things to do with a walking foot

One thing I recently figured out the hard way - DON'T try to stitch in the ditch with a free-motion foot. It's IMPOSSIBLE to keep a straight enough line. Aaarrgh...

Allison

There's a man here who does machine quilting. He's an artist, truly. He does amazing work, and I sometimes go watch him. The most amazing thing to me is that he *can* work a straight line with a free-motion foot. Unbelievable to watch, because I've tried and know how impossible it is.

Sherry

Amen. I just made three mini-quilts to abuse for the purpose of evaluating how the shirt fabrics I'm using for six shirt quilts will behave. I tried a lot of experiments with quilting patterns and techniques, binding tricks, etc. I did one grid quilt with a walking foot and another where I echo-quilted triangle patterns within Wild Goose triangle-patches with a free-motion foot. Both worked well -- the best-looking of the several quilting patterns I tried -- and now I'm wondering how to combine them so I can match thread colors better for the different purposes. I'm pondering the following (each quilt will have six columns of Wild Goose Chase with seven solid color sashings/borders.):

-- Ditch quilt the edges of the sashing using thread the color of the sashing, using a walking foot.

-- Use a free-motion foot to quilt "x"s on the sashing from corner to corner of the adjacent Wild Goose Chase, using thread the color of the sashing -- like grid quilting but only within the sashing. (This is the one I'm really worried about -- using a FM foot for straight lines, albeit lines just a few inches long.)

-- Use a free-motion foot to echo-quilt triangles within the Wild Goose Chase triangle, using slate- or natural-color thread depending on whether the selection of shirt fabrics in the Geese is predominantly dark or light.

-- Then use natural-color thread and a free-motion foot to FMQ a little squiggle on the natural color "wing" triangles above the Goose triangles. (This looked good on the mini-quilt with the echo-quilted triangles within the Geese.)

I think this is the quilting pattern I will recommend to the client. I think I'll have to do another mini-quilt to see if I can FMQ a straight line for the grids within the sashing.

ep

There's always invisible (smoke or clear) thread.

Leslie & The Furbabies in MO.

I tried using a nylon clear thread once and it was just too clear. I couldn't see it. Drove me nuts. I can't find smoke-colored thread nearby and thought slate gray might be a tolerable substitute, but I would nearly call it the worst of both worlds. For example, I'm sewing through "natural" and navy blue, as well as a variety of shirt fabrics, on one of the quilts if I quilt a grid, and it doesn't look all that great on either solid color. I would probably be able to get smoke-colored thread at an LQS 20 miles from here.

I'd appreciate any education about thread you'd care to give me!

ep

With the invisible thread I follow the 'groove' the thread makes as it compresses the batting rather than the thread itself. Most of the newer invisibles don't glitter like the old ones. They have a matte finish.

Leslie & The Furbabies in MO.

I sew almost everything with off white/cream colored thread, My old family/neighbors used only white in the '40s and '50s, they quilted everything in the grid pattern with white thread, pieced with white thread... I never used colored thread until I was in a home ec class and was told that the thread was supposed to match the fabric, who knew? Mom only used white or black to mend clothing. The ladies in my quilt guild use only gray in three shades. I do use colored/matching thread in machine applique, and I've used variegated thread when free motion quilting. I do not like the clear/smoke thread, I'm afraid it might melt, and when clothing makers used it to do hems it was scratchy.

s within Wild Goose triangle-patches with a

You could probably do this with a walking foot...so a set of "V"s going in one direction and then come back with upside-down "V"s interlocking in the other direction...the final effect would be "XXX".

And a general design suggestion: If you have a lot of straight lines in your piecing it often looks interesting to have curves in the quilting.

There is an easy way to do this. Instead of going from A to B by stitching in the ditch you can sew a gentle curve. I tried to google a picture of this but couldn't find one. Instead imagine a "D" where the straight line is the SITD and the curved line is what you would sew. The curve is about 1/4" away from the seam at the widest part. You can also go back in the other direction so that the seam has a curve on either side of it.

Very, very helpful ideas, Allison. Thanks for taking the time. And thanks for everyone's thoughts on threads, etc.

ep