GingerK

So your quilt is already sandwiched?? Maybe you should REALLY take it apart and resandwich. Lay the backing on a hard flat surface, smooth and tape the corners. Then take a tape mearsure and measure the diagonal lenghts. They should be the same. If they are not, stretch and re-tape the backing. Then put on the batting and then put on the top and measure the diagonals again and adjust. THEN PIN PIN PIN!! I try to pin every 4 inches. If you do that, as long as you are not using a super loft batting, you should not get any folds.

cinson7

I am almost done taking out the stiches and after I sandwich it again I will try to put my (saftey pins) closer I use saftey pins because my sewing area is a corner in front of our bedroom so if I would drop a pin hubby would not step on it I like yuor idea of putting them every 4 inches

Wintersewer

I generally use a 2.0 or 1.9. I have a new Bernina and the default straight stitch length is 2.4!!!!!!! Does anyone use such a big stitch for piecing???? And it's a 350PE (Patchwork Edition).

IAmCatOwned

I use 2.7 for piecing (Bernina). The idea that you have to have a finer stitch is based on clothing construction (which is normally 12 stitches to the inch). Unless you are paper piecing, there is no need for such a tight stitch and it is WAY easier to remove the stitches when you make a mistake. My great-grandmother's quilt was handpieced and most of those stitches are maybe 4 to an inch. It held up for 60 years and it was the fabric that gave way. The stitches never did. So, go ahead and continue to have 2.0 or 1.9 settings, but realize that it is a preference. It certainly isn't necessary for the longevity of the quilt and it is certainly an effort to remove those stitches when you make a mistake.

In answer to the original poster, standard clothing setting is 12 stitches to the inch, so I'd go a bit looser than that, personally. Look in your manual and find out what the 'standard' setting is for straight stitch.

eastermarie

Do your seams start to unravel at the edges when you work with them?

cinson7

No my seams are not unravel I finished taling out all the stiches tonight

mucky

My machine normal stitch is 2.5 and I use 2.0. I find it doesn't come apart on the ends as much and is not that much harder to rip. I use even smaller for paper piecing.