Re: It's sandwich time......
When I start, if I am not able to do it in the margin (extra outer edge) where it won't be seen, I just stitch several small stitches on top of one another, as they are next to impossible to get out. I don't ever backstitch when fmqing.
Two inches might be enough...sometimes nothing moves around on mine, but sometimes it does. You will just have to keep an eye on it.
Good luck!
Re: It's sandwich time......
Quote:
Originally Posted by
bubba
When I start, if I am not able to do it in the margin (extra outer edge) where it won't be seen, I just stitch several small stitches on top of one another, as they are next to impossible to get out. I don't ever backstitch when fmqing.
Two inches might be enough...sometimes nothing moves around on mine, but sometimes it does. You will just have to keep an eye on it.
Good luck!
Have you ever had an issue with table/floor space and had to pin it together in sections?
Re: It's sandwich time......
Quote:
Originally Posted by
soul60s
Have you ever had an issue with table/floor space and had to pin it together in sections?
Are you quilting lines or free motion?
Especially for lines I think you need the whole thing basted because you want to work from the middle outward and you can't do that if half of the quilt isn't ready to be quilted.
Are you pinning or spray basting? Personally I prefer spray but different people like different methods. When you spray baste you can do that one section at a time but you generally baste the entire thing before the quilting begins.
As far as starting and stopping, I usually try to start in an area that will be covered by the binding. For middle sections my current machine has a "fix stitch" which makes multiple stitches in the same spot, on my old machine that did not have this I back stitched.
Good luck. Quilting is exciting but scary to get started.
Re: It's sandwich time......
I have not had an issue with anything other than my back and foot!!! For this reason, I can not climb around on the floor to pin/baste quilts like others do. I have two of the conference tables from Costco that I set up when it's time to sandwich them together and they work like a charm. We bought the folding ones, so they take up minimal space when not in use.
Re: It's sandwich time......
I have a cheap Brother machine. The biggest feature it has is the removable table it came with and the threader thingy. Love my terminology huh? Thanks for the info though. I wasnt sure how to lock the threads. I dont have any spray so I thought I'd tape down the backing and pin the heck out of it. Lol I am sure blood will be drawn at some point.
Re: It's sandwich time......
I pin baste because the spray bothers me. I have a 6 foot by 3 foot table I pin baste on.I use the curved safety pins not too big of ones and pin every 5 or 6 inches or my hands width apart. I pin in sections starting in the center and working out. Same as do when I am quilting. If I am doing FMQ or stencils I start in the middle if its lines I start on the top middle and alternate direction I sew. I try and start and stop in the margin that will be bound if I an't then I do a fix type stitch which is several small stitches in the same spot. Hope this helps. Remember don't get all crazy with it . Quilting is fun and should remain so, If you get to stressed get up and walk away for a bit. No quilt police and you are your own worst critic.
Re: It's sandwich time......
I've been taught to pull the bottom thread up to the top of the quit before you start the stitching. This keeps knots from forming on the back of your quilt. This youtube shows what I'm trying to explain at about the 2 : 05 minute mark. I also like to hide each of the thread tails inside the quilt, instead of snipping them off. This gives a little more security to the end of your quilting lines.
Free Motion Quilting, Beginner Tutorial 3 (of 4) - YouTube
Re: It's sandwich time......
I would watch carefully because if it's not all basted at the same time it may shift a lot on you and eat up that 2" overage. I've never tried to only sandwich half at a time, but I've had things shift even when the whole thing has been basted lol. Maybe it's just me.
Re: It's sandwich time......
