ConnieW Posted February 14, 2007 Report Share Posted February 14, 2007 Seeking advice on how to best pin a top with scalloped edges to my front roller. I will be floating the top and have just read some earlier posts with tips on that subject, but didn't find any posts with advice on how to pin the top in front. This quilt top is large and is old and was hand pieced. I want to put the least amount of stress on the top as possible. I am off to take a grandson to school on icy streets and will check in upon returning. I need to get this quilt loaded today so I appreciate anyone's thoughts & advice and I send thanks in advance. Connie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoAnnHoffman Posted February 14, 2007 Report Share Posted February 14, 2007 You don't have to pin the scalloped edge to a leader. Stitch your batting to the backing using your channel locks to give you a straight horizontal line. Lay your quilt on top of the batting. Line up the top of the scalloped edges with the sewn line. Pin and smooth the quilt, then baste sides and top and remove pins. Smooth and baste the quilt top as you advance the quilt. I would let the quilt top just hang, do not try and pin to the leader. When you get to the bottom, smooth and baste the scallops and finish quilting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ConnieW Posted February 14, 2007 Author Report Share Posted February 14, 2007 JoAnn: Thank you so much for your post. Not pinning on the top to a front leader will be new to me, except for the very small projects I've done. I appreciate your assistance. Connie W Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramona-quilter Posted February 14, 2007 Report Share Posted February 14, 2007 I agree with Joann. Floating a quilt is the gentlest way to handle an old quilt. It really minimizes the stress on the seams. Please post a photo when you are done, Connie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quiltmonkey Posted February 14, 2007 Report Share Posted February 14, 2007 Yah, Connie... we wanna see it! Please post a photo when you finish doing your "Magic Thang" to that quilt! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ConnieW Posted February 16, 2007 Author Report Share Posted February 16, 2007 JoAnn (& anyone): I followed your advice and am in process of quilting. I have a question that has come up: the blocks and the sashings are curved. The piecing is not 100% accurate, there is some "fullness" in some of them. This top was hand made by my customer's grandmother, the fabric is old and I would consider the condition stable but to be handled as fragile. There are nine rows of 7 blocks in each row. I am now in the 5th row. I am doing free-motion large roses in the blocks, and a medium stipple in the sashings, per customer request. I am experiencing puckering and there seems to be nothing I can do to make these puckers smooth out. I am even having to stitch the puckers and it's making a small "pleat" because I can't accomplish a smooth area in those places. I spoke to my customer and explained that I am having this problem and she seems OK and understands. OK, I wrote all that to ask this: can the puckering problem be a result of something I might be doing wrong in regards to pinning & smoothing, or could it be the result of the fullness of the piecing. I am able to smooth the center rows much easier than the outside rows. Thank you for taking the time to read my post and hopefully reply. I have never posted a photo here so I don't know if I even can but if you need me to try, I will. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quiltmonkey Posted February 16, 2007 Report Share Posted February 16, 2007 Connie, you can post photos easily here. I know you can do it because you have such a nice blog with great photos inside there. On this site, if you create a new post (hit the reply button) look just below the text box and you will see the word Attachment: and Browse. Put your photo on your desktop or somewhere else and hit the Browse button to find and select your photo and that's it. I think the big secret is to make sure your photo is sized small enough to fit in an email, or like your blog photos, and you shouldn't have any problem posting photos that are too big. Since I'm not a longarm quilter, I can't really help you with your pucker and pleat problem, but I do remember reading here about the "C cups" and "D cups" in some of the customer's quilt tops and I recall reading a solution--- something about stuffing those cups with a piece of batting to help smooth the bump out and then quilt over it. Good luck, girl! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ConnieW Posted February 16, 2007 Author Report Share Posted February 16, 2007 Shana, You are a treasure trove of knowledge! I haven't read about stuffing the cups with extra batting. What I'm describing is somewhat different from that in a way. The blocks are 9-patches but the corner pieces curve out into a point that intersect with the oval/football type sashing pieces, shaped like a piece of a double wedding ring but these are narrow. The quilter who pieced it did not join all intersections well, some of them are good, some are not, so they are wonky. The stitching is large. Some places don't have good secure stitches. It's just an old quilt that isn't all that well made but full of sentimental value to my customer and I hate for it to not be well quilted. In places these blocks that I describe as "full" distort as I quilt and the result is the puckers, some of them are directional and they look "pulled" as they pucker. I'm very distressed that they