I would use fine thread like decobob or invisifil to make less noticeable. Most piecing is not perfect which makes it hard to be perfectly in the ditch

I quilt 1/4" away from the ditch, otherwise it just looks sloppy to me.

Mostly I do FMQ and don't worry about it.

Yolajean, that is so creative and avoids those overlaps on the stitch in the ditch. Will have to give it a try next time.

I find that if I pull the seams apart as I go, I tend to stay in the ditch more.

I also second using a thinner thread that blends when ditching...last time I used a Decobob in a neutral and it turned out well.

Watson

We are so often our worst critics. I believe that almost all of us go out of the ditch sometimes. But, we are probably the only one who will notice (unless you are submitting to a show). The person you are giving the quilt to will be thrilled and will probably never see your 'mistake'. And, yes, we do get better with experience, but never perfect!

I most always use a serpentine stitch right over the seams. Small deviance's don't show and it moves along quickly. Newer machines often have this built in with the quilt stitches, but I have done it on older machines with the triple ZZ elongated. Grabbing both sides like it does, I think it holds the seams together through some pretty heavy use.

Do not do STID and could not ever seem to get it right even with the STID foot. Serpentine stitch is what I do now..

Most of the time I do the 1/4" from ditch....but I like the wavy suggestion. I'll have to try that. When I do st-in-ditch, I go super slow...which is exhausting. We are lucky in that there is more than one way to quilt a quilt.

i have only done straight line and stitch in the ditch quilting. i used a pfaff 1471 ( mid 1980s machine) and i was satisfied with my results.

Be careful that you don't use this with seams pressed open. With that, you are only stitching on the thread, not the fabric, which results in a weak seam.