Tutorial Tuesday - Machine Quilting (Start It Up)

Starting and Stopping

Machine Quilting

For today's tutorial, something simple, time saving, fabric saving, and dare I say life saving. Okay, not life saving, but sanity saving for sure.

When it comes time to quilt your first quilt, this question invariably comes up.

How do I start and stop sewing? Why is there a bunch of thread on the back of the quilt? Where do I start and stop quilting?

As the video below shows, to start quilting, first lower the needle into the fabric sandwich while holding the top thread with your left hand. The needle will grab the bobbin thread, as you bring the needle back up and out of the quilt sandwich, continue to hold the top thread and pull slightly until the bobbin thread comes up. Now, hold both the top and bobbin threads as you secure the stitch. To secure the stitch, move the two threads to the right and left as you take three stitches. The threads are now secure, and you can start stitching without making a mess on the back of your quilt. To stop quilting, secure your stitching with several stitches in the same spot.

I also had a question last week, about where to start and stop when quilting. I like to start in a corner, or a part of the quilt that will be the least visible.

Never quilted before? Go try it today...use a couple scraps, and see what you can do. Remember, lower your feed dogs and use a darning foot. Have fun!