I made a lap quilt a few months ago just for myself. It's not fancy or anything. I decided to just "tie" it instead of quilting it. I've done this before with smaller lap quilts and never had a problem, however this one, this weekend ALL my ties started to come undone.... is it my yarn? my knots? I don't usually pay attention to the yarn I buy (as far as brand or anything like that) and I used the same double knots I've always used before.

Has anyone had this happen before?

I took it to my in-laws (about 4 hours away) so that I could have it on my lap in the car - DH freezes me out when we travel LOL it did fine til the ride home and I noticed all my ties coming out.... :shock:

I have heard that certain types of yarn will come undone. I have only tied with embroidery floss (3 strands) or Perl Cotton. Unfortunately, I no longer have any of these quilts so have no idea if the ties are staying tied. My preferred method of tieing is to actually take a small stitch and then tie my knot.

when you tie a quilt with yarn the brand isnt important. what you need to look for is the number of ply. 4 ply yarn tends to untie itself no matter how good you tie the knots. you will have better luck with 3 ply yarn, like baby yarns.

Be sure to use a 'surgeon's' knot as well as checking on the type of thread/yarn you use. The surgeon's knot is a square knot and you do a DOUBLE twist both times. Is that clear as mud?

agree!

http://www.bing.com/videos/watch/vid...ying+a+surgeon's+knot&FORM=VIRE3

this is a video which will show you how to do a surgeon's knot on a quilt.
I went to my computer search engine and typed in "surgeon's knot" and the how to was the first one up. Have fun! <wave>

The other tip is to not cut your threads too closely. Sometimes, when you see a tied quilt, the threads are left almost two inches long or longer.
In my opinion, that is a bit too long, but 1/2" is almost too short. If someone, rubbing their finger over the knot, or pulling on one thread can manage to back one of the the threads out, then you need to leave your threads a bit longer. <wave>

Great tute! Thank you :D:D:D

Thank you all so much! I really appreciate the feedback.

Thank you, I had had the same problem and had given up, now I can do this on my present quilt