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  1. #1
    liketoquilt is offline Junior Member
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    Default Frustrated With First Big Quilt!

    Hi...I'm working on my first bed size quilt and am very confused about how tight to pull the backing when doing the sandwiching, as I've read conflicting instructions. I first pulled it "tight but not taut" as the book I was following said to do. Then I only used one package of 50 small curved basting safety pins as I never read in the book how many to use, ran out, so used straight pins--and boy was that a mistake. I kept pricking myself when I tried to machine quilt in the center and it looked horribly bunched up. I can't figure out how to center quilt with my typical machine-- with all this huge amount of material everywhere...is there some rule of thumb of rolling it somehow to fit around the machine better? I felt like giving up!
    SO I undid absolutely everything, and I'm starting the backing from scractch again, this time intending to use around 300 pins as it's a fairly good size quilt--
    My questions are this:

    1)How tight do I really have to pull the backing material?
    I will use t pins to secure it. It's going on the carpet as I have no table or area big enough otherwise.

    2}How do I fit all that material under/around my machine to start sewing from the center?
    There's hardly any room to the right...!

    3}Does anybody recommend the "Kwik Klip" to help fasten the safety pins?

    I have some arthritis in my thumbs and not wanting to make it worse and saw mention of this product on someone's website.

    Thank you for any advice you can offer. I sure appreciate it!

  2. #2
    jfleckal is offline Member
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    Default Re: Frustrated With First Big Quilt!

    I'm a novice at this but the following link will help you a lot. Leah Day has a site that gives free videos and also You Tube videos on free motion quilting including how to get that big quilt into the machine. Here is the link for that clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gc2Y1...eature=related She has lots of others too. Like Jenny she is easy to listen to and her site has other suggestions too.

  3. #3
    teri lynne is offline Member
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    Default Re: Frustrated With First Big Quilt!

    I feel your pain. The backing needs to be relatively taut. You need a gazillion pins. They are selling pinmoor to put on regular straight pins and they work well.You need to bunch or puddle the material around your machine as best you can. It takes some getting used to.Have extra tables around your work space to catch the excess material. The kwik klip works very well or you can use a grapefruit spoon to achieve the same results.I also have arthritis and i have to take alot of breaks to relax my fingers.Patience wins all the time,We learn from all ofour experiences Then we can compare notes.

  4. #4
    quilter.martha's Avatar quilter.martha is offline Senior Member
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    Default Re: Frustrated With First Big Quilt!

    Working on a large quilt can be hard, but patience will win the day. Teri has great advice, lots of pins, a taunt backing and lots of space surrounding you to support the weight of the quilt, etc. I think the Leah Day videos talk about "quartering" your quilt. Start from the center of your quilt and work to one side and up; then down etc. This way you never have more than 1/2 your quilt in the neck of your machine. I always find I get a huge upper arm and back workout when I quilt a large item. Taking lots of breaks is helpful.

    Hang in there, be patient and go slow. You'll get it done.
    When life throws you scraps, make a quilt!

  5. #5
    quiltingtrish's Avatar quiltingtrish is online now Senior Member
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    Default Re: Frustrated With First Big Quilt!

    Make sure you pin from the center out too. They say pin a fist apart.
    A large size quilt is hard even for those of us that have done a few before. I actually start from the top right and work a section down and then up again and do it that way. You will always have a bunch of fabric to the left and seems on your lap so the larger your table the better to help support it all. One piece of advice was to try to concentrate on just one area with your quilting. So I do a small area - like 10 x 10 inches that would be in the middle of my spread out hands and then try to rebunch the fabric and concentrate on the next area. I also use the machine gloves that helps to grip the fabric. Some people that might not have them use garden gloves.
    Good luck and do make sure you take some breaks. That's alot of concentrating!

    Hugs,
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/quiltsbytrish
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    What if you woke up today and the only things you had were the things you thanked God for yesterday? quilting trish

  6. #6
    Patrice's Avatar Patrice is offline Senior Member
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    Default Re: Frustrated With First Big Quilt!

    I highly recommend the kwik klip. I love it. The back shouldn't be real tight. The pins should be 3 to 4 inches apart About the width of your hand. I roll my quilt up on both sides and secure them with quilt clamps. It's pretty much going to be a pain no matter what you do. Trying to work with a huge quilt on a machine is not fun. Have you looked into the quilt as you go. I am doing a king size this way in three sections and even with the quilt in three sections it can be a bear. My machine embroiders and I have done some baby quilts with quilt motifs on them and they look great so am looking for more quilt design and just going to let my embroidery machine do it for me since I can't afford a long arm. I have done free motion. sometimes I like it sometimes I don't. The smaller the quilt the better I am at it.

  7. #7
    cardinal fan is offline Junior Member
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    Default Re: Frustrated With First Big Quilt!

    You don't want to pull the backing tight at all. When you release the pin or tape after your done it will go back to its original tension and then the top will be loose. That causes puckers when you cross other lines of quilting. Smooth it out completely so that it is nice and flat and pin or tape it down to the surface. Use pins about every 4 inches.Do not use the real large pins as they allow the material to shift on the shaft. Hope this helps.

  8. #8
    Sandy Navas's Avatar Sandy Navas is offline Senior Member
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    Default Re: Frustrated With First Big Quilt!

    From a previous post I put in "Look What I Found":

    "Karen Kay Buckley, who teaches in this area, quilts her bigger quilts in three sections. I believe she said she cuts the batting in three sections, rolls the right third of the top, quilts the center section. She stitches the batting together, gets everything flat and then stitches the right third. She adds the left section last, turns the quilt about and then quilts the remaining third. -- AND when you see her work, you cannot detect that it was not all done at one time."

    I think this may help you.
    Be warned. I am BORED.
    This could be dangerous.

    When you get cold just go stand in the corner.
    They are usually 90 degrees.

    A giraffe's coffee would be cold by the time it reached the bottom of his throat.
    Ever think about that? No? You only think about yourself??

  9. #9
    Applique Angel

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    Default Re: Frustrated With First Big Quilt!

    I started using the Sharon Schamber basting method when doing quilts on my home machine and it has made a big difference. You don't have to do it with thread, you can do the same method with pins if you are going to quilt it right away.





    I don't roll my quilts into a log when I'm quilting as I find it difficult to maneuver a log through the machine. I get the area I'm quilt really flat and go from there. Everyone develops their own technique that works best with their sewing area.

    If you can find a local shop that lets you rent out their longarm that might be a better option when doing your next big quilt.
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  10. #10
    jfleckal is offline Member
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    Default Re: Frustrated With First Big Quilt!

    This is wonderful information, thanks for sharing it. I'm going to try it with my next quilt, the pins are a problem with my fingers.

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