Machine Quilting Advice needed

Hi, I'm Dawn, and I am a self-professed MQing "failure." I've taken
classes, and practised. I've practised quilting straight lines. I've
practised stipple quilting. I've even practised MQing the pattern on the
fabric. When I MQ small blocks ( no larger than 24 * 24 inches ), the
quilting looks okay. Certainly not great, but definitely okay. Once I try
to MQ anything larger, everything that can go wrong, will go wrong. I get
puckering, stitches that are not equal in length, even stitches that are so
small that they are almost impossible to rip out. Does anyone have any
suggestions?

Thanks,

- dlm.

Assuming that the quilt is made of block units, stitch in the ditch
around each block first. That will stabilize the top, bat and bottom
so that you're better able to control the pucks and tucks while doing
free motion.

joan

joan8904 in Bellevue Nebraska wrote:
Assuming that the quilt is made of block units, stitch in the ditch
around each block first. That will stabilize the top, bat and bottom
so that you're better able to control the pucks and tucks while doing
free motion.

joan


And once you have done this, think of each block/area as a small block,
which you can already do.

I find I have to remind myself to stop and reposition my hands and/or
the quilt often, and not try to keep going until only my elbows and my
willpower is controlling the quilt.

Hanne in London

Joan and Hanne have weighted it with good advice. I'd
like to add: be sure you have needle DOWN when you
stop. AND, it is OKAY to pause and 'regroup' now and
then. Good luck.
PAT

- dlm. wrote:

Hi, I'm Dawn, and I am a self-professed MQing "failure." I've taken
classes, and practised. I've practised quilting straight lines. I've
practised stipple quilting. I've even practised MQing the pattern on the
fabric. When I MQ small blocks ( no larger than 24 * 24 inches ), the
quilting looks okay. Certainly not great, but definitely okay. Once I try
to MQ anything larger, everything that can go wrong, will go wrong. I get
puckering, stitches that are not equal in length, even stitches that are so
small that they are almost impossible to rip out. Does anyone have any
suggestions?

Thanks,

- dlm.

You sound like a candidate for quilt-as-you-go techniques! Do all those
small blocks, then join together.

The puckering is a basting issue. Maybe you stretch the backing? Maybe not
enough pins? Or you need more space to the left of the machine to support
the weight. (I use my ironing board, lowered to the height of the table.)

For even stitch length, maybe you would benefit from one of the new stitch
length regulators. Haven't tried it myself, but I know Bernina has one.
Maybe others by now.
Roberta in D

"- dlm." schrieb im Newsbeitrag
. ..
Hi, I'm Dawn, and I am a self-professed MQing "failure." I've taken
classes, and practised. I've practised quilting straight lines. I've
practised stipple quilting. I've even practised MQing the pattern on the
fabric. When I MQ small blocks ( no larger than 24 * 24 inches ), the
quilting looks okay. Certainly not great, but definitely okay. Once I
try to MQ anything larger, everything that can go wrong, will go wrong. I
get puckering, stitches that are not equal in length, even stitches that
are so small that they are almost impossible to rip out. Does anyone have
any suggestions?

Thanks,

- dlm.

Firstly Dawn - you say 'self-professed ... failure'. Therein lies the
trouble. If you are convinced in your mind that you can't do it - then
you won't! Can I offer the 'secret' that worked for me? I started with
one or two patterns that I discovered I could do fairly well, together
with one or two stitches on my machine, plus stitch in the ditch and
grid lines.
I used that little 'armoury' for a good while, then I began to expand my
stitches, and now I have quite a few. I do a lot of painstaking sewing
with my walking foot making leaves and flowers - and turning a lot g.
I find the walking foot stuff much easier; but I am progressing. I find
stippling very hard and my best attempt is if I let myself do what I
can, which is to come to a point and then swing back. Keeping
everything nicely rounded is almost impossible for me.
If you can do a 24" square, then I suggest you settle down with one of
the good quilt as you go books and settle on doing that, for the
foreseeable. Why make life difficult for yourself, just to do what a lot
of people (but not everyone) do?
HTH
..
In message , - dlm.
writes
Hi, I'm Dawn, and I am a self-professed MQing "failure." I've taken
classes, and practised. I've practised quilting straight lines. I've
practised stipple quilting. I've even practised MQing the pattern on the
fabric. When I MQ small blocks ( no larger than 24 * 24 inches ), the
quilting looks okay. Certainly not great, but definitely okay. Once I try
to MQ anything larger, everything that can go wrong, will go wrong. I get
puckering, stitches that are not equal in length, even stitches that are so
small that they are almost impossible to rip out. Does anyone have any
suggestions?

Thanks,

- dlm.



--
Best Regards
pat on the hill

Basting spray is your friend: no weight, no puckering, no shifting and 1/10
the time to do.

--
Kim Graham
http://members.shaw.ca/kigraham
Nanaimo, BC, Canada
THE WORD IN PATCHWORK

"Roberta Zollner" wrote in message
...
You sound like a candidate for quilt-as-you-go techniques! Do all those
small blocks, then join together.

The puckering is a basting issue. Maybe you stretch the backing? Maybe not
enough pins? Or you need more space to the left of the machine to support
the weight. (I use my ironing board, lowered to the height of the table.)

For even stitch length, maybe you would benefit from one of the new stitch
length regulators. Haven't tried it myself, but I know Bernina has one.
Maybe others by now.
Roberta in D

"- dlm." schrieb im Newsbeitrag
. ..
Hi, I'm Dawn, and I am a self-professed MQing "failure." I've taken
classes, and practised. I've practised quilting straight lines. I've
practised stipple quilting. I've even practised MQing the pattern on the
fabric. When I MQ small blocks ( no larger than 24 * 24 inches ), the
quilting looks okay. Certainly not great, but definitely okay. Once I
try to MQ anything larger, everything that can go wrong, will go wrong.
I get puckering, stitches that are not equal in length, even stitches
that are so small that they are almost impossible to rip out. Does
anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks,

- dlm.

Dawn, In addition to all the great advice you have received, I have
three suggestions: make sure that your basting is close enough to
help with the pucker problem, make sure that the portions of the quilt
you are not working on are well supported by a table, desk or other
stationary object and be sure to BREATHE.
Machine quilting does take practice. You can do it!

Mary

As always, the advice that I've received on RCTQ is invaluable! I will
certainly give "quilt as you go" a try as soon as I check out the local
library for books on the subject. I never thought about proper support for
the quilt, so I will give it a whirl on my dining room table. Finally, I
will remember to breathe. Maybe that will help to alleviate the
discomfort/tenseness that I feel when I attempt MQing.

Many thanks,

- dlm. in central MA

no one has mentioned how you hold the quilt, I find gloves are an
absolute necessity, then you kind of press down on the quilt with your
hands, leaving a square free to sew in, you have to move your hands
often, you don't want to pinch your fingers together at all, if you do
that, even if you've basted really close together you'll still probably
get small puckers.

cheers
Anne