cegates Posted January 30, 2014 Report Share Posted January 30, 2014 Will someone please save me from myself!? I have just finished a custom quilt in which the feathers are lovely, the design is great, but it includes diagonal 1/4" parallel lines that I just can't seem to get right. Just the slightest variation really stands out. I think I've spent as much time frogging as I have quilting on this one. I am using Deloa's castle ruler. I would really welcome any tips on making parallel lines more accurate. I would like to try curved cross hatching but this issue makes me very hesitant to do that. Thanks in advance ! Carol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ffq-lar Posted January 30, 2014 Report Share Posted January 30, 2014 I get better results if I mark every line. Tedious but it probably takes less time than frogging and having to re-do. I also mark curved crosshatching, using the same template I will use to stitch. When marked you can really tell if a line is off. Stitching on the marked lines is easier and less nerve-wracking than figuring the spacing as you stitch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharond Posted January 30, 2014 Report Share Posted January 30, 2014 Linda, What do you use for marking on your customer quilts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ffq-lar Posted January 30, 2014 Report Share Posted January 30, 2014 Sharon, for darks I use a Bohin white mechanical pencil (the same product as the Fons and Porter white pencil). For light fabric I use the purple air-erase marker---either Dritz or Collins. If the lines are close together I make sure I use a new purple marker so I get a thin line. White removes with heat or water with abrasion. (I never use an iron on customer quilts.) The purple will go away but where I live it may take a week. So I use a water-dispensing pen to run along the lines and help them along. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharond Posted January 31, 2014 Report Share Posted January 31, 2014 Thanks Linda! I have used the Bohin white mechanical pencil, but not the purple air erase marker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bonbon Posted January 31, 2014 Report Share Posted January 31, 2014 Linda, what ruler do you like to use for measuring and stitching? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ffq-lar Posted January 31, 2014 Report Share Posted January 31, 2014 Linda, what ruler do you like to use for measuring and stitching? Thanks Hi Bonnie. I mark with whatever ruler I'm going to use for stitching. Dennis made me some arcs for curved crosshatching, which have quarter-inch etched lines. And the straight ruler I use for straight lines also has the etched lines. I use them with the etched marks on the underside for more accuracy. Mark one line (as thin as possible), move the ruler so the etched line is on the marked line and mark again. You can easily see if a line is off a bit and it's easier to correct a marked line than a stitched one! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bekah Posted January 31, 2014 Report Share Posted January 31, 2014 Linda, how do you allow for the width of the hoping foot? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ffq-lar Posted February 1, 2014 Report Share Posted February 1, 2014 Linda, how do you allow for the width of the hoping foot? Hi sweet friend! Since I use the same template/ruler to mark as to stitch, for quarter-inch apart lines I snug the edge of the ruler up against the previous stitched line and then watch so I stay on the marked line. If the marks are more than a quarter inch apart, I put the needle down at the beginning of the line and then move the ruler into position. Then I follow the marked line in the same way I do SID--watch closely and make adjustments as I go. You can really get good at eyeballing that quarter-inch from the edge of the ruler to the hopping foot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bonbon Posted February 1, 2014 Report Share Posted February 1, 2014 Why I should have known DH made your rulers! Silly me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.