Wednesday, May 20, 2009

so far, so good


I started the line quilting on my square dance quilt, and so far, so good! I think it's the perfect quilting treatment for this one. Since I had so many questions about this technique, I thought I would run down a few answers. First off, it's done using a walking foot. My lines are between 1/4" and 1/2" apart. It's VERY easy to do and somewhat mindless, especially on this quilt, since I am using the squares as my guidelines. Early on in the quilting process, I crossed over the seam lines, and it looked really sloppy, so I ripped it out and decided to keep the stitching between the rows of blocks for a cleaner look. It does use a lot of thread and it is somewhat time consuming. I have about 1/3 of the twin sized quilt done which I did over a day and a half. So, not THAT bad. I started quilting about 1/3 of the way in and worked my way to the edge. Now just (ha!) 2/3 more to go!

Now, to answer the question, "so, what do you do with your mini quilts?"

We use them. :)
(it's very easy to get an action shot with a 3 year old.)

And...I posted a new tutorial on the Moda Bake Shop today.

55 comments:

Kangaroo said...

it's looking so good!! where did you start, at the top? in the middle? i'm definitely wanting to try this.

Amanda Jean said...

i started about 1/3 of the way in, quilting lines top to bottom. does that make sense?

Jane's Fabrics and Quilts said...

Look at those sweet little hands playing with her doll!

rachel griffith said...

i think that it's definitely a neat type of quilting.
i saw somewhere that a gal was doing this but in v shapes.
it looked really cool.
and she did it on whole cloth quilts so the quilting really spoke for the quilt.

we SO use our baby doll quilts too!!!

for the 3rd time today {hahaha} i think your mbs bag is SUPER cute.

Jamie AZ said...

I've got a bento box quilt I'm working on and I think this will be a great way to quilt it. Especially since I don't free motion quilt yet! Thanks for the details, Amanda Jean!

Victoria Findlay Wolfe said...

nice line work! I love that look. one day...
;-)

Amy said...

This quilting looks great! In fact, it's starting to make me rethink the quilting plan I had for the queen-sized quilt I am making for my guest room. Hmmm.....

Di~ said...

amandajean, sorry, I don't get what you are saying with the crossing the seam lines thing? sure love the quilting and your daughter and the bag! You are the best!

Mushyhed said...

I just did something very similar on a small project that I ended up turning into a pillow cover. It was tedious but I loved the result. I can't imagine doing it for a large quilt. You must have the patience of Job. I may have to try this on a baby size quilt.

P.S. love your charm bag tutorial

Unknown said...

Looks great! I've done some lines but with more space in between - the tight rows are cool looking :)

I'm off to check out your tute!

Betsy said...

Amanda Jean I saw your tutorial on Moda and i have the perfect charm pack for tha bag. I hope to make it soon.

Elaine/Muddling Through said...

I like the staight line quilting (probably because that's the only one I know how to do). Yours looks great. I'm on my way over to the Bake Shop to check out that pretty bag!

Emily Cole said...

That quilting looks great!!! Your lines are so straight!

Kerri said...

i love the line quilting!! i want to try it now. :)

i love the mini quilts!! so far, i've used most of them to hang as art quilts, but my kiddos love using some of them too!! :)

leigh said...

I love the straight line quilting. It looks so my style. But every time I try it the top or bottom pulls in a weird way, even when I use the walking foot. Do you go from top to bottom, then bottom to top, or just from the same side the whole time? Maybe I'll try practicing on a mini quilt. Any tips on that would be lovely. Thanks!

CJ said...

Thank you so much for answering our questions and sharing your knowledge. Are you meandering or using a guide so your lines are fairly straight?? Love that the little quilts get used and YEAH on the Moda Bakeshop feature! :D

retired nana said...

Question to anyone using this straight line method:

Once finished and washed are these quilts as soft and cuddly as the quilts that are quilted using stippling or meandering? Just wondering if they are stiffer??? I'm asking because I 'stink' when it comes to stippling or meandering & thought maybe I could handle this.

