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I am reading your replies with avid hopes. I have read the book by Marti Michell about 3 times, also watched the Leah Day tutes from her site. One of my bigger problems is how to keep the bottom nice and smooth and also get the quilt to move under the quilting foot. I have tried the slider, and the slippery baking sheet without too much success. Anna I read your post and what is nesting?

The best gift I give my self is sending them out to the Long Arm pros. I just dreaded and quite frankly it took all the joy out of the process... craming all that bulk in and out of the machine.

Quote:

Originally Posted by patdesign

One of my bigger problems is how to keep the bottom nice and smooth and also get the quilt to move under the quilting foot.

I heavily starch the backing fabric before creating the backing. Heavy starch stabilizes the backing so it doesn't pucker or stretch while machine quilting. Spray basting also helps keep the layers of the sandwich from shifting while you work.

Are you free motion quilting? What kind of foot are you using? And what kind of batting? If the batting is too high loft for the foot, the quilt sandwich may not move freely. A thinner batting might work. I use a "jumping" foot for FMQ -- a darning foot that has a spring in it so the foot jumps up with the needle. There is another kind of non-jumping foot that can be used for FMQ. Whichever you are using, try using the other kind.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Prism99

One method that helps a lot is splitting your batting. Found this technique in one of Debra Wagner's books years ago, and Marti Michell has a book out now that includes it (Machine Quilting in Sections).

Basically you lay out your quilt sandwich, then peel back backing and top to expose the batting. Cut the batting a third of the way in using a wavy "S" shaped line rather than a straight line. Use a permanent marker to mark registration lines along the cut and also to indicate top right. This makes it possible to re-assemble the batting exactly as it was originally. Set the right one-third of the bating aside, and pin the unbatted backing and top together. Do the same for the left side of the batting (although might not be necessary depending on your quilting design).

This reduces the bulk of the batting under the arm of the machine. Quilt the middle section, leaving about 6 inches free near the cut batting. When done with the middle, attach one of the batting sides. The book I recommended doing this by hand using a tailor tacking stitch, but it's also possible to do it with a long and wide machine zigzag or with the fusible batting tape on the market now. Smooth top and backing over attached batting and continue quilting.

What a neat idea! I've used the fusible batting tape to put batting scraps together and it works really well so I'd opt for trying that first. I was sorry that Amazon doesn't let you look inside the Michell book. I checked my library and they don't have it but they have another book by her that I've reserved just to take a look at how she writes.

Thanks "Annaquilts" you show us it can be done - when I reach that point in quilting a quilt.

It can be done.
Sandwich very well
Roll tighly.
Use a Big Table
Take your time.
Walk away often

I've always to date English paper pieced and hand quilted. Today I decided having read people on here talking about FMQ that maybe I should try this, I just have a regular machine. I found this Youtube link and was amazed how clear and concise it was, I went straight to my machine and tried it out, WOO HOO!!! now I have to start practising my FMQ. She gives some very good advice on how to work with a large quilt with a regular machine. Hope it helps.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39I5A...layer_embedded

I do it all the time...roll...roll...roll your quilt. It does get hard sometimes but I quilt king down to table runners.
Debbie

Quote:

Originally Posted by Prism99

Quote:

Originally Posted by patdesign

One of my bigger problems is how to keep the bottom nice and smooth and also get the quilt to move under the quilting foot.

Yes when I screw up the nerve. Most of the time I have just SID with a walking foot and done it as separated blocks or larger strips. Yesterday I did some fmq on a cover for my machine (outline quilted around lots of flowers and leaves.) The batting I use is the 100 percent cotton from warm and natural and it is stabilized and thin (less than 1/4 inch which gives the quilt that older look when laundered) somehow so it doesnt shift that much, its the backing, so I will try the starch. The foot came with the machine and seems to work fine, its just the struggle to move anything much larger than a 20 inch square that kills my neck and arms. :-)

Quote:

Originally Posted by catrancher

Can you say "long armer"? I have done a quilt up to 60 inches. After that it gets pretty crowded.

You do not HAVE to have a LA nor do you HAVE to pay someone to finish your quilts . It is perfectly doable to quilt any sized quilt on a domestic machine. As others have mentioned, check in Leah Day. Support tables, gloves, and a Super Slider are all I need to get great results.