Fancy Blanket Stitch on Different Machines

[Cathy M.]

I did the standard blanket stitch on my 2013 BOM. For this 2014 BOM I actually took Janet's advice and watched Ricky's show 804. He showed a much nicer stitch on the Bernina. Well unfortunately I don't own a high end Bernina, mine is a Husqvarna Topaz. So I got out my book and the stitch guide, and guess what? Mine has a fancier blanket stitch. It is stitch 2:20 and has default settings of length 3 and width 3. I like to use a length of 4 instead.

Got me thinking, what machines are the rest of you using? And if not Bernina, have you found a fancier blanket stitch? This is info we should share!

[Rita C.]

Can you post a photo of what it looks like Erica? I have several versions of blanket stitch on my Janome Horizon but don't really know what is on the Husqvarna.

[Andree B.]

I did not stitch mine yet, but for the BOM2013, I used stitch Appliqué-45 on my Janome 7700 (not the default setting: Width = 2.0 ;length = 1.8 )

I guess I need to look up for other stitches...
Andrée

[Rita C.]

And I used No 49 but mirrored it so that I could go in a clockwise direction. It is the closest to the double blanket stitch and I love the finish one gets around the edge with it.

[Susan B.]

I am using a single blanket stitch on the 2013 BOM. With the amount of leaves with points, I think that time-wise I'm glad I didn't use a double blanket stitch especially since this quilt won't enter a show and right now it's an endurance contest to get it finished. It seems to me that the double blanket stitch would take twice as long. I've grown really fond of having a straight stitch set at .6 stitch length to start and stop. On my machine, I can just press one button for the blanket and another for the ss and it remembers the settings.

I'm curious about Janet's applique. Is it all done with a double blanket stitch? On the Baaltimore zoom quilt, it's hard to tell. Some of it looks needle-turned.

By the way, Rita, did you see the top of that quilt? Maybe Janet is the person to ask about inserting prairie points in the binding if you didn't solve that task yet!

I'm also curious to know from those with experience if points are harder to get nice looking with a double blanket.

[Annis C.]

I'm cheating and just using a triple stitch 1/8" from the edge (Stitch #2 on my Pfaff performance 2054), and I'm going to let the edges fray. I need fast and easy for this quilt. I don't see a double blanket stitch on this machine, but the single stitch #44 looks good to me. If I should need a double stitch in the future, my Janome 6600 has Stitch #37 in Mode 2, and my Pfaff Creative 4.0 has a stitch in the 2.1 section, I don't know the stitch number. This machine stays in the closet most of the time, but I'm hoping to get it set up in my new country home soon and put it to good use. I stitched out all of the stitches on it a few years ago as I really was planning to use them someday.

[Annis C.]

Rita,
I posted a picture of the two stitches. I really like the difference that the double makes so the rest of my 2014 BOM will be done with the double. And the top border of my 2013 BOM also.

[Gerri d.]

I used E56 on my Viking Designer 1_ and shortened both length and width to 2.0. I suppose that, if someone wanted a heavier look and only had a regular buttonhole stitch, they could try heavier thread...? but then there's a bigger needle hole...
Yes, it's slow going [versus a regular buttonhole stitch]... but a very pretty look. as for the corners- after watching the show Monday, i tried to be so careful- honestly can't say they came out any better than the F letter I did before watching..? : {
Hey, anybody else sing silly jingles to the backward, forward, 1,2, 3 motion of the stitch?

[Janet S.]

[quote="suehenyon"]

I'm curious about Janet's applique. Is it all done with a double blanket stitch? On the Baaltimore zoom quilt, it's hard to tell. Some of it looks needle-turned.

Sue, I don't always use the double blanket stitch. It depends on the look I am going for. Sometimes I want the thread to be obvious on the edges, like on A to Z, and sometimes I want it to disappear. In the case of A Letter Bit of Baaltimore, I used silk thread and just a single blanket stitch. To help it look like needle tuned applique, I stitch in the ditch around each applique shape which pulls the edges down around the shapes, and makes the stitching somewhat disappear. I also use that half double blanket stitch sometimes if I want the thread to show, but not as much as with double blanket stitch. The half double blanket stitch is also good to use when the pieces you are appliqueing are small. Is that all clear as mud?? :lol:

[Susan B.]

Thanks, Janet. Which Bernina did you use that had a "half double blanket stitch" and what stitch number is it? I'm not sure what that stitch is & would like to try it.

[Janet S.]

Susan, I use a 440QE and the half blanket stitch is #161, but I mirror image it because I prefer to have the "bite" part of the stitch going to the left. The double blanket stitch I use is #46, and #45 for the single.

[Susan B.]

well now, that didn't do me a bit of good ops: ops: Could you tell us a stitch sequence like Ricky does? (forward back forward back...etc?)

[Janet S.]

Oops, sorry. The half double stitch goes forward-back-forward-left-right-forward-back-forward-left-right-forward-back-forward-left-right...can I stop now?? :lol: If you have it on your machine, the little picture should show a thicker line on the edge, and a thinner line on the "bite". By contrast, the double blanket stitch goes forward-back-forward-back-forward-left-right-left-right, etc., so it is thicker along the edge and in the bite. Is that mud a little clearer?? :shock:

[Susan B.]

I should have looked first! Yes that makes sense. I have a Bernina 730 and have the half blanket in two places...stitch 720 and 754. One is simply the mirror image of the other. What a nice stitch!

[Beverly C.]

Oh, I'm so glad you just posted that Susan. I have a 730 also so I now know which stitches to use.