Straight-line machine quilting technique
 

I just posted this question on another thread showing a beautiful english paper-pieced quilt that was done with cross-hatching of the white background but stopped where it meets applique'd pattern of a different color. I'm wondering if most people pull threads up to bury the knot after each stop? I would like to know how that is done and how many people do it vs shortening stitch length or doing a back-stitch. The post today entitled "english paper piecing" looks as tho the knots were buried. I love the look but honestly can't see myself doing row upon row and burying the thread at each stop. Would love to know what that is like to do and also your preferred method.

I usually quilt in lines that go entirely across the quilt--edge to edge---so o don't have many stops/starts in the body of the quilt. But when I do have them, I take the easy way of back stitching a stitch or two and clipping the threads. My quilts are not going to be show quilts so I am too lazy to bury the thread knots. I don't think anyone other than a quilter would ever notice especially after the quilt is washed.

mea12, I am so glad you asked this question. Would you please direct me to the pics of the quilts you refer to? Also, are we talking about quilting on a domestic machine or long arm? Thanks

I am lazy..I don't ever expect to enter a quilt into a show so I backstitch just a bit if I know the line isn't going to be crossed by another line of quilting or buried in the binding.

I use very thin thread when I do machine quilting so the backstitching doesn't pile up to show a knot. I spent hours knotting and burying thread ends on a quilt once only to have them work out over time. Never again. If the quilt is to be used, buried don't always stay buried.

I think that burying the knots works a lot better with batiks because of the tight weave. A lot of brand name quilt fabrics aren't that tightly woven and it's very tedious to make a knot that actually pops through, as opposed to gliding through. My current project has a batik back, and it's going swimmingly. I also think it matters if your thread is matching or not. On my current one, I have the top and bottom threads matched to where I am on the top, which makes the quilting show up hugely on the dark backing, but also it makes an interesting pattern on the back. I wouldn't want to use the short stitches there because they'd be too obvious.

hugs,
Charlotte

If I were hand quilting, when I came to the applique I would carry my thread between the layers to my next point to start quilting; however, since I quilt with a longarm machine I would quilt up to the applique, stitch along side of the applique to the point of my next crosshatch line and begin stitching again. I would match my thread to the background fabric color. If the backing is a printed fabric wonderful(!) but if it is a solid color I just hope for a beautiful stitched design to show. When I do need to stop a stitching line I either take tiny stitches, backstitch two or three stitches, or tie off and bury the ends (weaving the ends thru the batting and in a direction that my next stitching will stitch over them to help secure the ends.

When hand quilting, I take the thread out two or so inches from where I stopped going through the batting. Then knot, and hide the tail. Going through the batting keeps the knot from popping out on top again.

I backup my stitches usually a ditch where it won't be seen.