Straight lines aren't straight
05-24-2022, 05:01 AM
#1
Super Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: Davenport, Iowa
Posts: 3,880
Straight lines aren't straight
I had a few prints of quarter yards, just enough to make a small baby quilt for Project Linus. The actual piecing went fine, quilting not so much. My Janome on the Grace frame was still skipping stitches despite having the needle changed and trying different threads. No problem, I can still straight-line quilt it on my designated machine... or so I thought. I used a walking foot with the bar attachment ... and still none of my lines came out straight. I'm wanting to rip out ALL of the stitches and try something different (meander or stipple). Anyone else have this problem with vertical or horizontal straight-line quilting or is it just me?
05-24-2022, 06:00 AM
#3
Power Poster
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Mableton, GA
Posts: 11,313
If your machine is domestic on a frame sometimes they don’t like to sew long distances in a direction that isn’t straight up or down.
Straight lines and ditch stitching are beyond me. I gave up. You could do intentionally wavy lines. For me a meander is finally easy and my “go to”.
Straight lines and ditch stitching are beyond me. I gave up. You could do intentionally wavy lines. For me a meander is finally easy and my “go to”.
05-24-2022, 09:51 AM
#4
Super Member
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Tn
Posts: 9,011
If this is for Project Linus, I wouldn’t worry about it not being too straight. Just consider it a practice piece. Children wouldn’t know if it is straight or crooked. They will be thrilled to have a quilt of their own
05-24-2022, 09:55 AM
#5
Super Member
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Pacific NW
Posts: 9,556
Regarding your skipped stitches - what size needle are you using? I found when I was quilting on my DSM I had to use a 16 or 18 to stop skipping.
05-24-2022, 10:00 AM
#6
Power Poster
Join Date: May 2008
Location: MN
Posts: 24,643
05-25-2022, 01:15 AM
#8
Super Member
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: North Idaho
Posts: 1,695
If your first line is not straight, then the bar attachment is going to follow that un-straight line and everything will be off. I would (in future quilts) mark a occasional straightline with cahlk or painters tape so that you have a good reference for "straight", or you can try to follow specific lines in you patchwaork, such as always corssing a specific point on the flying geese as yougo down the quilt orsomething. The walking foot will stitch straight, but the manipulation of the quilt will often throw it off, especially with extra long lines
05-25-2022, 08:06 AM
#9
Power Poster
Join Date: May 2008
Location: MN
Posts: 24,643
If your first line is not straight, then the bar attachment is going to follow that un-straight line and everything will be off. I would (in future quilts) mark a occasional straightline with cahlk or painters tape so that you have a good reference for "straight", or you can try to follow specific lines in you patchwaork, such as always corssing a specific point on the flying geese as yougo down the quilt orsomething. The walking foot will stitch straight, but the manipulation of the quilt will often throw it off, especially with extra long lines
05-25-2022, 09:39 AM
#10
Power Poster
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Southern USA
Posts: 16,383
Get a straight edge construction ruler to start marking lines from the middle out.
I have the six foot and four foot. Metal and 2" wide. Very inexpensive at Lowe's, Home Depot, etc.
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Swanson-Too...-Ruler/1006479
I have the six foot and four foot. Metal and 2" wide. Very inexpensive at Lowe's, Home Depot, etc.
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Swanson-Too...-Ruler/1006479
