charlottequilts

So many folks like string quilts and other scrap quilts with small pieces, that I find myself thinking that surely they are much heavier (with all the seam allowances and extra thread).

Has that been your experience? And, with all the seams, are they hard to quilt on a DSM?

Guessing the seam allowances are pressed open. Or not?

hugs,
charlotte

Synnove

I have not found that string quilts or quilts with small pieces are noticeably heavier, though I do use a thin cotton batting for most of my quilts anyway, so perhaps that helps. I press the seams to one side. And when quilting on a DSM sometimes I just need to go a bit slower over the seams, but really no problem.

PurplePansies

I have string quilts with muslin foundation that, obviously, isn’t remove and a scrap quilt with over 4500 one inch squares. I press all seams to the side an use Warm and Natural cotton batting, I really don’t notice any difference in weight. The only quilts I have that are heavier are my flannel ones. I have a long arm, so I don’t know about quilting on a DSM.

SuzSLO

I find that when quilting on my standard throat DSM, it is the bulk, more than the weight*, that makes it difficult to quilt because the quilting is done in a relatively small area at a time. But then, all my quilts have small and lots of pieces. And I have switched to a 80/20 batting from 100% cotton because it just a little easier to wrangle the bulk. I have attached a photo of the quilting I did with a walking foot on the string-pieced border of Bonnie Hunter’s Grassy Creek (2020-2021 mystery quilt). At the end of the day, it’s just another skill that you get better at with practice.

* I do have a lightweight mechanical that was my only sewing machine when I started quilting. Weight mattered a lot with this machine. I found myself having to stop every once in a while to reposition my machine, as it tended to be pulled towards the back of the table as I was sewing. I got tired of the sew, sew sew, drag the machine back towards me, sew, sew, routine and bought a bulkier machine and a big ol’ sewing table.

Macybaby

Depends on what size. I made a quilt that used 1.5" squares, and that meant for each 1" sq of visible fabric, there was 1.25" sq of fabric in the seam allowance - and that did make for a heavier quilt, but I would not say it was "heavy". I like to sew with small pieces so it's normal for me to make a quilt that has 30-50% more fabric in the seam allowances anyway.

If you want to get an idea, take 4 yards of fabric and compare it to 9 yards of fabric, and see if that difference is too much for you.

charlottequilts

Thanks for the interesting and helpful responses.

Weighted blankets seem to be a thing now, so maybe a bit of extra weight isn't an issue. That said, for a first try, I'd probably avoid the tiniest pieces like 1.5" and try to get a bit of space between the seams.

hugs,
charlotte