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Iris Girl
I pin baste because the spray bothers me. I have a 6 foot by 3 foot table I pin baste on.I use the curved safety pins not too big of ones and pin every 5 or 6 inches or my hands width apart. I pin in sections starting in the center and working out. Same as do when I am quilting. If I am doing FMQ or stencils I start in the middle if its lines I start on the top middle and alternate direction I sew. I try and start and stop in the margin that will be bound if I an't then I do a fix type stitch which is several small stitches in the same spot. Hope this helps. Remember don't get all crazy with it . Quilting is fun and should remain so, If you get to stressed get up and walk away for a bit. No quilt police and you are your own worst critic.
you are your own worst critic.....that I am! There is time for me to be a perfectionist when I get good. This is not that time. I know there will be tons of mistakes on it and I'm okay with that. It's a learning curve. Hubby just reminded me of a space I can pin this. The fun part is keeping the dogs away. I need to learn how to spin dog hair into yarn. I swear I sweep up a whole dog every few days. Who would have thought that very short haired dogs would shed so much!
Re: It's sandwich time......
Quote:
Originally Posted by
starlover
I've been taught to pull the bottom thread up to the top of the quit before you start the stitching. This keeps knots from forming on the back of your quilt. This youtube shows what I'm trying to explain at about the 2 : 05 minute mark. I also like to hide each of the thread tails inside the quilt, instead of snipping them off. This gives a little more security to the end of your quilting lines.
This is how I learned to do it too. It only takes a few practice tries to be able to pull the bobbin thread up and quilt a bit, then knot them and just make sure you don't go back over them, and then after you are done quilting you bury the ends with a hand sewing needle.
Re: It's sandwich time......
Quote:
Originally Posted by
starlover
I've been taught to pull the bottom thread up to the top of the quit before you start the stitching. This keeps knots from forming on the back of your quilt. This youtube shows what I'm trying to explain at about the 2 : 05 minute mark. I also like to hide each of the thread tails inside the quilt, instead of snipping them off. This gives a little more security to the end of your quilting lines.
Free Motion Quilting, Beginner Tutorial 3 (of 4) - YouTube
This actually helped a lot. I didn't know how to bring the bottom thread up. Any sewing I ever did was regular sewing so the thread was behind the presser foot. Makes so much sense now.
Re: It's sandwich time......
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Squeaky
This is how I learned to do it too. It only takes a few practice tries to be able to pull the bobbin thread up and quilt a bit, then knot them and just make sure you don't go back over them, and then after you are done quilting you bury the ends with a hand sewing needle.
So you hand knot the two threads on top and then thread them onto a hand needle to pull them into the center?
Re: It's sandwich time......
Ozark Trail Center Folding Table - Walmart.com
The table is solid. Found it in the sporting goods dept. It hzs some weight but has handles. I like the heft for stability.
So I went to the store today and got two tables. The price was right and they fold up. I am going to follow the video that Starlover posted. I got the correct pins and since I was in walmart they only had two basting sprays. I got the Spray n Bond. I will pick up the recommended spray next time I take a trip to Joann's. That is 30 minutes away. So all I need to do is set up and pin. I can also use one of the tables to put my machine on if I have a hard time maneuvering the quilt on my small sewing table. I'm pretty happy with it.
Re: It's sandwich time......
The whole quilt needs to be securely pinned before attempting any quilting. Start pinning in the middle & work out in all directions. When quilting, start in the middle & work out to the sides. Most books for FMQ recommend quilting in quadrants. I pin my quilts every 3-4". JCY
Re: It's sandwich time......
Quote:
Originally Posted by
JCY
The whole quilt needs to be securely pinned before attempting any quilting. Start pinning in the middle & work out in all directions. When quilting, start in the middle & work out to the sides. Most books for FMQ recommend quilting in quadrants. I pin my quilts every 3-4". JCY
I did get it sandwiched. I clamped both tables together and laid out the backing and batting, pulled back half the batting, sprayed both the backing and batting, put the batting in place and did the same to the other side. I then did the same thing with the top. Then I marked out the center diagonal lines. After that was done and since I didn't have my thread to quilt, I pinned it with the curved pins, rolled it up and put it in my craft room. Got my thread today and tomorrow I start quilting it. My first attempt at pinning was a disaster. This went so much easier with my husband's help and the help of everyone here. Thank you all. :icon_hug:
Re: It's sandwich time......
