nic quilt.

Either one would look pretty....jand work just fine....just remember to pay attention to the distance recommended for quilting space and tie it accordingly. Good luck. PS....have you tried the Elmer's glue method of sandwiching your quilts.....it really works great for keeping things in place....and saves your fingers from all that pinning.

Your quilt your choice, my grandmother tied all of her quilts and I loved them I have tied some and quilt most some machine and some by hand. Just remember if you tie to put a lot of ties in since it really adds another dimension to your quilt also if you tie you may want your ties to show on the back rather than on the front so you have lots of choices to make.

I've never tied a quilt, so of course I opt for quilting, LOL

I would do what you feel comfortable doing. Personally, I don't think I have ever tied a quilt, as I find it easy to just do machine quilting, even if it might be just diagonal rows on the quilt. Personal choice.

Love the top. I would quilt it, if you can. Be sure to show us the finished product.

IMO, it's the perfect candidate for tying.

As a longarm quilter, of course I prefer quilting!! That said, I did a repair for a customer of a quilt made back in the 1970's with polyester squares for the top, polyester batting and cotton backing that was tied with yarn. Many of the ties had pulled through the backing. I ended up putting 19 appliques on the holes with my longarm, sewed some of the seams that had come apart in the piecing and then going over every seam with ~~~~ to keep them from coming apart in the future. I have some quilts my great grandmother made...the quilted ones are still held together with the quilting, the tied ones are falling apart. That would lead me to believe that quilting holds quilts together better...and if I am going to go to all the work to make a quilt, I would like my great-great-grands to still be able to use them.

I had the same problem with the fabric shifting, until I basted with glue. Also, I cut the batting into thirds and machine quilted on my little ol' home domestic machine, and that really cut down on the bulk I had to squeeze through the 'space' on the machine. (sorry, can't think of the word used to describe that open area)
I got the info on how to do all this from this board and I bet with a search, it'll pop up

Nothing satisfies like hand quilting. Sure, it takes longer, but oh the feeling is GREAT!

I would do what you feel like doing . Your quilt is very pretty.

I say its a great one to tie. But whatever you decide. I'd tie it.

I don't know the ultimate destination for your quilt, but I just wanted to say a word about batting. If a quilt is to go to someone who is unable to get out from under the quilt by themselves (babies, elderly, disabled, etc), you should use a batting made especially for them (Dream Angel comes to mind), cotton or wool - never polyester! If there is a fire, polyester melts and sticks to everything, including skin, causing severe burns. Also, polyester is not a natural material and does not breathe like cotton and wool - it traps in the heat (lovely if you live where it is cold) and can over-heat a baby while they are sleeping under it. Like that lovely Minkee fabric...polyester at its finest, is lousy for baby quilts!