Bed Runner complete - but how to quilt ?
02-15-2018, 02:34 PM
#11
Super Member
Join Date: Mar 2016
Posts: 2,891
Check Youtube for ideas for using your walking foot. This is a small project, so you can do most anything with it. By that I mean, you won't have to wrestle a huge quilt if you have to turn it. Jacquie Gering is my favorite quilter who uses a walking foot. She has a Craftsy video that is really good, but the free ones on Youtube are good, too. Leah Day has one that is good. They seem to think outside the box.
bkay
bkay
02-15-2018, 03:44 PM
#13
Power Poster
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Western Wisconsin
Posts: 12,930
I just noticed that you have pin-basted the top to batting using straight pins. Quilters typically use safety pins to pin-baste for a couple of reasons. One is that it keeps the layers together more securely; straight pins have a tendency to become dislodged as you manipulate the quilt sandwich. Another reason is so that you don't get stabbed when using safety pins. If you switch to safety pins, you ***must*** be careful about removing them when they come near to the walking foot. I missed a safety pin once and it got hooked onto the back of my walking foot without me realizing it. By the time I discovered the problem, my expensive Bernina walking foot had been ruined.
You might want to consider spray basting or glue basting instead of pin basting. These methods offer continuous contact among the 3 layers so there is less chance of a layer shifting, which can cause a pucker or tuck.
Another tip of mine is to heavily starch both the top and the backing before layering. This stabilizes the fabric so they are less likely to stretch or distort while you are quilting.
I can't see your backing fabric in the photo. You want your backing fabric to be larger than your top. Usually it is also larger than the batting.
Edit: One more thing I just noticed in your second photo. Even if you were to replace the straight pins with safety pins, there are not enough of them. A rule-of-thumb is to secure pins not more than the space of a fist from each other in any direction. There is a lack of pins along the edges especially. Edges are prone to stretch and distort with handling.
You might want to consider spray basting or glue basting instead of pin basting. These methods offer continuous contact among the 3 layers so there is less chance of a layer shifting, which can cause a pucker or tuck.
Another tip of mine is to heavily starch both the top and the backing before layering. This stabilizes the fabric so they are less likely to stretch or distort while you are quilting.
I can't see your backing fabric in the photo. You want your backing fabric to be larger than your top. Usually it is also larger than the batting.
Edit: One more thing I just noticed in your second photo. Even if you were to replace the straight pins with safety pins, there are not enough of them. A rule-of-thumb is to secure pins not more than the space of a fist from each other in any direction. There is a lack of pins along the edges especially. Edges are prone to stretch and distort with handling.
Last edited by Prism99; 02-15-2018 at 03:49 PM.
02-15-2018, 05:59 PM
#16
Super Member
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Tn
Posts: 9,014
You can do curves with your walking foot. Just need to stop with needle down every so often. Lift the foot and reposition your quilt so you are not twisting it out of shape. You are doing a good job on the piecing.
02-15-2018, 08:05 PM
#18
Super Member
Join Date: Dec 2017
Posts: 1,866
Your blocks are lovely! I especially love the dress block.
Here are two ideas for something you can do with a walking foot in the sashing strips.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]589165[/ATTACH]
I have done both of these myself. The basic diamonds are easier. The diamonds connected with curves were complicated enough that I chose to draw them out on tissue paper (actually thin paper napkins) and then pin them to the quilt and then sew through the paper to do the quilting. (Removing every last bit of the paper was a bit tedious; Golden Threads Quilting Paper is supposed to make this easier.)
Your blocks are so lovely that you don't want the quilting in the sashing strips to distract from them - I suggest using a thread color that is pretty close to the color of the sashing fabric.
For quilting the blocks, I would be inclined to mainly do SITD and then do a bit of echoing in the blocks that have large spaces not covered by the SITD. My thought here is to not take attention away from the pieces of the blocks.
Here are two ideas for something you can do with a walking foot in the sashing strips.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]589165[/ATTACH]
I have done both of these myself. The basic diamonds are easier. The diamonds connected with curves were complicated enough that I chose to draw them out on tissue paper (actually thin paper napkins) and then pin them to the quilt and then sew through the paper to do the quilting. (Removing every last bit of the paper was a bit tedious; Golden Threads Quilting Paper is supposed to make this easier.)
Your blocks are so lovely that you don't want the quilting in the sashing strips to distract from them - I suggest using a thread color that is pretty close to the color of the sashing fabric.
For quilting the blocks, I would be inclined to mainly do SITD and then do a bit of echoing in the blocks that have large spaces not covered by the SITD. My thought here is to not take attention away from the pieces of the blocks.
02-15-2018, 08:21 PM
#19
Super Member
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: AR
Posts: 3,604
I just noticed that you have pin-basted the top to batting using straight pins. Quilters typically use safety pins to pin-baste for a couple of reasons. One is that it keeps the layers together more securely; straight pins have a tendency to become dislodged as you manipulate the quilt sandwich. Another reason is so that you don't get stabbed when using safety pins. If you switch to safety pins, you ***must*** be careful about removing them when they come near to the walking foot. I missed a safety pin once and it got hooked onto the back of my walking foot without me realizing it. By the time I discovered the problem, my expensive Bernina walking foot had been ruined.
You might want to consider spray basting or glue basting instead of pin basting. These methods offer continuous contact among the 3 layers so there is less chance of a layer shifting, which can cause a pucker or tuck.
Another tip of mine is to heavily starch both the top and the backing before layering. This stabilizes the fabric so they are less likely to stretch or distort while you are quilting.
I can't see your backing fabric in the photo. You want your backing fabric to be larger than your top. Usually it is also larger than the batting.
Edit: One more thing I just noticed in your second photo. Even if you were to replace the straight pins with safety pins, there are not enough of them. A rule-of-thumb is to secure pins not more than the space of a fist from each other in any direction. There is a lack of pins along the edges especially. Edges are prone to stretch and distort with handling.
You might want to consider spray basting or glue basting instead of pin basting. These methods offer continuous contact among the 3 layers so there is less chance of a layer shifting, which can cause a pucker or tuck.
Another tip of mine is to heavily starch both the top and the backing before layering. This stabilizes the fabric so they are less likely to stretch or distort while you are quilting.
I can't see your backing fabric in the photo. You want your backing fabric to be larger than your top. Usually it is also larger than the batting.
Edit: One more thing I just noticed in your second photo. Even if you were to replace the straight pins with safety pins, there are not enough of them. A rule-of-thumb is to secure pins not more than the space of a fist from each other in any direction. There is a lack of pins along the edges especially. Edges are prone to stretch and distort with handling.
02-15-2018, 09:52 PM
#20
Super Member
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: Indiana
Posts: 1,497
Nice work! I think I have some of the exact gray fabric. To answer your question...it depends how much time, work and effort you would like to put into it. I would start with a stitch in the ditch and maybe add stippling or figure 8's.
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