Consistent quilting density ?

[LeeAnn]

I was wondering about how you keep the quilting density consistent. Everything I read says to keep the quilting even over the whole quilt. If you do a dense backround fill, how do you keep the whole quilt even? Does it all have to be that dense? I know the quilting can draw the quilt up and I know to stabilze it first but was wondering how to keep it even without overquilting the whole quilt?

Does this make sense? (It seems the more I write, the more confused it sounds!)

[Mary Beth]

Lee Ann,

I think it just needs to be balanced. That doesn't mean you need to fill every inch with quilting, just make sure things are "even".

[Quilting Heidi]

LeeAnn,

Mary Beth is right. You have to find the right combination. What you don't want to do is microstippling in one area and then leaving a whole area unquilted or lightly quilted. I try to strategically plan my quilting. I like to have some areas that pop so I'll leave unquilted areas. Normally those areas are no more than 1/2" to 1" wide but it might be all over the quilt. For instance on my son's wedding quilt I had lots of areas that were trapuntoed and had 1/2" unquilted areas and then areas that were really super quilted and yet other areas that were medium density. You just have to find the right mix.

[ramona-quilter]

LeeAnn,

It is a tricky topic mostly because it is not easy to describe. We just had a good example of the

quilt with perfect quilt density on here a couple days ago.

The one I am thinking of had several different background fills and some negative space where

there was no quilting, mostly applique areas. But because the quilt was stabilized with SID

and borders and sashings were stitched down, the density within each block did not impact

the block next to it. I don't remember there being any tiny fill, just consistent fill with small

blank areas.

Check out Linda Gibbons quilt.

http://www.apqs.com/quiltboard/viewthread.php?tid=17067&page=1#pid192670

[quiltmonkey]

In the quilt I submitted to MQX, I had done some heavy quilting in the central body of the quilt and didn't continue with the same "density" in the outer border, although it had quilting in the border (rusty red), it was not the same even quilting done in the middle section, so I got dinged by the judges for quilt density. I think their comment was "More quilting in outer border would benefit in quilt density." (something like that)

Here is the quilt I am talking about. If you look at the delectible mountain blocks and the beige background fill and compare those to the triangle outer border quilting, it wasn't as balanced. That's what I got marked down for. This is good to know so I can strive to do better in the future!!

Perhaps the border quilting would have balanced better if I had done some background fill around the triangles... or filled in the central parts of the triangles... or did some sort of design in between the trianges.

[LeeAnn]

Thanks for your replies. I checked out Linda Gibbon's quilt and I see what you mean.

Seeing them really helps me figure it out.

Shana, thanks for sharing your quilt and comments. Beautiful quilting! But I can see what the judges were striving for.

You guys are the best!

[sewlinzi]

Great quilt, Shana! What do the judges know anyway?!

One issue of quilting a lot in the centre and less/different size outside is that there will have to be serious blocking to make it hand dead straight - but if it's for a bed then it's not a problem...

[wnott]

Great information! Thanks for posting the question Lee Ann.

Shana, you can put that quilt back on the frame and knock their socks off with background:P in the border. Enter it again next year and let's see what they say about that!!!