frannella

I am increasingly encountering the suggestion that one start/stop quilting stitches in the 'extra' batting and backing border off the quilt top to secure the threads. I am seeing this in Ruler Work and Walking Foot videos especially. While it may not matter on the practice samples featured in the videos, what happens to the security of one's quilting stitches after a quilt top is eventually squared and trimmed up? Will sewing the binding on secure those cut lines of thread or does one run the risk of the quilting threads unraveling?

The reason I ask is on analogy with chain piecing and/or trimming sewn blocks to size. Even though we are told that cross stitching will secure your stitches, in my experience that is not necessarily true. Nothing worse than unraveling blocks in one's piece work--unless it is losing your quilting stitches.

If you start and stop quilting stitches in the extra batting and backing, especially if you make bed quilts subject to tugging and washing as I do, how have your quilting stitches held up? Many thanks.

Tartan

I do sew off the quilt sandwich and then trim to square my quilt before binding. I frequently set my machine on a larger stitch and go all the way around the perimeter of my quilt to make sure there will not be any problems when sewing on my binding. I have not had any stitches come undone.

frannella

Tartan, thank you. That's an excellent idea. I often sew 1/4 inch around the perimeter of my quilt sandwich, most often BEFORE quilting the sandwich. ;->) Now I think I will do that before and after. Thanks again and best.

Barb in Louisiana

I have not had any problems either with the quilting. If I have a lot of seams on the outside edge of the pieced top, then I do a basting stitch before I quilt. If the quilt has single fabric borders then I don't bother. I usually cut my last border about an inch larger so as to have trimming/squaring room. I do start and finish off into that trim area. I, also, sew my bindings on with the machine and that creates another double seam across that trimmed area.

The one time I had problems with my quilting was when I didn't quilt enough in the center of the quilt. I had quilted at the 4 inch minimum that the batting required, but the weight of the quilt when I moved it, popped seams in both the blocks and in the quilting itself. I reloaded it on the long arm and took care of that.

Iceblossom

I deliberately quilt off the edges. When you go over them with your binding, it seals the seams and I feel that makes them stronger than if I kept everything within the area.

I've been machine quilting and machine washing for a long time. For the most part a weak seam will come apart long before any quilting comes out.

When piecing I think most people I observe are using much too big stitch lengths, I see very few people adjust their stitch length and just sit down and sew at the default. Maybe that's just my friends but I suspect most starting quilters are not adjusting their length. I know with my Bernina the default is much too big, but it took me a bit to figure this out because it starts each row with a few tight stitches. When I work, I use modern construction techniques and so I'm strip piecing and cutting those stitches. I was having issues putting the blocks together with the edges coming open. If you can easily pull away 3-4 stitches on the end of a seam, your stitch length is too big.

frannella

Iceblossom--couldnt agree more but what SL do you consider optimal for piecing? I sew on a Bernina too and I use a 1.85 SL for curved seams and a 2.0 for piecing....I walking foot quilt at 2.5.

Iceblossom

I'm typically using a size 10 needle for piecing and I like 2.0, my machine grumbles a bit in terms of speed at that setting (I want to go faster!) and we usually go at 2.1 as a compromise if I'm doing long strips. I usually use leaders and the small stay stitching is cut off, but it is nice like today I'm putting on a binding and that extra stitch density is great (so long as I don't have to take it out to correct it).

For quilting I'm using a 12-14 needle and I'm still learning what I like best with Bernie. My friend gave it to me just exactly a year ago now. I've used the BSR, I've used the walking foot, I pretty much always have the walking foot engaged during piecing too. Most recently I used the serpentine stitch for quilting for the first time.

Jingle

I do when I star quilting a strip of blocks. Not when I run out of bobbin in the middle of a block. I use a DSM for quilting.

Ariannaquilts

Quite often I check my tension in the excess of batting and backing, especially if I've changed thread color. Other than baby quilts the majority of my quilts are bed size quilts and have had no one report any issues.

WMUTeach

I use the technique you described all of the time without any problems. The reason I do so is to avoid lots of thread tails that need to be buried. I will also watch my bobbin to make sure I can get my free motion action to the edge of the sandwich. Glad to see I am not the only one who does this.