straight line quilting
 

I am going to do some straight line quilting on my machine. Do I start in the middle and work myself to the outside or go on either side going to the other side? I have glue basted and have decided to try this and not handquilt. Thanks for any comments.

I always start in the middle. Not sure if it makes a difference but that's what I have always done.

I start in the middle, and use a walking foot.

Always start in the middle using a walking foot. If you are doing straight parallel lines follow same rule as sewing up one way down the other. Make sure you also stop with needle down every time. I usually go from centre north south east and west then quilt rest.

I ususally start in the center and work out all four directions. and then alternate the direction of the stitching for the rest. That said- when using spray basting I do not think it really matters since the spray basting tends to hold the quilt top in place and it will not slide/move much during quilting. Also I just use my regular sewing foot when straight line stitching/SID. I can raise the pressfoot tension so I don't see much difference when not using the walking foot.

All of the above is true BUT when I do kid's donation quilts (and I do a lot of them!) I simply start at one side and work in. The next line I reverse (just like in piecing long strips of fabric.) and my quilting always comes out really well. :)

I never start in the middle and I always sew from the same side. As long as it's really well basted you don't have to start in the center.

I also glue baste with glue lines about 3" apart....I always start on one corner and go all the way across....and then go same direction with next line until I get that side done, then flip quilt around and do other side....if you have basted well enough, you will not have problems

First I would have spray basted, then I would start at the edge about 1/2 way along the side and go across.
Next. 1/2 way across the end and go the full length.

After that I would continue on, wherever logical. As I get to the edge then I travel/stitch along the outside edge that will be covered with the binding to where I want to stitch next. If that's too far away, then I'd lockstitch leaving ends to bury. Then go to the next spot and start again. And so on!

I am amazed at all the recommendations to start in the middle when machine quilting!

With traditional hand quilting in a hoop, it was advised to start in the middle to work any fullness out to the edges. When hand quilting on a frame, however, quilting was done along an edge and the quilt was rolled as quilting was finished.

With machine quilting, assuming the quilt is well-basted, it is not necessary to start in middle. Especially with straight line quilting, starting at one edge and sewing to the other edge is a well-established technique. Starting in the middle is to be avoided as much as possible because of the problem of burying ends -- which is very time-consuming. It's possible to make several tiny stitches at beginning and end so hand burying thread is not necessary, but these stitches do show. Why bother with this at all when you can bury starts and stops in the edges?

One warning I want to give about straight lines. If the quilt is well-basted and the lines do not cross, you will not have a problem. What is more difficult is when lines cross. If you are going to have straight lines cross in your quilt (as with crosshatching), then I recommend heavily starching the backing fabric before layering. Also recommend spray starching the top before layering. Also recommend using basting spray to join the layers. All of these techniques stabilize the layers so there is much less chance of fabric stretching as you sew. One of the big problems with crossing quilting lines is getting a little pucker or tuck right before you cross a line. This is caused by fabric stretching while you sew.

Since you have already glue basted, I would recommend spray starching the top and backing before quilting. You can do this without pressing. Just lay the quilt on a large sheet on the floor, mist with spray starch, let dry (a fan speeds this up), then apply a few more layers of spray starch to each side. This helps keep the fabric from stretching while you sew.

You don't say what size quilt you have. I make small, charity quilts and also glue baste. I have no problem sewing from side to side.

On the other hand, I can't sew straight to save my life. I've tried using the pointer-guide-thingy on my walking foot, but it looks like I'm trying to meander. On my last one, I finally took the time to mark the crosshatching in Frixon pen. Problem solved! All my lines are straight as can be.

Tate

I'm a newbie, and only have done 3 quilts, all with SID, cross hatch, X's, just basic. I pin, and start in the middle. I use a walking foot, and have not had any trouble with bunching, or threads nesting. The largest was queen sized and I just rolled and sewed. I pull my threads to the top, tie and cut. I've heard a lot about spray basting, but haven't tried it yet.

I always start in the centre!

No quilt police here!!!!!! Either way is ok and which is easier for you. To do straiught stitching I use blue painters tape. Tape is fairly cheap and can be used over again and does not leave residue! Good Luck!!!!

I am glad to see I am not the only one who uses the blue painters tape. I love that it comes in different widths.

Just read through the entire thread. I've used spray baste and it works fine. But, I'm wondering, what in the world does glue baste mean? Thanks in advance for answering;)>

Glue baste means you use Elmer's School Glue to baste your sandwich. Drizzle it on. There's lots of threads here about it or you could do a Google search.

I think you just need to jump in and start somewhere. That's how you learn. If it works out, great. If it doesn't try something else next time. Good luck and have fun.

I generally start in the middle and work to the outside. Then I turn the quilt and tackle the other half. Now some newbies mistake "middle" with "center" - For straight-line quilting I do NOT start in the center, rather at the edge of the center seam.

My quilts are smoothed and basted really well but I still have some shift in the sandwich. If I started at the side, I would need to work out a lot of extra bulk by the time I get to the middle. So for me it makes more sense to start in the middle and work outward.

It depends on the quilt what I do and where I start. If it's a medallion, I anchor around the center. If it's a sampler, I do the sashing and then each individual block. I usually do a bed-sized quilt in sections. I often back-stitch if I'm at the edge but I do bury the knots if I'm working in the middle somewhere. It really varies. A few times a year I take a quilt to a long armer for an over-all pantagraph pattern.

I always start quilting in the middle of the quilt and make a big cross. I then quilt in fourths until done. This works for me.

I always start in the middle and work out.

If by "middle", posters mean the middle of an edge, then I am in complete agreement. What I do not recommend is starting in the center of a quilt. Sorry if I misunderstood the initial posts!

If I am doing straight lines from one edge to the other edge, I start at the edge and go to the other edge. This way you do not need to bury your ends because you will be putting on a binding. Also, every other line of stitching should start on the opposite side than you did the last line. If I am stitiching around objects or doing an outline stitch, I will start in the center and work myself out to the borders. I think as long as you have the quilt basted good, you should not have to worry about it shifting.

I don't like to baste so I do very little of it. I start in the center out and never have a problem with puckers or tucks ripply fabric. I smooth the layers as I go. I really learned a lot about straight line quilting from this book: One Line at a Time by Charlotte Warr Andersen

I use fusible batting (Hobbs 80/20 fusible) and start straight line machine quilting at the top and work down, or if the design warrants, at the middle of the top line and work downwards and out to each side, just making sure everything is smooth, flat and not shifting. I have just finished a simple straight line design on a small wheelchair quilt with a fleece backing, and the top-down, middle-out method worked beautifully. I was happily surprised that the fleece backing didn't stretch ( it was batted with Hobbs fusible) and was very easy to do.

I do block by block before assembling (QAYG) I just did some southwestern pottery where every piece of the pot had its own straight line pattern.

Thanks for posting about her book, just watched a short video on it and looks very helpful! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ABMD4XrqlU