Pats8e8

Exactly, that is the good way to do it!

sandpat

I have taken a couple of machine quilting classes with Paula Reid (who does all of Alex Anderson's quilting). She says to take the very small stitches, as described several times on this thread, at the beginning and end, then trim. I didn't know about having to bury the tails.

LindaR

when I don't want to backstitch on a block etc I put pressure on the fabric so the needle goes up/down about 3 times in the same spot to take the place of backstitching.

omak

It will be fine. If you happened to run it far enough in to the quilt that you will actually be quilting over it in another direction, it will be better ... the thread will have a hard time backing up out of the batting, so if you must wash, by all means, wash! since you are the one owning the quilt, if you see a thread coming out, just take it over to your sewing machine and stitch EXACTLY over the first line for five or six stitches (another factory technique <g>) that will anchor things quite nicely.
You will be fine, and you have done fine ... you will still be learning something on your fiftieth quilt! That is why intelligent people keep cutting up fabric and sewing it back together! LOL

omak

SOmetimes, when we are SITD, we are going ninety miles an hour ... or just stitching! Then, we decide we want to backstitch and we flip the switch on the fly ... if you take your time backstitching with the walking foot, then you shouldn't break anything ... speed is not your friend at that moment ...
HOWEVER! Having explained that, you have received some pretty good advice about how to anchor stitches from the get-go ...
To recap: Hold the quilt in place for three or four stitches (the machine will knot itself) before allowing it to move forward.
or
start at the very edge of the quilt and stitch across, content in the knowledge that your binding will cross those end stitches at least once and anchor your stitches
or
when you begin your stitching, turn your stitch length down to .5 or 1 for four or five stitches
and, the handwork if that is your choice. this quilt will have been a REALLY good teacher for you, and THAT is a good thing.

omak

I don't backstitch on my mitered corners on my bindings ... I make sure that I have a tail, then I put my needle down before I EVER start to stitch forward ... when I cut the tail on my binding, I leave about 1/2" of thread, just to make a knot work a bit harder to come undone before I do my next round of stitching ...
If my manual said NOT to do something, I wouldn't do it unless I was REALLY sure it wouldn't be messed up ... follow owner's manual until you are confident you know what you are doing .... <g> all of us have little shortcuts we use that may or may not be "kosher" .... and, when someone does something differently than what we think, or is more cautious or more adventuresome ... we have to remember that we are the ones that have to pay the bill if something goes wrong ...
the more you practice piecing and quilting, the more adventurous you will become because you will grow more familiar with all the variables that are in this fine endeavor.

omak

Hope I am not being redundant here, but I wanted to be sure that you are comfortable with your quilting endeavor.
When you are quilting on a machine that has a small throat, the easiest way to handle all the excess quilt is to roll the edges toward the middle in one direction .... if you have pinned your quilt every four to six inches, it is well stabilized to be rolled up and put into the machine. At that point, you can start in the middle at an edge ... but, we didn't mean for you to go to the middle of the middle and work outward ... I'm sorry if we didn't make that clear to you.
I have done quilting with my portable machine and worked from an upper right corner down to the lower left corner, just because I wanted to see if there weren't a better way to handle the quilt ... so, you see ... the advice you get is the best a writer can provide ... but, nothing is written in stone and there are many variations ... some things that work well for me might set another quilter's teeth on edge ... this is after all a WIP (work in progress).
Everyone on the list is on your side, wanting to help you succeed and thrive, so just keep on keeping on ... and, we will be waiting to see your good first effort.
It is obvious that you have taken a lot of time and care to accomplish the feat, be sure to share the finished product with us. <g>

PamTurner

When I bury the tails, it is usually after I finsihed it not started it. I'll look at the nasty little threads on my pretty quilt, terrified to cut them off for fear it will unravel the whole thing. Burying threads means to me, catching that short thread that is ruining the clean look of my project and brining it back into the gutter. Not to sound like I am trying to push my invention, but one of the main uses for my side threading needle is it is easy to catch those threads and simply sew them into the gutter. Spiral eye needles have a small slot ont he side of the eye, this makes it easy to thread, even in tight spots.

omak

yep, bury tails after the quilt is finished ..
so, I have a question: do you tie a knot before you bury the thread in the gutter?
I can see that your needle is a good invention ... it looks like the gap the thread goes into, that gap closes as the needle goes through the fabric, sort of like a clasp, so that the gap isn't catching on batting and fabric. Correct? or is the opening not a factor?
I know what you mean about having TINY pieces of thread to bury ... sometimes, I almost get a headache <g>

Catherine

back stitch..you gals are just too good. I cut my threads off..but I also stitch around the edges of my quilt to hold the stitching in place. I just don't have alot of patience.