pucker up baby!
#1
pucker up baby!
It seems like no matter how well I sandwich my quilt together, or how many pins or dabs of glue I use that I get puckers (tucks, gathers?) when quilting, especially when quilted lines intersect so I wind up with small tucks in certain spots. This happens with a walking foot at that. I'll be sewing along and all of a sudden I have a bunch of loose material in front of my foot.
I don't know if my batting is too fluffy to get a good taut top, or what I'm doing wrong. Or is this a problem that everyone gets and you just roll with it? Maybe I'm just fooling myself into thinking I'm using enough pins?
I don't know if my batting is too fluffy to get a good taut top, or what I'm doing wrong. Or is this a problem that everyone gets and you just roll with it? Maybe I'm just fooling myself into thinking I'm using enough pins?
#3
Super Member
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: kansas
Posts: 6,407
It seems like no matter how well I sandwich my quilt together, or how many pins or dabs of glue I use that I get puckers (tucks, gathers?) when quilting, especially when quilted lines intersect so I wind up with small tucks in certain spots. This happens with a walking foot at that. I'll be sewing along and all of a sudden I have a bunch of loose material in front of my foot.
I don't know if my batting is too fluffy to get a good taut top, or what I'm doing wrong. Or is this a problem that everyone gets and you just roll with it? Maybe I'm just fooling myself into thinking I'm using enough pins?
I don't know if my batting is too fluffy to get a good taut top, or what I'm doing wrong. Or is this a problem that everyone gets and you just roll with it? Maybe I'm just fooling myself into thinking I'm using enough pins?
#4
Power Poster
Join Date: May 2008
Location: MN
Posts: 24,660
Hmmm - The largest quilt I've done on my machine was about 65 x 85 inches.
I stitched all my lines the same direction. My reasoning - if the fabric was going to shift - it would all go the same direction instead of zig-zagging. My machine: An older Pfaff 1471. c
I only do stitch in the ditch and straight-line quilting.
Sometimes there is a bit of a "poof" when I go crosswise to the first lines of stitching, but I usually don't get pleats.
I stitched all my lines the same direction. My reasoning - if the fabric was going to shift - it would all go the same direction instead of zig-zagging. My machine: An older Pfaff 1471. c
I only do stitch in the ditch and straight-line quilting.
Sometimes there is a bit of a "poof" when I go crosswise to the first lines of stitching, but I usually don't get pleats.
#5
Super Member
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Illinois
Posts: 2,140
I know I had that issue with Warm & Plush (high loft cotton batting with no scrim). To correct it, I lowered the tension on my presser foot & switched to an open toe walking foot (versus one with that ditch guide down the center).
#6
Power Poster
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Western Wisconsin
Posts: 12,930
It sounds as if you are basting using some combination of pins and glue. Try switching to spray basting or glue basting. With spray basting, all three layers are continuously "glued" to each other. This minimizes how much the fabric can stretch while you are quilting. Glue basting is similar.
Also, heavily starching your backing and quilt top should help. Puckers are caused by the fabric stretching as it is quilted. This becomes particularly noticeable when you cross other quilting lines; there is excess fabric bunched up right next to the line you have to cross, requiring a tuck. Starching minimizes this issue because it stabilizes fabric and prevents it from stretching so much.
For backing fabric I like to use a 1:1 solution of Sta-Flo liquid laundry starch and water. My fast method of applying this is to "paint" it on the fabric using a large wall painting brush, waiting a few minutes to make sure the fabric has a chance to absorb the starch, tossing in the dryer, and ironing with steam. Steam reactivates dried starch.
For the top, multiple layers of spray starch can be used. Lay the top out on a large flat sheet and spray from the edges towards the center to minimize overspray. A fan can be used to hasten drying time between layers. For a quilt that has already been basted, you can use this technique on both the top and backing layers to stabilize them.
On some machines you can lessen the pressure on the presser foot. This also can help, especially if you are using a thicker batting.
