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question about handquilting/tacking

While cleaning my sewing room yesterday I came across a quilt that is riddled with poor decisions and two years in the making. It has minkee on both sides of it and a thick warm and natural batting in the middle (mistake number one - why or why did I think I needed batting in there). I birthed it and then quilted diagonal lines across it (mistake number 2 - this caused a lot of shifting and puckering which I now prefer to think of as a deliberate style choice). Last year I was determined to just unpick it all and give the minkee away, but I couldn't even unpick it because the thread was so deeply buried in the minkee! Anyway, yesterday I finished all of the diagonals, every 6 inches or so, and it doesn't seem 'that bad'. It will certainly keep the recipients warm. But, it still needs to be quilted in the other direction, and more diagonal lines will be looking for trouble, I think. So, I am thinking about just hand tacking every few inches or so. I don't want the ties to show, but if I am imagining how to do this, I hope I can bury the knots/thread after stitching in place. Anyway, my question after a long winded explanation is whether I have the appropriate thread to do this kind of hand stitch/tack. I have Guterman's 100% cotton quilting thread in an appropriate color. I also have Aurufil in a good color. And a Mettler silk-finish cotton and a

100% polyester Guterman in colors that would work. I might possibly also have DMS floss from cross-stitching days if I go digging. Will any of these work, single or double threaded? I generally don't feel that my hand stitching is all that sturdy (because I don't really know what I'm doing), so I want to make sure I'm at least giving the stitches a fighting chance.

thanks!! Lynn

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quilter
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If you're not confident about your hand stitching being strong enough, and given that you were planning to bury the threads anyway, could you not just 'tack' with your machine? If your machine has any 'fancy' stitches, you could do one of them in each 'tying'/tacking spot, or you could just make a small square with repeated, close zig-zags. Use any of the machine-possible threads you mentioned and it should be fine. . In message , quilter writes

Reply to
Patti

I would get some matching yarn and tie the thing. You can cut the tails so they won't hardly even show.

Reply to
Boca Jan

Howdy!

Use the embroidery thread to tie/tack that quilt. The quilting thread isn't strong enough as a tie to hold for long, and could even cut the fabric.

Ragmop/Sandy

Reply to
Sandy Ellison

Which one is the embroidery thread? (To answer earlier suggestion, I tried machine tacking and it really won't work...too thick and hard to maneuver in and out of the machine. Maybe if I had a machine that automatically clipped the bobbin thread but I think it will be much easier by hand).

thanks, Lynn

Sandy Ellis> Howdy!

Reply to
quilter

Have you thought about machine tacking? Just a few satin stitches with your stitch length set at zero, and your stitch width set at whatever you think looks nice. Quicker than by hand, and possibly sturdier than your hand stitching. Debra in VA See my quilts at

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Debra

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quilter

Reply to
Pat in Virginia

Reply to
Pat in Virginia

Oh! That is a great idea. I didn't realize I could do that. Quilt police and all...I will try that! Thank you! I might as well show all of my ignorance here... tacking is just sewing in place a few times, right? It's not a type of stitch; I just use my straight stitch? (I have decorative stitches, but I think they'd just get buried in the minkee anyway). thanks!!

Lynn

Pat > You don't need top clip the threads each

Reply to
quilter

I don't know I said "straight stitch" - must have been tired at the end of the work day! I meant to say, just stitch in place, needle up down, like I'd do to lock a stitch in place. I tried it yesterday and then when I clipped the thread, it just came right out. There are detriments to being self taught I guess. :)

Lynn

quilter wrote:

Reply to
quilter

I'd recommend using a zigzag at the very least. Just straight stitching in place probably won't last long, and it would give you lumps of thread on the back, anyway. Just drop your feed dogs and zigzag a few times in one spot, if you don't want to use a decorative stitch.

Reply to
Sandy Foster

Howdy!

I'm going by your post:

DMC, the embroidery floss, using 3-6 strands, makes a good strength for tying a quilt. The other threads, being thinner, tend to be "sharper" when used in small areas, like the single in-out stitch used to tie a quilt, they don't last long and they might cut the fabric. Embroidery floss is stronger when you use several strands all together, as is kite string, yarn, crochet thread. I'd tie by hand, too, before even attempting machine-tacking. That Minkee has too much personality for me w/ a sewing machine. ;-D

Good luck, Lynn!

Ragmop/Sandy-- handquilter ;-)

Reply to
Sandy Ellison

I'd do it with a zigzag, even better if you have a 3-stitch zigzag. Simply stitching in place puts too much strain in that spot. Roberta in D

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Reply to
Roberta Zollner

Lynn, you don't have to clip the threads until you are finished. Just lift the pressure foot and move the quilt the distance between tacks, Since you are going only about 6" it doesn't take that much extra thread and is a good trade off for the lack of hassle, and faster too. Hope this helps.

Pati, > Actually, now that i think of it, I still had the walking foot on when

Reply to
Pati Cook

No, use a zig zag stitch, very short and a bit wider than you might think. It really won't show that much. If you have the ability to do individual "motifs" on your machine, you can do those too, might be more fun than just the zig zag, even if they don't show up much on the fabric. As you found out the sew in place just makes a "knot" on the back that is gone when you cut the thread, You actually have to make a few stitches over several threads for it to hold.

Pati, > I don't know I said "straight stitch" - must have been tired at the end

Reply to
Pati Cook

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