To Turn or Not To Turn?
 

Back from the family vacation so that means I’m back to the puppy quilt. I’m at the quilting stage (ugh). I have 6 blocks where the quilting will be a problem because of the size: 9” width by 11.5” length. I’m using Warm and White so the quilting guidelines say up to 10” can be unquilted. Here’s my pickle and question #2 is actually more important than question #1:

1. Using an outline stitch around the puppy is distracting as is using a diamond or straight stich around or through it so I decided to use a wavy straight stitch around the inside of the blocks. I can start ½” from the edge of it so that brings the unquilted area to 8”. The stitch itself weaves in and out ½” so that brings it to 7.5” of unquilted area. I should be OK for the width. The length will be tight…I should end up at 10” exactly of unquilted area. Is this going to be OK? I’m nervous that it’s so close to the recommendations. As I’ve said, I don’t see this quilt being used to be cuddled or dragged around but more as a keepsake but I still don’t want a big ball of batting inside a block.

1. What do I do about the wavy lines and ending them? I can play with the stitch length a little but with 6 blocks and 4 sides, it’s inevitable that I’m going to end in the middle of a wavy pattern. I’ve tried turning it without breaking the stitch line and, occasionally it gives an interesting bend in the road but at other times it just looks dumb. Do I stop the stitching line at the end of each corner and start a new stitching line after the turn?

This is one of those moments when I wish someone would have smacked me when I picked up this pattern. However, it’s absolutely adorable and now that all the serious thinking and planning has turned out so well, I might just make another one to keep and smile at.

Can you post a picture so we can see the blocks together? It's hard to know what to recommend.

Hopefully, the quilters will come along to help with their best suggestions for you. Until then,another option to think about for quilting.

How much blank space is there with two blocks together? You may want to consider the adjoining block space as one unit for quilting. In other words, simply continue the quilting across the blocks instead of stopping within each block.

Below is the picture. I’m Hoping I won’t run into a problem with not enough quilting within the block.

The wavy stitch that I’m using is about 2/3” for a full wave so it’s not small enough that I can wing it. Any anomalies at a corner will be evident. So do I cut the line of stitching at a corner and start a new wavy line? Or do I accept (gulp!) the wonkiness that happens when I’m in the middle of a wave and have to turn it?

The picture below the quilt is a practice piece and you’ll see what happens at a corner when I have to turn it.


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Thanks for the pictures. Those are just the cutest puppies! You have done a wonderful job with the applique. I see what you mean about turning corners. No advice on how to accomplish the corner turns though.

The puppy is so cute. Can you ease the wave in by starting to either cut it shorter or longer a bit before the corner. Then try to get a wave going outward at the wave. Don't know if I'm explaining this clearly though.

Thank you, Rhonda! Now that it's almost done, I realize how much I enjoyed making it despite all my complaining. As with a lot of things, the pain was in planning the unknown.

Speaking of which....I sewed about 3" with the wavy stitch, looked it over and decided I hated it. Dang! it looked like it would work on the sample but it clashed with the puppies. Whodathunk?

My machine has a quilting stitch that looks like it's a hand-made stitch so I'm using that. It's a variation of a straight stitch so corners should be easy.

I took your advice, though, and I'm stitching straight across the top and bottom so all I have to worry about "joining" are the vertical lines. You're a genius! Thank you!

You are so welcome. Happy that I could see a suggestion that might work for you. It is helpful to have extra eyes looking at our work and helping with ideas.

I learned this one from watching Christina Cameli's Bluprint classes on free motion quilting - forget which one, but she talks about looking at the scale of your design and giving yourself a couple reference points to hit before and after you turn the corner so that the design goes out towards the corner.
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Markup wouldn't let me put a dot in the actual corner otherwise there would be one there too. So basically, you try to judge the distance between your humps to get an idea of how far away your reference point needs to be from the corner, and then see how you can adjust the humps as you approach your reference point. It's helpful to mark the one after the corner too, so you know where to hit with the other hump, since it's really 3 humps to turn the corner. I didn't hit the one after the corner very well, but it's hard on a tiny phone! sorry :)

Does that make sense?

eta: Your doggies are adorable and I've loved seeing your progress on them! Great job!

eta2: Oh, I see you came up with another solution already, haha! Whoops. Well, hopefully the info helps for the future!

I might stitch around all the appliques close in the background and match the thread to the background. SID the sashing and the put straight stitching in rows? then meander around the appliques with a light tan thread. You could piano key the border or use a bone shape or hearts.