Quossum

That’s fabulous! I think I found “my” square. :grin:

WMUTeach

I like the look of the channeling/matchstick quilting too but in reality it takes way to long. Some one remind me of that when I do it again, will you?

Janice McC

I値l remind you but I want to know how you kept your rows so straight!And here痴 Checkerboard Chain ready to be quilted. Would anyone who did this one care to share how they quilted it??? I知 leaning towards diagonally but straight would be easier. Your help is appreciated!

pamelor

I did checkerboard chain with an all-over meander (first attempt at FMQ). I was nervous about it but the mistakes disappeared in the allover pattern.

pamelor

And -- I see my square too in WMUTeach's quilt and it's not the prettiest! Next year I need to try for better fabrics. Please count me in for the swap too. I haven't been as active this year but I think I can still come up with enough scraps for candies.

WMUTeach

Straight lines are an illusion, Janice McC. There are some that are not as straight or even as those in the center. I used the widest foot in my collection and kept following the previous line of stitching. I started in the middle of quilt as mentioned before and worked to the sides. I have tried using the little arm that can be attached to my machine and adjusted to a wider distance between stitch lines, but I did not like the result on that quilt. Slowing down when stitching helps as does stopping when my mind would or arms get tired. I am hoping that a quick wash and dry will cover the places where I zigged or zagged a stitch or swayed to one side little. One of the hardest things is to decide if I would strictly follow the line of the previous stitching or adjust a smidge to match the line of the blocks and then what to do if my blocks are not precisely accurate or square. Eventually I just decided to follow the previous stitching line.

I will look at my version of the Checkerboard chain quilt to see how I quilted it. I know others made it too. Lots of options I am sure.

Found a photo of the checkerboard chain and I made diagonal lines of quilting.

pamelor

I really like the look of the matchstick quilting too, and seems like it would be really forgiving. My straight line quilting is NOT straight. But, matchstick does seem like it would be time-consuming/labor intensive and lately I'm too impatient to try it. I do diagonal lines a lot, but checkerboard looks so diagonal to begin with, I thought it would just be too much diagonal and my lines would look wonky.

Janice McC

WMUTeach, I noticed very little wonkiness in your straight lines. I think it turned out exceptionally well. When you wash it, it will be perfect. I think I知 going to do straight line but not quite as tight as yours. I lack the patience. Been reading some tips. I値l use a new needle, a walking foot (going slowly) a slightly longer stitch length than I use for piecing, maybe a 3, and like you, start in the middle and work to the right then reverse it when I get to the end. Another tip I think I値l try is running a seam about 1/8th inch in from the top to hold all three layers together extra securely. I致e spray basted and it looks to be holding well. In any case, I値l give it a try!

WMUTeach

Absolutely, go for it Janice McC. It can be tedious but stepping away when you start to get less accurate does help. I spray baste also and never have a problem even with all of the moving of the sandwich back and forth. Looking forward to your progress to finish.

ibex94

Beautiful quilts, ya'll. Great news about your mammo, WMUTeach! My fingers and toes are crossed that Brenda caught hers on time to get it out of her quickly and without too much trauma.