On Pins and Needles Posted December 16, 2010 Report Share Posted December 16, 2010 It seems that with every quilt I encounter a new problem. I have one on the machine now, it's almost finished and I can see now there are several tucks on the back. How does this happen? It loaded perfectly, the back was nice and square, everything has gone nicely, (well except for my experimental feathers, but I know what the problem is there!) but oh the back is a mess. I did do more rolling back and forth than I usually do, maybe I should have pinned more? Any help would be appreciated. Luckily it's not for a customer, just for my brother in law for Christmas so I'll chalk it up to another lesson learned. Cindy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ffq-lar Posted December 16, 2010 Report Share Posted December 16, 2010 Hi Cindy!! If your BIL even notices the tucks, tell him those are standard with every lovingly made quilt. He should be thrilled--what's not to love about a beautiful quilt?!! For your next project, pin-baste every time you advance--and I mean, really pin that quilt down. Then as you advance and roll back, the three-layer sandwich of fabric and batting will be stable and unmoving as it is wrapped around the leveler roller and then the take up roller. Without some kind of stabilizing the bending around the roller will shift the fabric --you can even baste to stabilize it using the longest stitch on the machine if you like. Wanna go to Moxies in January? Brenda will host on the 8th and I'll drive. Please come. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
On Pins and Needles Posted December 16, 2010 Author Report Share Posted December 16, 2010 Thanks Linda, I had a feeling it might be lack of pins. This quilt has big beautiful pheasants on it, I'm thinking he won't even notice the tucks...and I'm praying he doesn't notice the feathers I tried to stitch! Moxies in January sounds good, I'd love to go again. Cindy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quilting Heidi Posted December 17, 2010 Report Share Posted December 17, 2010 Yup Linda is right he won't notice the tucks. I like to say to pin the snot out of it before you roll. That should resolve you problems. I also like to give a good tug on each side after I roll. This helps make sure the backer stays smooth. I find that on some quilts as I roll it pulls in on the take-up roller. If I notice this happening I give a good tug every roll or so on the sides of the quilt as it rolls forward. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RitaR Posted December 17, 2010 Report Share Posted December 17, 2010 Just tell him the tucks for him to crawl into when he needs an extra Hug.. (*I know they aren't that big.. ) so just make a joke out of it.. Or tell him it's where male angel dust hides.. etc.. really think up a wild tale to tell him... IF he even sees them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kay Anderson Posted December 17, 2010 Report Share Posted December 17, 2010 It helps to keep a very consistent tension on those side leaders. Check every roll that the back is smooth and secured in your side leaders before you start stitching. Some elastic on the ends of the leaders has helped me. Give you the give to clamp and unclamp, but you don't have to change the tension on the leaders at all. E-mail me if that was clear as mud to you. LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
On Pins and Needles Posted December 17, 2010 Author Report Share Posted December 17, 2010 All suggestions duly noted and I will make sure to pin, tug, smooth and double check more diligently. I don't think the tucks will offend him, those ugly feathers are another story.... Thanks again. Cindy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meg_marsh Posted December 17, 2010 Report Share Posted December 17, 2010 I roll many of my quilts back and forth - for me, I have learned that as I am going through the first pass (normally SID of some sort) I make sure my pins are no further than 4 - 5 inches apart - LOTS of pins! Even with SID, if a block is very big (more than 6") I pin the center of the block. Maybe overkill, but then I don't have to worry. I also heavily pin baste my borders instead of stitch baste. I find that I can more easily work in any fullness that might occur. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnCavanaugh Posted December 17, 2010 Report Share Posted December 17, 2010 Cindy, Tucks can happen frequently when one rolls back and forth on the quilt rather than approaching the project from a "start at the top, work your way down" approach. It's like rolling a stack of papers up. One end staggers, showing you how the quilt layers shift as you roll everything on the take-up bar. Personally, I'm a "work your way down" gal, but know that Heidi and Linda's stabilization recommendations are very important if you choose to do lots of "back and forth" rolling. If your stabilization pins or SID are not close enough (or the batting is more puffy) you'll end up creating pleats where your new stitching approaches existing stitching. You didn't mention any ruler work, but it's also a factor in puckers on the back. If you exert lots of pressure on a ruler to prevent it from sliding on the quilt, it holds the top fabric in place but the excess pressure allows the backing fabric to shift from being pressed firmly against your base. Use some type of "grips" on the underside of the ruler if you don't already, so that you can use less downward pressure and feel like you still control the ruler. Your BIL will love the fact that you made the quilt...he won't care! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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