You may be misunderstanding how to layer a quilt. Honestly, tautness is not an issue. What you want is a smooth backing, not a taut backing. If you stretch your backing fabric (for example, by stretching the fabric taut and then taping the edges to keep it taut), it will spring back to a normal tension as soon as you untape. If you have already basted, this adds fullness to the backing fabric and you are more likely to get puckers and tucks in the backing when you quilt. If spray basting or glue basting, you "smooth" each layer as you go. A yardstick is handy for smoothing out wrinkles and lumps. That's all. No tautness; just smoothness.
What batting are you using? A thick polyester batting is the hardest to quilt. Hobbs 80/20 is a good starter batting that has some loft, but not so much that machine quilting becomes difficult.
Also, heavily starching your backing and quilt top should help. Puckers are caused by the fabric stretching as it is quilted. This becomes particularly noticeable when you cross other quilting lines; there is excess fabric bunched up right next to the line you have to cross, requiring a tuck. Starching minimizes this issue because it stabilizes fabric and prevents it from stretching so much.
For backing fabric I like to use a 1:1 solution of Sta-Flo liquid laundry starch and water. My fast method of applying this is to "paint" it on the fabric using a large wall painting brush, waiting a few minutes to make sure the fabric has a chance to absorb the starch, tossing in the dryer, and ironing with steam. Steam reactivates dried starch.
For the top, multiple layers of spray starch can be used. Lay the top out on a large flat sheet and spray from the edges towards the center to minimize overspray. A fan can be used to hasten drying time between layers. For a quilt that has already been basted, you can use this technique on both the top and backing layers to stabilize them.
On some machines you can lessen the pressure on the presser foot. This also can help, especially if you are using a thicker batting.
You may be misunderstanding how to layer a quilt. Honestly, tautness is not an issue. What you want is a smooth backing, not a taut backing. If you stretch your backing fabric (for example, by stretching the fabric taut and then taping the edges to keep it taut), it will spring back to a normal tension as soon as you untape. If you have already basted, this adds fullness to the backing fabric and you are more likely to get puckers and tucks in the backing when you quilt. If spray basting or glue basting, you "smooth" each layer as you go. A yardstick is handy for smoothing out wrinkles and lumps. That's all. No tautness; just smoothness.
What batting are you using? A thick polyester batting is the hardest to quilt. Hobbs 80/20 is a good starter batting that has some loft, but not so much that machine quilting becomes difficult.
Last edited by Prism99; 05-28-2016 at 10:20 PM.
#8
Super Member
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Illinois
Posts: 2,140
PS -- I just noticed you mentioning a "taut top". The only layer that you want to tape a bit to keep smooth is the bottom layer. Regardless of basting method, the batting & quilt top should just be gently laid on top of the backing & you just use either flat hands or the side of your hand (or similar tool lik a yard/meter stick) to gently move any wrinkles out toward the edges. Putting any kind of pulling pressure at all on your batting or quilt top would definitely cause puckers.
#9
Super Member
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Morris Plains, NJ
Posts: 1,803
Interesting discussion. I sandwich w/ either Sharon Schambers herringbone method (which uses boards) or w/ safety pins or with straight pins and pinmoors. I have never run into a problem w/ the herringbone method. I SITD starting at the same side each time. I have also used safety pins but sometimes do get tucks. I do not like the big hole they make so I doubt I will use them again. I have recently used fine long straight pins (flower heads) w/ pinmoors which I liked but since I only have 20 pinmoors, I started in the center of a baby quilt and worked outward. It worked well. I plan to buy more of the pinmoors. I think Prism might be onto something about the starch. No puckering with batiks which have substantial fabric count (thicker) and the most problem w/ puckering was with the extra wide fabric which was thinner. Thinking back, I think the extra starch would have worked. This will be an interesting post to follow.
#10
Prism 99 You said that "for the top, multiple layers of spray starch may be used." I am assuming that you mean even after the top has been pieced. If so, do you press the top again after starching?
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