mbake

I've just started to quilt, Ive got about a four inch area done and I've realized that my variegated thread matches the fabric so well that I can't tell where I've quilted. I've tried increasing the light and it still doesn't help. What do you do in this situation?

Onebyone

Nothing. When the quilt is quilted all over then this won't be a problem that it looks to be now. If you have to have the stitches stand out then I would suggest taking the quilting stitches out and use another thread.

joyce888

Depends. Do you want the quilting noticed? If not continue, if yes then take it out now. I find I quilt better when I can't see it as clear as possible (I'm very anal). Also since I'm new to LA'ing it hides my mistakes.

PaperPrincess

What I think you are saying is you can't figure out where you've quilted while your quilting. I have this same issue with white thread on white fabric. I kept increasing the light, but it didn't help. I finally decreased the light (I was quilting in a bright sunlit room and waited until the sun went down a bit) then situated the lamp so that light was shining across the quilt, not directly down on it. With the light going across the fabric, the texture of the quilting showed up, so I could figure out where I'd been & where I was going.

winia

The only problem I can anticipate is having difficulty seeing where you ended and going back to start again after a break. I would suggest making some sort of marking when you finish for the day or stopping with some thread left in the needle. Other than that, keep quilting.

Sewnoma

Maybe use tailor's chalk or those water-erase markers and draw lines where you stop each section? Or use pins to sort of fence off the already-quilted areas?

SueSew

I know what you mean because it happens to me. When I am doing a big meander sometimes the thread disappears. I have to stop and check, but then of course I can't maintain a curve so I get a little directional shift.
I have an Ott light and I turn it off because it is so shadow-free and I use a big halogen desk lamp on a long arm, like an architect's desk lamp. I pull it down close to the work and it casts a bit of shadow. I do that whenever I need to see something 'really good'.

ManiacQuilter2

This happens to me when piecing using black thread on black Kona cotton. I usually like the thread to match but I rarely do FMQ anymore. I would adjust your light so it shines at an angle.

toverly

I've had that happen. I too, put my light at an angle where it shone across the fabric not down on the fabric. I have also heard of quilting backwards with the un quilted part in the back of the machine and the quilted part in the front. But that was too different for me to try for long.

Onebyone

Ha, I was wondering why increasing the light would make a difference in the quilting stitches showing up on the fabric after it was quilted. I read the post as she wanted the stitches to show off the quilting.