Quilting Beyond Stitch in the Ditch

[Hillbillyhike]

Hello!

Since I have made the decision not to use a long armer (for my small quilts anyways) I'm wondering what you all think are some good ways to quilt besides just stitch in the ditch. I am not experienced enough at free motion yet. So far I have done stitch in the ditch, quarter inch, cross hatch and lines. Are there any that can be done without straight lines? I saw the serpentine video. I will try that. Any others?

Thank you!

[srgreene]

Morning. My quilting space is small and I prefer piecing to quilting so I've only done a couple of home machine quilting. I used Quilting Made Easy design rolls because it was simple and easy to follow. Otherwise, stitch in the ditch or cross hatch seems like a lot of folks use stencils good sewing, Sandy

[JCY]

Check that out on line. There are many things one can do with the walking foot. When you feel like venturing out, get the foot for your DSM that will allow you to do FMQ.

[Hillbillyhike]

Thanks Joy. I have that foot and have done a bit of practice. I'm just not good at it yet. I will check out online.

[Spiff]

My go to is just a wavy line from top to bottom. This table runner gives you any idea what I am talking about. Very forgiving as you just kind of move the fabric slowly.

[JulieC]

I did this triangle design with my walking foot. It is from a book called Walk, by Jacquie Gering. https://www.amazon.com/WALK-Master-M...s=books&sr=1-2. I saw she has a second book out, too. It was fine for a small project, but I don't think I would have the patience to do it on a large one.

DSCN0566.jpg

[minipinlady]

I really like this Happy Birthday wall hanging. It is so sweet and cheerful .

[redcaboose1717]

Julie, this is sooo cute!!! Thanks for sharing this.
To those of you who are NEW to MSQC Jenny did a Quilt Tutorial awhile back on a larger quilt with the same idea. It's called the "Present Quilt"

https://youtu.be/cOFCY7-2Uo4?t=6

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Enjoy!

[Hulamoon]

Instead of free motion you could get to know how to use your walking foot. Leah Day has an excellent series on using one..

https://www.pinterest.com/leahdayfmq...-walking-foot/

A quilting bar is helpful too

qbf.jpg

[redcaboose1717]

What about tying your quilts? Jordan Fabrics Donna has a video on YouTube showing how to do this. I actually have done this with two twin size quilts I plan to give to my youngest granddaughters for Christmas this year.

Here's the video Donna did on how to Tie Quilts :

https://youtu.be/F4bLCfIFT5s

[redcaboose1717]

My go to is just a wavy line from top to bottom. This table runner gives you any idea what I am talking about. Very forgiving as you just kind of move the fabric slowly.

This is cute! Thanks for sharing!
lionus & blanket .jpg

[Claire Hallman]

My favorite from straight line quilting is a diagonal line about 2 inches apart going on both diagonals [tape is a help staying straight]. It is fairly easy to do a large continuous curve with a walking foot.

[Maria Sews]

I also like straight line quilting on the diagonal when I'm not using my embroidery machine to quilt.

[Momofmonsters5]

I free motion, I don't have patience for a lot of straight line quilting. I feel its faster to do squiggles. Good luck!!
i did flowers and leaves on one...it was easier than I thought. I doodled on paper first go get the path and motions habit.

[Mdtrimble]

BC00846D-0723-445B-9C65-422FA3C1FA8A.jpeg I agree with Momofmonsters5 - I fmq, and much prefer curves to straight lines. I feel they are much more forgiving to occasional wobbles. Start with quilt sandwiches, and try out several designs. Find a few that work for you, and go for it. Another option that I use often is stencils - I use ultra-washable crayola markers, and even more involved patterns become doable. As long as you can put your feed dogs down, you can fmq. I’d also recommend a darning foot, and a straight stitch plate.

here are some examples of the quilting I’ve done, and I only really started about a year ago. 6FAF27A4-17BD-4242-983A-69032F346E68.jpeg

[Hillbillyhike]

Those are beautiful!! Nice job! Thanks for the tips.

[shermur]

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I did this wall hanging with a walking foot. Of Course I had to mark the quilt. The hexagons, I used a template and the "kites" were marked using the points of the design. I have used my walking foot for most of my quilts in recent years; watch Jacquie Gering....she is a master at walking foot quilting.

[Hillbillyhike]

That's beautiful!! Even the back is gorgeous! I never thought about using quilting rulers amd templates for marking quilting patterns. That's brilliant. Thank you!! All of a sudden I have confidence to actually quilt. Thanks Sherri!!

[shermur]

You are so welcome, Heike.....Another quilter to watch is Angela Walters. She does a Dot To Dot quilting method you should try. Keep up your confidence and with a little innovation, you will be quilting your own creations. Let the quilt top "speak" to you and remember....it doesn't have to be perfect as you're learning!

[Hillbillyhike]

Thanks Sherri! I will check them out when I get a chance.

[osewme]

I have a couple of quilting stencils that I sometimes use. I just mark the pattern on the quilt & then free motion along the lines using my walking foot. Sometimes I've used the stencils in some of the blocks & finished with something like stitch in the ditch. The stenciled blocks add a little pizazz to the otherwise plain SITD quilting.
Here's a link to some stencils. I've never ordered from this company before.

https://www.quiltingstencils.com/Plastic-Stencils_c_11.html

[Hillbillyhike]

Thanks! I will check those out. You do FMQ with a walking foot?? Just slowly and lots of turning?

[osewme]

Yes, with a walking foot. I find it easier & I do go very slowly. Seems like I'm to jittery when I use a FM quilting foot. I need lots of practice.

[Hillbillyhike]

I think everyone starting out does...it's hard!