when piecing your quilt?

I have my Janome set to 1.0. Not sure what that is, but the stitches are really tiny. I only today figured out how to undo them. Before I was tossing mistakes into the scrap heap.

I'm wondering if that's too small a stitch.

My machine has a pre-set stitch length of 2.5. I'm not sure what the length is on that. The only time I change the stitch is when I am doing paper piecing then I set it for 1.5.

I have a Janome 4800, it has a preset stitch length of 2.2. I use that or sometimes I go up to 2.4 because it's easier to rip out...because it never fails that I have to rip something out! 1.1 does sound pretty tiny, I can't imagine having to rip those out!

I saw on one of the quilting shows they were talking about setting it between 2 and 2.5, because no one wants to rip out anything smaller. I error more towards the 2, and looking at my machine right now, it's set at two, because I don't want the stitches falling apart at the edges.

From sewing for dummies:
A setting of 1.0 per mm is about 24 stitches per inch.
A setting of 2.0 per mm is about 13 stitches per inch.
3.0 is 9/inch
4.0 is 6/inch
5.0 is 5/inch
6.0 is 4/inch

They also say: The average stitch length for mid-weight fabrics is 2.5 to 3 mm/10 to 12 spi. The average stitch length for fine fabrics is 2 mm/13 to 20 spi. For heavier fabrics, basting, or topstitching, use 4 to 5 mm/5 to 6 spi.

Hope that helps.

For basic piecing, I use 2.5, for paper piecing I dial down to 1.0. I think that is the stitch length in centimeters, but I'm not positive. :D

hi why do you use such a small stitch for paper pieceing? Newbie at paper pieceing and I have never seen that mentioned. Maybe i am reading to fast lol anxious to get started .

Linda

If I am doing small pieces I use a 2.0 stitch,
If I am doing normal size (2x2" and up) I use a 2.5
If I am doing paper piecing I use a 1.5 or smaller...
Just from my experiance what works best for me.
Kirsten

Gramm,
Using smaller stitches in paper piecing helps you rip the paper off the back of the fabric, without undoing your stitches. Some people even stitch the lines without thread ahead of time to make paper removal even easier.
HTH,
Julie

I have a Janome and like Twistedstitcher, I use 2.5 for piecing - with a 60/2 thread. I think the 2.2 too small.

THanks for the tips! Mine defaults to 2.5, but I was dialing it down to 1.0. I think I'll up it to 2.0 and see how I like it. 2.5 just seemed too loose for me. I wanted to make sure it didnt' unravel.

This might also help with some "issues" i have sometimes with the fabric when I first start sewing.

I have a lot to learn yet, thanks for the advice and for being patient with my constant questions. :oops:

Makes perfect sense! Thanks, I'll try that. I think my problem is using the smallest possible stitches. LOL I'm going to up it when I get home. I had pretty much given up on one of the kits I had bought because I just couldn't get it to work at all. I think this was my problem the whole time. Instead of cursing them, I should have been cursing myself. :lol:

I've been using 2.5 forever and my stitches haven't raveled and they are easier to "unsew". I also use the small peice of fabric to start sewing with. It becomes a habit even though I don't need it with my new Designer 2 Husky. I start and end with the small piece of fabric.