Help with quilting Phoebe's Flower Box

[soul60s]

I am about to sandwich my second quilt. It is Phoebe's Flower Box. I have no experience with FMQ. What would be a good simple quilting technique for the quilt? SITD? Since this is all boxes (4 inner squares, outer sashing) how do you SITD without going crazy going around and around each square? Is there a technique to doing this without having to go over and over the same line? Do I just end one line and start the next? Does this make any sense???

Lesson learned on this quilt.....

1.) Pay attention to which way the seams are pressed. Ugh. Too late to change it so a few spots will be a bit thick.
2.) Don't steam press. I have a bunch of wrinkles from steam.
3.) Have different colors of neutral threads. I used gray on some and white on others because I ran out of the gray. Both show here and there. I planned on quilting with black since the sashing is black. The centers are multi and would look better with gray but that is a lot of stitching and cutting threads. Any suggestions?

[Swedish leo]

Re: Help with quilting Phoebe's Flower Box

How about an overall fmq pattern. like loop de loop or stippling ?

Does it has to be stich in the ditch ?

Leah Day have many fun and easy fmq designs on her site.

The Free Motion Quilting Project: 400+ Designs!

Good Luck!

[soul60s]

Re: Help with quilting Phoebe's Flower Box

How about an overall fmq pattern. like loop de loop or stippling ?

Does it has to be stich in the ditch ?

Leah Day have many fun and easy fmq designs on her site.

The Free Motion Quilting Project: 400+ Designs!

Good Luck!

I love Leah Day. I have no experience with it though. None at all. Would it be better, for a first time, to get a stencil? I like the idea of SITD just to keep the clean straight lines. But from what I have read, it is not easy and go slow slow slow.

[Jean Sewing Machine]

Re: Help with quilting Phoebe's Flower Box

If you are going to do straight line SITD, just go completely across from one edge to the other along one seam line. Turning the quilt that many times will be totally crazy. If the pattern dictates that you aren't staying on one seamline all the way across, start and stop along the lines you want to define, then go the other direction to complete outlining the boxes.

[soul60s]

Re: Help with quilting Phoebe's Flower Box

If you are going to do straight line SITD, just go completely across from one edge to the other along one seam line. Turning the quilt that many times will be totally crazy. If the pattern dictates that you aren't staying on one seamline all the way across, start and stop along the lines you want to define, then go the other direction to complete outlining the boxes.

There is no pattern. Winging this. I just used Jenny's tut.

[soul60s]

Re: Help with quilting Phoebe's Flower Box

If you are going to do straight line SITD, just go completely across from one edge to the other along one seam line. Turning the quilt that many times will be totally crazy. If the pattern dictates that you aren't staying on one seamline all the way across, start and stop along the lines you want to define, then go the other direction to complete outlining the boxes.

So just do straight lines along the black sashing? The border is 5" of turquoise. Can I just not quilt the border? Will this mess up the quilt when washing over and over because it will be 5" of material and batting that is not tacked together?

[K. McEuen]

Re: Help with quilting Phoebe's Flower Box

You could just do 2 or 3 straight lines of quilting in the border, all around the quilt, just to keep things together better instead of just not quilting it.

I did an all-over meander on my Phoebe's Flower Box. Jean has a picture of it somewhere. I never did take one.

[Claire Hallman]

Re: Help with quilting Phoebe's Flower Box

You can do straight stitching that is not stitch in the ditch. You could do a diagonal lines from corner to corner both directions, or side to side, up and down. I am making what amounts to asterisks on the one I am doing now. One of my favorites has straight lines about 2" apart up and down and side to side.
You need to check the package your batting came in to see how closely you should quilt your lines.

[soul60s]

Re: Help with quilting Phoebe's Flower Box

You need to check the package your batting came in to see how closely you should quilt your lines.

I didn't realize this. I put the newb in newbie.

[soul60s]

Re: Help with quilting Phoebe's Flower Box

You could just do 2 or 3 straight lines of quilting in the border, all around the quilt, just to keep things together better instead of just not quilting it.

I did an all-over meander on my Phoebe's Flower Box. Jean has a picture of it somewhere. I never did take one.

I will check yours out. I haven't seen too many on here when I ran a search.

[soul60s]

Re: Help with quilting Phoebe's Flower Box

You could just do 2 or 3 straight lines of quilting in the border, all around the quilt, just to keep things together better instead of just not quilting it.

I did an all-over meander on my Phoebe's Flower Box. Jean has a picture of it somewhere. I never did take one.

I couldn't find it although I did find a few more. I think I am going to take Jean's advice and do the straight lines down the sashing. Might be the best so I don't have to change out the thread. Black thread with black sashing. I will just have to get turquoise for the border.

[Ahamblin]

Re: Help with quilting Phoebe's Flower Box

I just finished this pattern for my DD. I did "straight line" quilting but used the serpentine stitch and went diagonally. I am pleased with the results. It gave the appearance of FMQ generally. I was considering shadowing each of the center boxes but I am not good enough with FMQ yet and I was not going to try to turn the quilt that many times. Look forward to pictures.

[auntiemern]

Re: Help with quilting Phoebe's Flower Box

Your thread should be determined by the color of your quilt, and how much you want it to stand out, and don't forget about the back (color of bobbin). You could still do a 2 - 3" diagonal cross hatch and not have to follow the pattern completely. Use your walking foot and the guide. SITD is much harder than one would think. Next to the ditch is much easier.

[asta]

Re: Help with quilting Phoebe's Flower Box

I have made a couple of these and I did a simple cross hatch, with lines about 2" apart on one-I liked this best-then tried 3" apart on the next.
Ellen's quilt 006.jpg

[easyquilts]

Re: Help with quilting Phoebe's Flower Box

Sometimes, when I can't decide what to do with borders, I make wavy lines.....using the walking foot, or FM wide curves. Sometimes I FMG the entire quilt......including borders, in one overall pattern.

When you quilt your borders, remember that you need the same density of quilting you have in the rest of the quilt. This will ensure even shrinkage....if there is any....