I'm a very new quilter.This may be a stupid question but I have seen mentioned the use of water soluble thread and I don't understand when or why you would quilt with it. If it dissolves what is the purpose?
Anne Marie

It is great to use for basting quilts or other items, you don't have to pick it out, it dissolves when you wash the item.

Was just about to tell you its for basting or trapunto anything that is just a temporary use so you don´t have to sit and unpick it, just wash it away.

There are several ways to "sandwich" your quilt top, batting and backing. Some quilters use fusible batting, (I only use this for small items), most people will use safety pins to hold the layers together while it is being quilted. Another way is basting the layers with thread then later pulling out the basting thread after it has been quilted. Thus the water soluble thread, after your quilt has been quilted, you wash it and the basting thread is gone. HAPPY QUILTING!

Oh, some instructions seem to have you quilt (stitch in the ditch) the entire quilt - is that necessary?

Thanks. I am building up my confidence to quilt my first top. I think I will pin AND baste and there is any other way to secure the layers I will probably try that too. Cross your fingers for me.

How far apart the quilting lines need to be is determined primarily by the type of batting you use. Some batting is stable with quilting stitches 10 inches apart; other batting needs quilting stitches 2 inches apart in order to remain stable through many washings.

Harriet Hargrave and Diane Gaudinski both recommending QID to help stabalize the quilt for FMQ. I think it helps a lot. You don't have QID on every seam but it is a good idea to at least do it around the blocks for FMQ on domestic machines. I found the quilts much easier to handle for additional FMQ once they have been stabalized with QID.

So far, I am not able to do Free-motion Quilting yet so all of my quilts are Stitch-in-the ditch. I like the look of the straight lines being quilted - sometimes a diagonal across. However, as someone already pointed out, the batting tells you how far apart it NEEDS to be quilted. I use Warm and Natural because it allows a larger open space. Sometimes, I combine SID with tied centers.

I remember when I tried the water soluble thread on a trapunto: I had trouble getting the needle threaded. OK - what do we do when we can't thread a needle? WE LICK THE THREAD. Not such a smart idea when using the water soluble. hahahahaha.

LOL - I'll try to remember that.