fineseams Posted October 6, 2011 Report Share Posted October 6, 2011 When quilting a design on a long diagonal, or a long border design, do you quilt the whole diagonal or border, rolling forward until done, then rolling back to do the next , etc. and finally rolling back to fill in the elements that aren't connected in long lines? Or do you completely quilt the area, tie off on long elements, roll and continue. It seems like it might be hard to "get in the grove" if you keep stopping because you need to roll. If you do roll, do you have to stabilize first - with SID or pins or what? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njquiltergirl Posted October 6, 2011 Report Share Posted October 6, 2011 Hi Bonnie. This is one of those questions I ask myself every time I face it! I do not think there is one best answer...it depends on the quilt... your mood that day...and the big pattern you are quilting. Recently I have been taking the quilt off and turning it so I can more easily do the borders. It is a bit easier, but it takes more time to turn the quilt. Quilting as you roll, takes time for the start and stops, and re-aligning the patterns, but you save the time not turning it. Sometimes, I feel like I am in that groove and do not want to take the time to turn and "start over" so I roll and wish I had taken it off! There is no fast or easy way to do these big border designs. At least, I have not found it yet! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ffq-lar Posted October 6, 2011 Report Share Posted October 6, 2011 Great question, Bonnie, with no definitive answer. I haven't had much luck with long diagonals. I prefer to stitch everything in one stitching field and then advance. I was advised when I first started that stitching long diagonals--like in an Irish chain- is not a good idea. They said that one continuous thread diagonally is prone to breakage after use, especially if it is a bed quilt . The twisting of fabric when sleeping and making the bed puts pressure on the quilt along the stretchable bias lines and that pressure can snap the thread. It certainly sounds logical but may be an old wive's tale like the one about poly thread! Also, if you stitch one line all down a quilt on the diagonal without stabilizing the entire quilt top, it's possible to get bunching fabric and puckers on top. I do borders without turning the quilt. If the border is elaborate, it is easier for me to take the time to mark it off the frame than to turn it. It takes the same time to mark off-frame as it does to mark it loaded, so I save the time it takes for turning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quilting Heidi Posted October 6, 2011 Report Share Posted October 6, 2011 Normally I stitch within the area and then roll. I've only roll if it is an area that is not easy to continue on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Littleshoes Posted October 6, 2011 Report Share Posted October 6, 2011 It depends on the quilt construction here and the design I'm putting in it. If it's a somewhat easy design, and the borders are applied properly and no steaming is required, I just quilt as I go. If the quilt has a few issues in the border department, then I will pin to stabilize it, take off the machine and put back on so that I can adress those pita borders without too much trouble. If the design is more labor intensive, it's easier to see the whole picture if you turn the quilt. With an Irish chain, you can quilt those thread paths usually continuous or without too many stops and starts if you think out a path across the quilt then advance to the next section. I'm not a fan of stopping and starting, so I try to think of more efficient and creative ways to make my way across a quilt. Carol Hartman, Pittsburgh, PA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fineseams Posted October 7, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 7, 2011 I've done long diagonals on a number of quilts that I did on my dsm. One of the reasons I hesitated so long in getting a frame machine is that I do a lot of free designs that don't fit in a 26" throat space. Hence the question about rolling. On the plus side, I really don't like hustling a king sized quilt through my Bernina. I did consider a George, and maybe that is what I should have chosen, but I'm determined to master the more traditional style of quilting that is usually done on the LA. From your advice, it appears that I need to be creative in breaking up design elements bigger than available throat space whenever possible. As usual, many thanks for the coaching. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustSewSimple Posted October 7, 2011 Report Share Posted October 7, 2011 This is probably wrong, wrong, wrong, but I quilt everything BUT the borders as I go (although I do nail them into place). Then once the quilt is done, I roll and roll and do the borders all by themselves. I like your question about the diagonals. I haven't done one and it has just dawned on me. Hmmmm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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