Don’t expect machine quilting to
look like hand quilting!
It is a great way to finish many things, and it can be very
attractive in its own fashion; it doesn’t need to imitate hand
quilting. Look for interesting threads and techniques to make the
machine quilting an important design element.
Machine quilting takes time to learn and practice to do well. It
will become easier and faster as you practice it, but at first it
may seem awkward and you may have trouble getting the tension and
stitch length just right. Don’t give up early and don’t start on
your favorite quilt top.
Machine quilting requires the right tools. For straight lines, use a
walking foot. For the curved and stippling patterns, use a darning
foot. You will need to know how to lower your feed dogs. (Some
machines have a little plastic cover for them instead.) A flat bed
for your sewing machine is very helpful, and there are a few tools
that make it easier. The Quilt-Sew-Easy ® is great if you’re
doing stippling. Bicycle clips can help keep a big quilt under
control.
A clean machine is a happy machine. Begin by cleaning the accessible
parts of your machine and bobbin casing with a soft paintbrush. Get
out all the lint and thread. Put in a new needle. Schmetz makes
needles designed for machine quilting or you could use a universal
size 12 sharp. Your needle will dull faster if you use a polyester
batt. You may require several needles to quilt a big bed quilt. Wipe
the exterior of the machine clean. Don’t use compressed air to
clean your computerized machine.
Machine quilting requires the same careful layering and basting as
hand quilting. This is worth the time to do right. The long threads
of hand basting are a real nuisance when you are machine quilting.
Safety pins work alright, but you need to remove them as you quilt,
and they take almost as long as hand basting. I use the Quilt-tak ®
for pretty much everything. It doesn’t leave such big holes as
safety pins, and it takes a fraction of the time to baste a quilt!
It works well whether I’m quilting by hand or machine.
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REMINDERS
- Lower the feed dogs
while using the darning foot.
- Always draw the
bobbin thread to the top of the quilt.
- Start at the edge or
in a seam whenever possible.
- Check the back of
your quilt regularly.
- Use new needles.
- Set your needle in
the Stop Down position if you can .
PRACTICE AND EXPERIMENT!!!
A
Practice Piece
For your
first attempts at machine quilting, use two pieces of cotton fabric,
approximately 20" square. "Fat Quarters" work fine, but
don't spend money on these pieces. Use your ugliest scraps.
Sandwich them with a cotton batt about the same size and use safety
pins or the Quilt-Tak (r) to baste them together.
Use two different colors of thread (one for the top and one in the
bobbin) so you can judge the tensions. Both colors should contrast
with the fabrics you are using.
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