I need advice on quilting a practice quilt free motion

[Hannelore N.]

(I have done the inner 62" square of my daughter's quilt and need to do the borders with a free motion loop de loop design. The batting is dream cotton, the backing is flannel. Now this rather thick quilt needs the 12 inch borders done with free motion. I planned to keep the bulk of the quilt to my left while quilting it around the sides. A few chairs and an ironing board will help support it. It is my second time doing this loop de loop design which I think would be the easiest to do. The first time it was on a small wall quilt. I have bought another dream cotton batt and some cloth for the front of a 50X50 throw with flannel for the backing. I was wondering how to approach doing the practice quilt as far as where to start quilting. I also have a 48X60 piece of fleece and cloth for the front. I could quilt that first to get the practice doing good loops and it would probably not be hard to fit within my domestic machine's harp if I started from the left to the right.)

I guess the question could be simplified as how does one approach a quilt to use the same easy design all over it??? Where do you start

/thanks. Any advice about what to do with my practice quilting would be greatly appreciated. Jan

[Margo C.]

I've never done an all-over free motion design on my domestic machine, so I can't offer much advice. I usually use a walking foot to quilt cross-hatching on something like that, because I can roll up or scrunch up 1/2 of the quilt at a time to get it under the arm of the machine, and don't really need to pay attention to where I need to stitch. All-over designs are much easier to do on a long-arm machine because I can see the entire width of the quilt at one time.

[Margo C.]

Maybe it would be easier to just do it. This quilt of my daughter's has lots of sloppy stitching because it was hard to do. The center was the easiest. I used my quarter inch foot to stitch a quarter inch away from the blocks where needed. All this with the feed dogs up believe it or not.
I think I should just wing it to complete it. The practice quilt is maybe going to be given to the quilts of valor. I might better get advice from my quilt shop once I've assembled the top. If no one wants it, that's who it should go to.It has American flags on the border and the center is some fabric that is like brown or sepia landscapes from the past with farm buildings. Sounds wierd but the fabrics look good together. It is very gender neutral. Thanks for your advice Margo.

[Kathryn S.]

I quilt all my quilts on my domestic machine. It has a harp space of about 9 inches which helps. But, I also quilted several large quilts with my old Pfaff that has a small harp space.

I would ditch quilt around borders etc first to "nail it down" first. Then start in the center. As Ricky said in his DVD, you're only quilting a 4 inch space at a time, then moving on to the next one. So I put the center under the needle, and stuff most of the bulk away from the harp. I don't roll the quilt because then it's like trying to control a telephone pole! I make sure there is some slack all the way around so I can move the part I'm quilting without moving the whole quilt. Most important is to check that there isn't any drag from the front- scooch the quilt up a bit there. Then I would work toward the right of the quilt, more or less. When I'm done with that half, or tired of working on that half, I would turn it around and work from the center outward again.

If you're going to do a border on a quilt that has the center already quilted, then just put the bulk of the quilt to the left and move down the border as you said. If the quilt is laying flat, it will cause drag and make it harder to quilt. Having it heaped up, for lack of a better description, means less friction and easier quilting. Only the 4 square inches you are actually quilting needs to be flat.

Hope this is somewhat clear. Anyway, know that it is do-able!

Kathy

[Margo C.]

Great advice, Kathy!

Jan, I understand your desire to give the finished quilt to QOV because of the colors/fabrics in it, but please reconsider if the workmanship is not good. These young men and women deserve our best efforts. Maybe, if you aren't satisfied with the finished product, you could donate it to a local animal shelter? As long as it's securely stitched, the critters will benefit from a warm place to snuggle.

[Lynn K.]

Agree with Margo on the donation of work that isn't our best. I remember the QOV ladies saying that they wish people would consider the soldier's and only give they good work.....maybe to nursing homes where eyesight isn't that good could be another idea! Our local QS gives away hundreds of quilts and gift bags to nursing homes every year, and of course is all really appreciated.

[Lynn K.]

Thank you ladies. I will give it to a nursing home probably if there are any mistakes. It just may appeal to my son. Will let you know how it comes out. Thanks Jan

[Judy B.]

I once took a free motion class where it was suggested making a mattress pad as a practice piece. By the time you were
finished, you'd be pretty accomplished in free motion. You'd have something that wouldn't shrink so badly if you'd pre-washed
the muslin as well. :wink:

[Kathryn S.]

Thank you ladies. I will give it to a nursing home probably if there are any mistakes. It just may appeal to my son. Will let you know how it comes out. Thanks Jan

Hi Jan, don't be too picky about your quilting. If I donated all my "mistakes" to a nursing home, I wouldn't have any quilts left! Almost every quilt has areas of quilting that didn't turn out like the quilter wanted, but the overall effect is just fine. Putting in the hours of experience is the only way to improve, so do your best and keep going.

My Mom who is 89 years old machine quilts all her quilts. She just started quilting 6 years ago. She keeps plugging away and makes wonderful quilts. If she can do it, you can do it!

Kathy

[Kathryn S.]

Watch the Patsy Thompson videos in the Classrooms section--she's great.

[Kathryn S.]

REVIEW PATSY THOMPSONS VIDEO CLIPS THEN START ON IT... DO A PRACTICE BATT TO GET TENSION CHECKED. IF YOU ARE REAL UNSURE USE WASHABLE THREAD AND JUST PRACTICE .... THEN PUT IN REAL THREAD... THIS WILL GIVE YOU AN IDEA OF ANY PROBLEMS THAT MAY DEVELOPE.

THE ONLY OUTSIDE BOARDER I DID WAS A VERY GEOMETRIC DESIGNED I SEWED IN AT 45 DEGREES PIVOTED THEN SEWED OUT OF THE QUILT. LOOKED GOOD BUT YOU QUILT DESIGN ALWAYS DEPEND UPON WHAT IS IN THE QUILT.