Stitch in the ditch

[PAQuilter]

I am typically a panto girl and have recently had people asking me about doing custom work. I am a little scared of it. No, maybe a lot scared.

But anyway, I have been trying out some stitch in the ditch work and it is not turning out the way I would like. So I was wondering if anyone had any advice, or practice ideas for this type of work. Also I do not have a sr on my machine.

Thank You,

PA Quilter

[Primitive1]

Hi,

My advice is use a ruler and either go 1/4 inch next to the ditch which allows for a little error if the seam or your line is not excactly straight - but it will appear to be straight. My other tool that I found helps alot would be the itty bitty ruler which puts your hopping foot right on the ditch line, but I use my stitch regulator which allows me to go slow and stay in the ditch.

Another option is to do freehand right up to the ditch that gives the appearance of SID without all the stress of staying right on the line.

Vicki

[Bonnie]

Originally posted by PAQuilter

Also I do not have a sr on my machine. PA Quilter

First off doing this with a non SR machine isn't as easy as some make it look, or at least that's what I found out over time and errors.

With my OLD ULT II I had to turn down the speed to where it was almost moving 1 stitch at a time...and then I was able to get a bit faster with practice. If you have a ULT I you may or may not have a one stitch already,...practice there and and with confidence move to a bit faster speed and with practice you will still have the speed turned down, but you will be moving a bit faster.

And Honestly it wasn't worth this turtle crawl for me...I would do all the rest on the machine and take the quilt off the machine and do the SID on my DSM....yes, even king sized quilts...just one piece at a time....I was way faster there than on the longarm.

SO my advise to you would be do what works for you to get the job done, and to your customers satisfaction. It was an issue of speed for me more than I couldn't do it. I didn't have the time to wait several days to do a quilt on the frame with the speed turned down...it wasn't that I couldn't do it.

[quiltaholi_518]

I agree, tough without a SR. Very slow. I did have someone bring me a quilt once where she had already done all the SID, but the backing was big enough so I just loaded it up and finished it. So if that was that important you could have them do the SID and finish up with some feathers or stencils, and charge by the hour. Just something to think about.

[Sheri Butler]

Excellent advise Caron!

[juliagraves]

Another option is to do something other than stitching right in the seam - such as wavy lines, tiny loops, tiny leaves, etc. Elaine Huffman has a terrific book, Bread and Butter Machine Quilting, Fast and Easy Custom Looks for Quilts that has lots of ideas for this.

A lot of customers ask for SID thinking it's easy, when it really isn't, especially if the piecing isn't straight. The main thing you want is to be able to stabilize the area and accent - this can be done other ways than a straight line. Sell it to your customers as something different than same old same old.

Good luck!

Julia

[LTL]

Yes, don't you love when customers say things like, "just do something simple like stitch in the ditch"?!

All of my quilts are custom work, thus, they all have SiD. The best tool I have found is "The Best Stitch in the Ditch Ruler EVER". Check it out at www.bestquilter.com under "rulers". I have no connection with this company, but I do swear by the little ruler that places the needle right in the ditch. And do get the small ruler - much easier to control.

I know as your custom work progresses to show quality, judges pretty much require SiD. If you compare quilts with and without, you will notice how this extra time focuses attention on the blocks, not the seams.

Then, play in the blocks. You have already learned to control your machine with pantos, that's the hard part. No use templates and straight edges and do lots of sketching to plan.

And PLAY! Have fun!

Happy Quilting!

[Sherri]

SID without a SR is maybe a little trickier, but not impossible - the key is deciding whether or not you want to be able to do it.

For 4 1/2 years I had a non-stitch regulated machine. That was back in the dark ages - SR machines weren't available yet. ...and I grew up as a hand quilter, so I thought all quilts had to be custom quilted and SID was REQUIRED to stabilize every quilt.... (little did I know...) but at the time, I didn't think I had a choice whether to learn to do SID on the longarm or not - I just did it. Several years ago I bought my Millennium....and I have to admit, it's a bit easier to do SID with an SR, but please don't think it can't be done just as well without one!

One thing that REALLY helps precise SID is proper pressing of seam allowances - but I realize we don't always have perfect pressing to work with.

Some people really like the rulers with the notch that you can line up on the seam line - I just use a regular straight ruler, only because that's what I learned with and I'm a creature of habit. Try a couple different styles of SID rulers to see what you are most comfortable using.

I like a thinner thread for SID - like So Fine or Bottom Line - and I prefer to use something that matches or blends with the fabric on the "lower side" of the seam. Some quilters use monofil (invisible thread) on the top while SID.