look this way. I am hoping it's not a result of not pinning better, I've done the best I can do, but maybe there's a better way. I probably won't be quilting today because DH wants to go do some shopping errands this afternoon & I'll be with him and by tonight when we return I'll be tired. If I have time before we leave, I'll try attaching a photo. Thanks, Shana! Connie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ConnieW Posted February 16, 2007 Author Report Share Posted February 16, 2007 Hopefully these pictures will not be too large, and show the problem I've described in above post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ConnieW Posted February 16, 2007 Author Report Share Posted February 16, 2007 A few more photos will come Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ConnieW Posted February 16, 2007 Author Report Share Posted February 16, 2007 last one. Connie w Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramona-quilter Posted February 16, 2007 Report Share Posted February 16, 2007 Connie, First of all, your quilting is superb. I wanted to get that in before I address the beast. This does not look like "pull" resulting from putting on the longarm. I hate to say it but it just looks like it was done by somebody who is inexperienced in making squares (?) join pointy ovals. I really don't know how I would sew them together either If you are concerned that you may be pulling/stretching the fabric, then nail it down with a basting stitch. I usually stabilize wonky work by basting each block, sash with lines of stitches about 4 inches apart. Open basting (i.e. 2 stitches per inch) so it will come out easily when the quilt is finished. That way your work area is not drifting to one side or the other. Stitch it all up and when finished, remove the basting stitches. The flowers really are cool :cool: And I see you followed Shana's help on posting photos. Way to go. We all know that a picture is worth.... well, you know. Shana - Well, obviously it has been a while since you were in gym class. We stuff C-cups with kleenex, not batting. :P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ConnieW Posted February 17, 2007 Author Report Share Posted February 17, 2007 Ramona & Shana, A big thanks to both of you for addressing my problem. Thanks for the compliment about the stitching, although I don't think it looks all that great having seen it in front of me on my computer screen. When I get back to work on it, I am certainly going to put in some basting. (Thumping myself on the head saying, "Why didn't I think of that?") It is terrific to know that there is someone(s) out there to offer support & advice when asked for & needed. I came home $$$ poorer - we went to Best Buy to buy supplies so I can use my laptop wireless and network to this pc so I can go on-line anywhere in the house! WOO HOO!!! I'm telling you this in case you never hear from me again, in the event I totally mess up and put both computers out of commission! or do I mean Once I get the quilt completed, I MIGHT post a photo, depending on whether or not I feel UP TO THE CHALLENGE. I've seen some GORGEOUS work displayed on this website and I don't mind saying I feel intimidated after seeing it! Thanks again, friends. I appreciate you. Connie W Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kennan100 Posted February 17, 2007 Report Share Posted February 17, 2007 Handquilter here with lots of experience with this problem. Karen McTavish says "think what a handquilter would do". This is the same pattern as a double wedding ring except the center is peiced as a nine patch instead of being one solid peice attached to a peiced border, attached to the mellons. This was probably cut out using newspaper templates which were used more than once each and tend to shrink a little for every peice that was cut with it. Also, you said it was hand peiced. It is not going to be perfect, it's not from a rotary cutter, mahine peicing era. The reason it's wonky is because no 2 peices are exactly the same size, there is probably a mix of bias and straight of grain turned every which way! I quilt these from the center of the quilt out. Just like smoothing a sheet on a bed. Quilt the center, go up to the next section, down a section and then out to either side and then the areas in between each of those until I've worked my way out to every edge. Now that's a time is money hog, So here's another thing that I've had to do that I know for a fact you can do here. Take it one block at a time, focus on that peice, not the whole qulit. Do your rose in the center and smooth from the edge of the rose out, to the edge of that peice, tuck the bubble, or ripple or what ever you have there UNDER the edge of the pink melon. Just hide it under there, so it's straight. Use a straight pin to lift the pinkand then use the same pin to hold it in place right along the ditch and when you do your meander in the pink just wander on over and tack that puppy down! I can see the fabric, you can pull on this with the pin and not hurt it, it's not rotten, it's just old, but looks like it's in good condition, not too fragile. Hope this makes sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ConnieW Posted February 17, 2007 Author Report Share Posted February 17, 2007 Kennan 100: Your advice is great and I thank you. I did begin quilting in the center block of the top row and moved outward, one block at a time. I do like the suggestion of tucking the ripple under the pink so I definitely will try that. Connie W:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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