kaelynangelfoot

I just FMQ'd my first crib quilt on my DSM and I had a little problem with occasional puckering, and it seems to get worse as you get to the border. I started quilting in the center and worked my way outwards in quadrants. Would it be better to start at the top and quilt toward the bottom?

Annie68

I think you are just going to have to try different methods and see which works best for you. I like doing it the way you did, working from the middle out to the edges. As you become more experienced you will get fewer puckers. Make sure your edges are well secured with pins or whatever method you use for holding your layers together.
Good luck

Tartan

​How are you basting? I always had puckers with pinning. Since using Hobbs fusible batt or 505 I haven't had any puckers. I have done a small quilt using the elmers's glue and that works well to. I start in the middle and if there is sashing, I do that first and then quilt inside the grid created.

DogHouseMom

Agree ... I think your problem was in the sandwiching, not the quilting. Perhaps describe your sandwiching method including how far apart you placed your pins/stitches.

Dolphyngyrl

Might be how you basted not where you started

charsuewilson

I've always had problems with puckering on the back side when I pin basted. No problems, or much less so with spray basting (I used Sullivan's spray) or using the Flynn frame with my DSM.

It also helps to start basting and FMQ in the center of the quilt.

QuiltE

ditto ... spray basting minimizes or totally avoids that inevitable shift and pucker

kaelynangelfoot

Okay, so I used 505 spray basting. Maybe I can put the glue on a little denser. Do you spray the fabric or the batting or both when you spray baste?

patchsamkim

As long as you baste well, you really can start the quilting anywhere. Possibly the problem is how you basted. Could also be a thread tension problem. Do you have your feed dogs lowered? Are you using a free motion foot? Hope you can figure out what isn't working well for you.

ArtsyOne

I haven't had puckers since I started spray basting. I lay my batting on the floor with the backing on top of it and then lift corners diagonally to spray all the way into the center. Then I pat everything down and turn it over. I center the quilt top on the batting and again lift the corners to spray all over and into the center and again pat it down. When I start FMQ I usually start in the top center of the quilt and head down and over to the right side, then down the right side until I get to the left of the center bottom and go back to the right as I head up. Last thing I do is the left side with the bulk of the quilt to the left of my machine.