Concentric Circles

[dtreusch]

I'm getting ready to work on a pineapple quilt that will have concentric circles in each block.

I plan to backstich a few stitches in each circle then drag both threads to the next one. Once I take the quilt off the frame, I'll clip all the threads.

I'm going to use Bottom Line in the bobbin and So Fine on top. I'm concerned that the thread will unravel after I clip the threads since they are both a little slippery.

Has anyone done concentric circles in a quilt and was this a problem?

Hopefully I'm worrying about nothing!!

Thanks!!

Debbi

[Judi]

Debbi - I look forward to seeing what others think. I for this reason, stop

and start each circle - I worry about those loose ends too! I know on the

videos and such they show you doing it this way, but I have never tried it.

I would always take the extra time, even walking around to the front of the

machine to tie off and start again....... it really does take a bit of time!! I

have done the spiral circles in each block on a quilt of my own, and that

was not a quicky..... Good luck - what colors are in this quilt? Hope you

post a photo when you are done!

[TinaCollins]

Debbi,

About 3 years ago I did a monster big (126 inch square) pineapple quilt with concentric circles using Bottom Line as both the top and bottom thread. The quilt took seven years for the owner to piece, working on and off.... and I felt like it took almost that long for me to quilt it!!!

I don't think there was one fabric she used twice. It was amazing to see all the different scrappy pieces she used in the top!! Anyway.... the concentric circles overlapped each other between the blocks and the design choice ended up being perfect for the quilt top, even though I worried about it the whole time I was quilting it.:mad: The quilt has won many ribbons in smaller quilt shows in Missouri and Arizona- not for the quilting mind you, but for the piecework!! The concentric circles accentuated the "scrappiness of the piecework", so that the quilting was not the main focal point. I quilted back over the starting point on each circle for about an inch before I secured the ending stitches. The thinner thread hid the over-stitching very well and the starts and stops have not pulled out.

[KweerKwilter]

My quilting is almost always groupings of parallel lines or concentric curves/circles. I also do a lot of cross-hatching and start-n-stops. For all of these I always pull a good length of bobbin and top stitch thread before starting each line. When I've done a section I pull the thread through to the back, tie them off and bury the threads in the quilt.

[ramona-quilter]

Debbi,

I have a quilt with concentric circles on my machine right

now. I am using the Circle Lord to do 5 circles in a block.

I start at a fabric that blends well with my thread because I

always backtack a couple of stitches at the beginning and

the end of the cirlce. I drag the thread from one circle to the

next. I do not pull up the bobbin thread until I am

done with that block.

When I am done with the quilt, I take the quilt off and sit

to do the cleanup. I trim off the thread top and bottom. I am

not a "bury the thread" person. Its on my list of things to

learn.

With circles and dragging it is not as cumbersome to drag

the thread but you still have that cleanup at the end.

[sewingupastorm]

I began as a handquilter and with that of course you tie a knot in your tail and bury. Then when I began doing machine quilting for myself on my home machine I kept burying the tails.

When I first got the longarm I did the sitich in place thing because that is what I thougt was the common pracitce. But that said you can always see it and how do you know it is secure. Then some time back we had a discussion here about it and many of the people that responed said they pull thread up or down tie a knot and bury their tails. Well that got me thinking so I have been doing that ever since. Yes it is more work and time but I know you can not tell where my starts and stops are. How do I know someone is gonna enter thier quilt in a show and it is my quilting that makes the judges comment sheet or that those ends that are snipped will come loose in the washer and dryer. I think I just want all my work to have a good consistant quality. ON the all over stipple there are usually only 4 - 6 stops on the entire quilt so that is no big deal. On custom quilting you really want to do a wonderful job and make it showworthy so I feel that the extra time is just part of the price.

[Myrna Ficken]

I do concentric circle quite a bit with the thread you are planning. No problems, I back tack at the start and start a bit. I drap the thread with in the blocks and clip on top before going to the next row. I also stager the starts. Then clip the back threads as they come up. I don't like to leave it to the end of the quilt and have to go back. It also give me a chance to see if anything came undone before removing the quilt. How fun:)

Myrna

[sewingupastorm]

Myna I was just looking at your webshots page and you have some absolutely jawdropping beautiful stuff. I love the hopi basket on the homepage of your business site.........very nice quiting on that one!

[dtreusch]

Thanks everyone.

I really didn't want to bury threads, and after a few test circles, I ended up doing them similar to what Myrna described. You have to look closely to even find the starts and stops.

I'm done with the circles and will be finishing up the borders tonight. I'll post a picture when the quilt is completed.

Debbi

[Myrna Ficken]

Thank you, It's one of my fav's

Myrna

[kennan100]

KweerKwilter, your link to your pictures is no good. I've tried several times to get there. Would really like to see more of your work, can you fix it?

[dixieqwv]

KweerKwilter your link http://new.photos.yahoo.com/ takes the person to "their own" photos if they have any residing at Yahoo. You need to give us "your" designation. I want to see more of your fantasic work.