I would encourage you to piece a few patchwork blocks together and practice SID on all of the seams - I bet you'll be amazed an how quickly you get the hang of it.

I know we hear this A LOT......but PPP really is the answer. Try different threads, different rulers, different speeds - and find what works best for you. Just don't give up - Keep trying - You can do it!

[myquilts]

I absolutely agree that practice is the only way. I stayed away from SID for some time but I do quite a bit fo custom so finally had to work on the SID. I always use the base extender/expander ?? and I glued a strip of cotton batt to the bottom of the large guide. The batt keeps the guide from slipping around and I find that I can use a stitch speed of '4' on my Freedom (with no SR). SID makes such a huge difference on many quilts that I couldn't do without it. I am currently working on a Garden Trellis design and SID is making the trellis pop out. Good luck with the PPP!!

Linda from

Penticton, BC Canada

aka "Napa Valley North!"

[ramona-quilter]

Hi PA Quilter and welcome to the forum. You didn't mention what type of machine you have so I'm going to guess that it is a longarm machine.

Domestic sewing machines (DSM) have feed dogs that help keep them on track when stitching. Longarms depend on an expanded (a stable one) and rulers. IMHO, it is next to impossible to do SID without a stitch regulator; your hand has to be ready to hit the stop button but your hand also needs to guide the machine head. One of those hands will be your prominent hand, your other hand will be slower and not as functional. It is tricky to do both the guiding and stop/starting with the same hand ....and still stay on the line.

There is a lot of discussion that SID is not good for a quilt because there is a chance that the SID will pierce/break the piecing thread and weaken the quilt. Some quilters prefer to do the line 1/4" away from the ditch or do the serpentine (wavy line) SID to avoid breaking piecing seams. I like SID, I think it finishes a quilt like a frame around art. If a piecer takes the time and $ to put a border on the quilt, then I will always want to SID and sew the border separate unless other directed.

But even if you have a good expanded base, a ruler that you find comfortable and a well-pieced quilt, your work can still be derailed by a bad pressing job. If the seam is pressed consistently to one side, I can almost do SID without a ruler or base. No wobbles. The only way I can be sure that it is pressed well enough to do that is to do the pressing myself. That few minutes at the ironing board will save me attaching my base or draggin out my ruler.

Now having said that, I still believe that SID is a sophomore or junior skill set. Newbies can try this new skill but then they will also get practice with another skill, froggin (ripping out quiting stitches).

[SYork]

I have worked on a small quilt for 3 days trying to practice SID. Luckily, it is my quilt. My base on Milli seems to bounce when I am doing SID and I feel like I am dragging the machine. I hit the ruler today and bent a needle, but no damage to the machine. I don't know if I will get the hang of this or not.

Sharon

[quiltmonkey]

I have a Millennium. When I do SID I turn the SR stitches per inch to highest or up there (like around 14 stitches per inch). This causes the hopping foot to hop more with less bounce or movement. I find this helpful. I also try to use monopoly as this helps hide the SID seam yet define the block at the same time. And whenever I am using a ruler, I go slooooow and eeeeasy and really concentrate to get me in tune with it and I find I get a little faster as I go along. But I always try to be super careful, remain focused at the task at hand, and apply even pressure on the ruler so my ruler doesn't bounce up and hit the needle. I did that once or twice before, and I broke a needle and it scared the y-y-y-y-yikey-yikes out of me!

Ruler work is not easy. It can be tedious and monotonous and tiresome (and also dangerous because we tend to get careless with redundant tasks). So be careful!

I can do SID forward without a ruler but going sideways is a little tricky but I can do it without a ruler. No way can I do a nice clean/straight diagonal 45 degree angle without my ruler. I definitely gotta have the ruler to do the diagonal lines.

[JBQuilts]

I have just finished a quilt/wallhanging that had to be SID. I have never done it before and I don't have an extended base. I have done quilts for this person before but never custom. When she found out I had a new machine, she asked me to do a memory/promise quilt with SID. There was a 8x10 picture in the center of the quilt and the pic was centered in a large star. Around the picture/star was star blocks with typed promises printed on 4" squares in the center. All of these were joined with sashing and cornerstones and a 6" border. She did not want any stitching on the pic or the promises. I agreed, with a little trepidation let me tell you!!!! But, LENNI, LENNI, LENNI! WHAT A MACHINE! When they say it will sew straight without channel lock, IT WILL! The only place I had trouble was the 45 degree angles, and I think with practice that learning curve will be straightened out:D. I just went slow and on the angles, even slower. So it can be done, even with very, very little practice.