Best machine quilting designs for big block quilts

[Margo C.]

I am doing 15" blocks that are made of one half square triangle. I am setting them on point, I think. The quilt can easily get pretty large, so I can do a 94x94" quilt. I am a beginner. I have sewn one 75x75" quilt and used easy quilting designs but there were logical and easy choices I made. I have a Baby Lock Esante ESe2 which is a domestic embroidery machine. I would like to buy a new machine, but don't have the money.

Anybody have any advice? I guess I could use my walking foot to sew in the ditch and divide the blocks up with simple lines that bisect them. It just seems boring. I have only done a few quilts so far so my machine skills are not great. Some of the fabrics are solid ones that would show off my mistakes very well. I am just trying to use up my stash and these fat quarters were pretty and colorful. Thanks for the advice. Jan

[Kathryn S.]

Hi Jan, the blocks are nice and big- a good canvas for your quilting! If you're not up to an allover pattern like loop de loops or something like that, subdivide and conquer is a good bet. I would stitch in the ditch along the diagonal seam, and then stitch another line at a right angle to that through the block. That way you've got smaller areas to tackle and less chance of pooching or shifting. You can quilt each triangle then and it doesn't seem like so much. A grid doesn't have to be a boring design, if you space the lines at say 1/2 and 1 inch intervals, you get a nice pattern. You can use the walking foot to travel along the ditch or quilted line from one line to the next. You could even do a couple of lines along your long side of the triangle, and then in the center part, do a little squiggly meandering or leaves or whatever. It will be good enough, and you will gain confidence as you go along. You can do this!
Kathy

[Margo C.]

Jan, a 15" block is a lot of space to deal with at one time, especially on a domestic machine. If I were doing that kind of project, I would divide the blocks into quarters so that there is less area to deal with at one time. I would probably use a walking foot to divide the entire quilt and stabilize the sandwich then quilt something in each smaller triangle like Kathy suggested.

Do this stitching (the entire quilt) with a walking foot:



and here are just four ideas for the smaller triangle spaces. There are LOTS of motifs that will work there! Have fun, and please show us a picture when you get it done!

[Margo C.]

thanks Margo and Kathy. That's what I'll do. I think with batik on the back and a thin cotton batting will make it easier. All of my previous quilts had flannel on the back. I hope the walking foot helps me stay in the ditch ok. I had trouble with that on my first quilt sometimes and I was using a walking foot. I like the leaf design a lot Margo. Thanks, Jan

[Jules M.]

Your big blocks will give you a nice place for quilting. Personally, I prefer free-motion quilting to the in-the-ditch and maybe you will too.

Margo gave you great suggestions! Some books include those by Pam Clarke or by Sue Patten. Sue has some good triangle ideas in her 2nd book and you could divide as Margo suggested and quilt in the triangles. You could ease-down the Sue Patten designs but just not filling in as full to get a feel for it all.

I hope you post back to us when you get going on the quilting!

[Kathryn S.]

Jan, I waver in and out of the ditch sometimes. It's not as easy as it looks to get it perfectly! I've learned to just go with the flow and accept that no one will notice it. Sounds like you'll be on your way soon- Yay!
Kathy

[Margo C.]

For what it's worth, when I do SID (stitch in the ditch) quilting, I usually use Superior's MonoPoly monofiliment thread. It makes the inevitable bobbles a lot less noticeable!

http://www.superiorthreads.com/shop/...y/description/

[Margo C.]

http://freemotionquilting.blogspot.com

Try LEAH DAY's blog spot for quilting ideas for different filler patterns.
She also has a quilt a long going on for FMQ ... LOVE her stuff

I made a quilt using a lot of her free motion patterns. Each block started at 13 inches then I made half sq tri from them. I did sew the blocks stitch in the ditch to stablize the blocks in the quilt top. Each white back ground tri ended up with a different free motion filler . I was practicing FMQ techniques. I think it helped improve my skills. I love LEAH's YOU tube videos.. they were fun to watch and instructional.

The color blocks looked trupunto and stood out. It was a fun quilt. I had pictures once upon a time but lost them with the computer crash. I plan to take pictures again when I go to visit my niece. ( I had given her the quilt.)

Just remember to have fun with your projects.

Nonnie

[Margo C.]

I should have mentioned that I did a simple tacking technique inside the color triangles using my decorative stitches. I did that to enhance the trupunto effect I was going for and per batting recommendation which said to have quilting minimum of three inches.

