Painiacs

Great suggestions!!

CoventryUK

All good suggestions here! Just enjoy doing your quilt and post pictures when done!!! Good luck!!

ckcowl

usually we place the pins in areas we do not plan to stitch through= and remove them all at once at the end- but that doesn't mean you can't just take them out as you come to them...just don't run over any of them!

goforth

what is this spray, i'm new

Glassquilt

Where you have sewn you no longer need the pins to hold the sandwich together. Your quilting serves that purpose.

I press my seams to the side so I prefer to literally stitch in the ditch. I aim to have the quilting stitches totally disappear.
If your seams are pressed open, you should stitch to the side to ensure catching the fabric.

jem

Hi if u r going to sew in the ditch, move the pins outside of the ditch and when you have quilted a good size section, I would remove the pins from that area.
Removing the pins where u have finished quilting. Hope this helps!

Dina

You have gotten good advice on the pins. I also stitch in the seam when I stitch in the ditch, but I do press to one side, as someone said.

I wanted to offer a suggestion that I wish I had figured out about a year ago. The quilt gets very heavy as you are quilting. I was continuously fighting gravity until I learned to place my ironing board to the left of my sewing machine, perpendicular to the machine, and let the ironing board support some of the quilt's weight. I do have to be careful not to knock the board over if I pull too hard on my quilt. :) Anyway, it works well for me. I find the quilting very satisfying, and I hope you do too.

wmudg01

So much to think about! OK, I think I have some good pointers, so many things I never thought about. I guess I need to buy some new thread. Thanks! :)

Just Jan

<what is this spray, i'm new> There are several different brands of Quilt Basting Spray. Some seem to have more fumes when spraying than others, but all seem to work equally well for basting a quilt. I gave up pinning my quilts long ago in favor of the spray. Ask at your local quilt shop, and Joanns and Michaels Crafts also sell it. I can't imagine quilting without it. Its a bit pricey but a can lasts a long time and you can use a Joanns coupon at Joanns or Michaels. One thing I learned the hard way... It says in the directions.. but I didn't pay attention when I should have... LOL "Place newspapers on the table around the edges of your quilt so any adhesive does not drift down and make your table sticky." I was in a hurry and then spent twice the time I saved when I had to go back and clean my table using soft scrub! Also since you say you are a newbie I will remind you to be sure to use your walking foot so all the layers pass thru the sewing machine at the same time and avoid puckers. Another tip is before you tackle your big quilt, make a little quilt like maybe 36x36 and practice. It will save you grief later! Ask me how I know! ;o) Good Luck.

wmudg01

So I guess a king size memory quilt was a bit overkill for a first project :)