1. Home
  2. Quilting Forum
  3. New Here--Fastest Way to Tie a Quilt?

New Here--Fastest Way to Tie a Quilt?

I usually hang out on alt.sewing, although I don't post a lot there either, but in the last couple of years I've been getting into quilting a little. I love piecing the tops and seeing colors and patterns come together, but I somehow don't have much enthusiasm for doing the actual quilting part. I've only completed one (tied) bed-sized quilt in my life. My problem is that I need to get a large quilt tied as fast as possible without asking others to help. Any suggestions? That's my question, but if you want more information, read on.

I'm a member of our local quilt quild, and the guild is having a log cabin challenge. All members are to make a log cabin quilt to display at our quilt show in October. All challenge quilts must be finished by September 8 (Thursday). We can ask others for advice or suggestions, but each must do her own work individually. On Thursday, all who have completed a log cabin quilt will be eligible for a prize drawing of a $50 gift certificate for a local quilt shop.

OK, that's the background. The minimum size is wall-hanging size, but I wanted a quilt for my full-sized bed, and I like the quilt to nearly touch the floor on both sides, so I made mine 90" x 90". Yeah, for an inexperienced quilter, I'm pretty ambitious. My quilt is made with shades of red, ending with a very deep red on one side of each block, and tans darkening into gold on the other side. It's sandwiched and basted, and I'm beginning to tie it now, but can anyone tell me the fastest way to tie a quilt?

I'm using No. 5 perle cotton, with curved needles. Do you usually stitch, clip thread, tie, then move to the next one? Or is it faster to go from one stitch to another, leaving the thread intact to be clipped and tied later? Also, I only have four hanks of perle cotton (two dark red, two tan), and I sure hope that's enough. I don't want to waste more than I have to, because I live in a very small town and no one around here sells it. The nearest big town where I can buy more is about an hour's drive one way. It's a major time investment to go buy more.

Procrastination is my own fault, I had many months to do this project and the top was finished a long time ago, but this summer has been unusually difficult and I haven't sewn much all summer. Anyway, suggestions? Thank you!

Donna G. Michigan's Upper Peninsula

Reply to
Donna Gennick
Loading thread data ...

The fastest is to use your machine. If you have any embroidery stitches, there's probably a way to make the machine do just one repeat. You can put a dab of fray check on the thread ends if you like. Roberta in D

"Donna Gennick" schrieb im Newsbeitrag news:caDSe.811$ snipped-for-privacy@eagle.america.net...

Reply to
Roberta Zollner

If you have carpeted floors -stake it out with t-pins and then get down on your knees and tie it ever 4 inches in a double knot. If you have tile or hard wood floors use masking tape to anchor it to the floor and then tie as above.

Reply to
SNIGDIBBLY

I usually got from one stitch to the next and clip the thread later. However, if your stitches are really far apart and you need to be a bit frugal with your thread than you might want to clip between stitches.

The other way I like to tie is to do a back stitch and the bury the needle between the layers of the quilt to the next stitch and and do a little backstitch there. This way there are no thread tails (which I sometimes don't want) they are buried in the layers of the quilt.

marcella

Reply to
Marcella Peek

Donna: Finishing up a challenge quilt and running against the clock?? Me too!! Mine is due on Friday, but I might have to turn it in on Tuesday, due to other obligations.

Now, about tying that quilt. Read Roberta's excellent idea. Still want to tie?

Try this: do a practice tie and measure the cord required; count out how many ties the quilt will need and do the math. You might have enough to do the tying across the quilt with out cutting in between. That is the quickest way. If you If you space far apart and have some cord left over, you can go back and 'fill in' spaces.

HTH. PAT > I usually hang out on alt.sewing, although I don't post a lot there > either, ...cut...

Reply to
Pat in Virginia

The fastest way to tie a quilt is to use your sewing machine! ;-) Start in the middle and go the longest direction.... less to stuff under your machine. Start at the top, do a bar tack (8 to 10 zig-zags with stitch length set at zero), move to the next spot without cutting your thread. Do another bar tack and move on- keep going to the end of the quilt. Then remove from the machine and cut your thresds. A dab of Fary Check is good, but not essential. Then do a row to the right of the center. Then do a row to the left of the center and work your way back and forth from side to side til you're done.

A lovely alternative is to use a decorative stitch. My machine makes a chain of little hearts. I stop at the end of one heart and move to the next spot and do another heart. Sometimes I don't stop the machine quick enough and I get two or even three hearts all attached. It's pretty to have scattered hearts in different numbers all over the quilt, especially for a little girl, but may be too cutesy for you. Maybe you have another stitch you like on your machine?

Anyway, good luck and have fun, and congrats on finishing your new quilt.

BTW, Do you know how to do the binding??? LOL

Leslie & The Furbabies in MO.

Reply to
Leslie & The Furbabies in MO.

That's a good idea--I'll keep it in mind, maybe for a smaller quilt. I got frustrated dealing with so much top, batting, and backing under the arm of my machine (even starting in the middle), and it was hard to keep everything straight!

Donna G. Michigan's Upper Peninsula

Reply to
Donna Gennick

Hey, I like that idea too! Never heard of it before. True, I don't really want all the tails hanging out on my quilt, but I didn't know any other way, and it would take me about three "forevers" to hand-quilt, and I thought tying would be a lot faster. I've already gone too far on tying this one to use that technique this time, though.

Donna G. Michigan's Upper Peninsula

Reply to
Donna Gennick

The only decorative stitch on my machine is kind of a feathery stitch, and I might try that with a smaller quilt. I get frustrated trying to fit all the batting and stuff under the arm of my machine, and then it's so skewed that it's hard to sew a straight line. But I do like your suggestion, though. Those hearts would be really neat!

Yes, for this quilt I'm going to turn the border 2 inches to the back (turn one inch, then turn again), and sew it down by hand.

I really appreciate all these good suggestions! I've been sewing practically all my life (since I was about 8 years old), but quilting is fairly new to me and there's so much I don't know!

Donna G. Michigan's Upper Peninsula

Reply to
Donna Gennick

IME, the fastest way with a basted quilt is machine tying. Set your machine for something like a bartack. If you want it to look "hand tied", cut a few tie-able lengths of your perle cotton and lay it down on the spot to be tacked. Zigzag over it, move on to the next spot. When you're done, go back and tie the perle.

If you've got a programmable sewing machine, set it to make 3-4 straight stitches of length 0, width 0, then the bartack, then

3-4 more straight stitches with width and length 0. Or set it up to do the smallest buttonhole your machine will do.

FWIW, I used to hand tie a quilts with a group of ladies for the local domestic violence shelter... it would take four of us about an hour to do a twin sized quilt. We used straight needles rather than curved, and just took small bite out of the backing, twice. I find it easier to tie, move on without cutting thread, and then go back and clip between ties. Others liked to clip after each tie.

Most of the ladies would take a pair of stitches, drop the needle, and tie the ends and the long portion of the thread. I found it easier just to use the needle to tie the knot, saving the dropping and pickup.

As far as "how much do you need"... if you're using two strands to tie 4" apart, the minimum I'd buy would be:

90"/4 = 22.5 rows of tying... so I'd round that up to 23 23 rows x 90" of perle x 2 strands = 414" just to get across the quilt. Add 25% for knots and wastage: 414' x 1.25 = 517" /36 = 14.5 yards approx.

I'd be happier starting with twice that, however.

Kay

Reply to
Kay Lancaster

InspirePoint website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.