Batting requirements should be considered when you select your quilting techniques.

Nonnie

[Margo C.]

Hi, Nonnie. I acturally sent Leah an email with the same questions in it. I have a large all polyester batting that would make a large quilt more of a comforter. I think however that wouldn't hold up as well as a cotton batt. I saw a wool batting for sale but I don't know where. It may have been Clotilde online. It wasn't too expensive. I don't know how easy that is to quilt. For my first large quilt I want it to be easy to quilt.

Most of Leah's miniquilts are densely quilted. I think that doing that on a large quilt might be difficult with my small harp machine. The machine doesn't always make nice stitches. I guess matching the thread to the block might be a good idea to hide mistakes. Thanks for the ideas. Jan

[Margo C.]

FOR A LARGE QUILT

Use a thinner batting... nothing too puffy.... for non heirloom quilts I go to JoAnns with a coupon and get HOBBS 80/20

I am told thinner but strong thread works good to bury itself in the fabric and hide mistakes. Sue Nickles recommended 50 wt / three ply ... Aurfil .... I have used PRESENTIA ... 60 wt / three ply.....bobbin thread matches the top in color / I test the thread using the snap method. I also machine quilt slowly as I have hand issues so if I go too fast my stitches look bad.

When I am doing a project for practice / even if it it intended to be used... ( I FMQ all my kiddy quilts cause they do not judge me) So those pieces I practiced and experiment with. My main problem as I am good by the end of the project but my earlier efforts are not so hot despite practicing.

Think proportions.... Large blocks ... larger patterns... I TOOK LEAH'S patterns and did not quilt them so dense.... I expand them to about double and triple the size and that works pretty good. If I am doing the pattern in a smaller area then I mimic Leah's patterns more closely. I also always consider how the quilt will be used... kids / home quilts I quilt loosely.... that way they are softer, drape better, maintain the warmth. Wall quilts/ Exhibit quilts I do much denser..... but I make less of those.


be sure to follow the recommendation of the batting.

Nonnie

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[Margo C.]

I also hope you have a table set up that lets you sew flat.

Here is my favorite YOU TUBE for setting up a cheap flat area for sewing.... I use it at the cabin up north

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAS25v3ZTk0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g14go...feature=relmfu

MARGARITE MC MANUS is an Alaskan quilter that developed her own way of doing some things... I liked her methods when I was first learning ... the set up made things less stress ful on my body.
I have a real table now but I use card tables and vinyl plastic to keep the large quilts supported.

Hope this information helps.


Nonnie..

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[Margo C.]

Nonnie, I have a cheap setup thanks to another member who sent me that link for my last quilt, which I thought was insanity without the table made of house insulation with a vinyl cloth on top. I couldn't have done that quilt without that. I tried the clamps but I didn't like them. I think that would be a great idea to try to do looser, bigger designs of Leah's designs different on each block. Maybe I'll do the in the ditch quilting with Nylon thread. I was just playing with the fabrics to see how it would look together on my bed. I got a few new ideas about what to pair with what. With the blodks on point I need an odd number of blocks. And I have more fat quarters than I need. I am just loving this and having so much fun thinking about it. I just learned on my last quilt that most of my thread is dry rotted or something is causing breakage that is annoying. I finally settled on some newer thread that I bought at Joann's that is Guiterman cotton about 50 ply in the top and bobbin. I read afterwards that the same thread in top and bobbin helps with tension issues. My machine is computerized and needs the top tension to be set weak to do free motion. Thanks, Nonnie. Jan

[Margo C.]

Nonnie, why do you like the Hobbs 80-20? I have some of that left over but I don't remember using it. I might have on my first quilt, but I don't think so. It seems to have a stiffness to it compared to an all cotton batting? There is somebody (maybe Harriet Hargrave) who recommended that. I think Harriet designs things for Hobbs. I took a course on machine applique from her recently.

[Margo C.]

I'm not Nonnie, but I can tell you that Harriet Hargrave is the person who developed the first 80/20 on the market for Hobbs in an effort to add some polyester to make the cotton batting easier to needle for hand quilters.
It is my favorite batting for everyday quilts, but there are lots of battings on the market, so you should try different ones to see what works for you.
For something that I want to have more dimension showing, I use Hobb's wool batting, either by itself or layered with the 80/20.