do many of you tack your quilts instead of quilting them. i would be interested in hearing your thoughts about tacking. i tack mine because i live in such a small space that tacking is all i can manage

I've never tacked down using a machine or nedle and thread, but I've tied several quilts. Tying has worked just fine for me. I still have to pin or bsste, but I spread it over my table and that seemed to work okay. I tie at block corners,, and stagger the rows, sometimes also tie in the middle of a block, I try to use the pattern as a guide.

I haven't ever tied mine - but that is because I am not that keen on the tufty look.

I also think you might get some more answers, if you posted this in Main, rather than the PDA (Diary) section. Some people on this board never make their way here.

Ive tied them, but not sure what tacking is? Probaly the same thing?

I haven't tied a quilt in awhile but may tie my brother's quilt. His big dog sleeps with him and I don't know how long it will last. I can always make him another one if it wears out :)
For me, tying is faster and I like the look too.

I'm not a big fan of the tufts showing on a tied quilt. I tried my Trip Around the World for the playroom on the back. I just put pins where I wanted the ties and worked from the back. It looks good and was washes just fine. It was probably harder, but, IMO, worth it. I made it harder than it was by my fussiness. Every tie had to be diagonal, the exact same size and the exact distance from the seams.

Tacking should give you the same effect, but I preferred to work with the quilt as flat as possible.

I've never tacked a quilt. I used to tie them all until I got a quilting machine. I'm sure tacking would work good though.

have only tied, thought tacking was only for sandwiching, is it as stable as tied and how do you do it???

This is probably a dumb question, but what exacly is tying ?

tacking and tying are the same thing. recently i have tacked from the back and i like thhe looks of that. also i started tacking or tying with heavy thread like button and carpet thread. it hardly shows and it is so much easier when it comes to threading needles

I thought tacking was done with the machine, anyway that's what I call it. Instead of tying charity lap quilts I machine tack them because it is faster and easier than tying. Looks good too.

I've used the clasp stitch on my Janome to tack the borders and it worked
beautifully. I'm not experienced in FMQ so tacking worked really well for me.
:D There are no tails with the clasp stitch. It makes an asterisk and then I
cut the thread as close as possible. I don't like tails in my quilts. ;)

I tack many quilts ( it is different than tying). It goes so fast and easy... especially for baby quilts where there is concern over the threads/yarns coming free and causing a choking issue. Because it goes so fast I find I put alot mre tacks in than I would if I tied.

please explain to me how to tack with your machine. there is always something new to learn from this site. thank you

I use a wide zig zag stitch( the widest , is what i prefer) , and take the stitch lenght down to zero. I stitch in place several times to make a sort of "bar tack" . I do this in the same places you would tie a quilt. I do it more than some are tyed since it goes so fast .. I just can. I sometimes use invisable thread on the top , or corresponding thread color depending on the quilt.

I know others who have used a straight stitch and made one inch X in places . Typically in the ditch. I have also seen a decorative stitch used , where they only stitch out a few of the motifs. Make sure to do a few back stiches if you use this method to lock your stitches.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who tacks (or ties) their quilts. I've tried machine stitching all the sandwiched layers of my quilt but I felt distracted by the machine stitching visibility. It was my first try at it and only a baby quilt at that. I still think I prefer a tacked quilt. Like Clem55, I do my tacking at the block corners and stagger the rows, too. And without enough room in my rooms, tacking seems to work out better for me anyway.

thanks lori, i think you have saved me alot of work

would u be so kind as to tell me how to tack a quilt , i am not sure i understand the difference in tacking and tying but would like to try it if it is faster than tying......thak you olivia

i do not think there is a difference between tacking and tying. if you have been tying then i think you have got it down pat.i asked about tacking because most people spoke of quilting. i got so that i was beginning to think i was the only one who didn't quilt. i wass beginning to feel oldfashioned because i am only tacking or tying.