Quote:
Originally Posted by
soul60s
My first attempt at pinning was a disaster. This went so much easier with my husband's help and the help of everyone here. Thank you all. :icon_hug:
I make my wife help me with the spray basting too. It goes so much easier with two people even on a small quilt. I know some people swear by pins but personally I have never been very successful with them but basting spray worked well (other than making a mess in my basement).
We can't wait to see the quilt and hear a report on how the quilting went. Good luck!
Re: It's sandwich time......
You asked if it is OK to sandwich a quilt in sections due to space issues-----I would have to say that sandwiching, and basting or pin- basting is extremely important to the success of your finished product. I believe that the entire quilt should be sandwiched and secured before you begin quilting. Could you lay it out on a floor? I lay on a carpeted area and make sure it is flat in all areas before securing and quilting. Hope this helps.
Re: It's sandwich time......
Quote:
I need to learn how to spin dog hair into yarn. I swear I sweep up a whole dog every few days. Who would have thought that very short haired dogs would shed so much!
I hear ya! I don't see how my dog has any hair left. Everything I make contains some Jack Russell Terrier hair! You'll do fine, I get nervous everytime I start to FMQ. I start at the edges and try to end up at the edges before the bobbin runs out. Doesn't always work out that way, and when it doesn't, I just do 4-5 stitches in place, stop, cut the tail, and start again.
Re: It's sandwich time......
Can't help you much with the sandwiching. I recently started using 505 spray and LOVE that method. No more puckers! If you pin it, make sure the back starts nice and taut - but not stretched. Then pin at least hand-width apart.
As far as starting: I pull the bobbin thread up, sew about 5-7 stitches at .4 mm (yes, teeny-tiny), then go to 3 mm stitch length and finish the line. At the end, I switch back to .4 mm and finish with 5-7 stitches. That has worked for all of my straight-stitching.
Re: It's sandwich time......
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jnke_Kz...%3Djnke_KzeTI8
Someone posted this awhile ago. I used it. I found some big clips in the hardware section at Walmart. It worked great! I have a long table but it is narrow. So this worked great. Made 2 quilts this way, no problems!
Re: It's sandwich time......
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Kelly F
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jnke_Kz...%3Djnke_KzeTI8
Someone posted this awhile ago. I used it. I found some big clips in the hardware section at Walmart. It worked great! I have a long table but it is narrow. So this worked great. Made 2 quilts this way, no problems!
LOL.... this was the video that I referenced. The clips wouldn't fit on the table so I used clamps that I got at Harbor Freight. They worked great and we can use them for so many other things.
Re: It's sandwich time......
Quote:
Originally Posted by
MartinaG
Can't help you much with the sandwiching. I recently started using 505 spray and LOVE that method. No more puckers! If you pin it, make sure the back starts nice and taut - but not stretched. Then pin at least hand-width apart.
As far as starting: I pull the bobbin thread up, sew about 5-7 stitches at .4 mm (yes, teeny-tiny), then go to 3 mm stitch length and finish the line. At the end, I switch back to .4 mm and finish with 5-7 stitches. That has worked for all of my straight-stitching.
Really? I don't think my machine goes that low (.4). So far I have done all my stitching with 2mm. I haven't started the quilting yet. Is 3mm standard to quilt it together?
Re: It's sandwich time......
Quote:
Originally Posted by
kittyquilts
You asked if it is OK to sandwich a quilt in sections due to space issues-----I would have to say that sandwiching, and basting or pin- basting is extremely important to the success of your finished product. I believe that the entire quilt should be sandwiched and secured before you begin quilting. Could you lay it out on a floor? I lay on a carpeted area and make sure it is flat in all areas before securing and quilting. Hope this helps.
I did get it all spray basted and pinned. Since it is my first, I didn't trust just the spraying.