Thanks,

V and Co. said...

my favorite part of this whole post is those adorable little hands and how she's totally playing so cutely!

Betsy said...

I love this. Will have to try it. Looks like it takes LOTS of patience. Love the tutorial.

Amanda Jean said...

retired nana,

the quilt does have a different feel than a stippled quilt, for sure. if you want it softer, maybe try quilting the lines 3/4"-1" apart. it would be a faster process, too. :)

aj

Amanda Jean said...

cj,

i'm not really meandering or using a guide. my lines are fairly straight, but they are just eyeballed. nothing too precise. some parts are very straight, some are kinda wavy.

aj

Unknown said...

Well I have been "lurking" for a while. I am new to quilting and have had so much fun following yours and a few other blogs. Well today I just had to stop and comment about the CUTE bag you have on Moda Bake Shop! LOVE IT!! I posted a comment there so I won't repeat it all. Anyway, you give lots of inspiration, love visiting your site!

Amanda Jean said...

d spack,

i'm not sure how to explain it better....maybe i'll try sending you a sketch via email.

aj

Amanda Jean said...

leigh,

so far i've only gone top to bottom. about half way through, i plan to flip the quilt and then do all the lines top to bottom. hopefully it won't be noticible that i'm working in the opposite direction.
i have noticed a bit of distorting in the quilting toward the edges, but nothing i can't deal with. hopefully after it's washed and dried it will be less noticable.
hope that helps!

aj

Julie @ Jaybird Quilts said...

i admire your patience. i'm trying to get better but i'm definitely one of those get it done in a day when it comes to the quilting part. it does look really nice though. i can't wait to see it all!

Sara said...

I saw you tutorial on the bag over at Moda Bake Shop - I really need to get my "rear" in gear and get some quilting done....

I really appreciate the inspiration that you give me....

Eila said...

I love this!

Lori Jolley said...

I really, really like the way that quilting looks. I definitely want to try it!

Alison said...

So cute! I need to find some more days with some more time...!!!

dotti white said...

amandajean...I love your quilting on the square dance quilt! You have such patience to try that but it looks so worth the while. I will have to try it on something small! I am going right over to the bakeshop!

Anonymous said...

This might be a good alternative to stippling for me too! I just can't get the hang of that technique. Was it on your site that I read about using painters tape to help mark where the straight lines should go? I think I am going to try that for my 9 patch quilt.

Annie said...

I will be trying this quilting method - you are just FANTASTIC!

One Flew Over said...

love the quilting, it's very striking. Thanks for the tips on how you do it.

One Flew Over said...

What a fantastic and effective way of quilting! Love it.

Tara said...

Lovely quilting! My e-bay Bernina came with a walking foot that isn't working. Needle catches the plate every time! Today I saw walking feet for 9.99 AND 139.99 in a Bernina store! I can only imagine which works better! I find the greatest blogs by clicking on your commenters! Interested in doing a quilting retreat in CO in October? Keynote Speaker: YOU! I bet we'd fill it up in a nanosecond!!

Aimee said...

Looks great - I will definitely bookmark that to try someday!

Philigry said...

oh, i love the picture of your little girl playing. so sweet.

Sherry said...

Hi AmandaJean. Thanks for all of your help with this quilting technique. I found a tutorial quite some time back for wavy line quilting & just never tried it. Going to pull out my printed instructions for that (to give props) and try it on a square in a square quilt I have to be finished. It was similar to what you are doing but the lines were farther apart. Thanks again, always love your inspiration!

Thimbleanna said...

Congrats on the bake shop post. I didn't quite understand what you meant by crossing over the lines, but the way you're quilting it now sure looks great!

Robyn said...

Does your walking foot have a guide bar? Strangely, mine does not have a place to insert a guide bar, so I'm at a loss as to how to do things like this without drawing a million lines with a fabric marker.

WoolenSails said...

I love how quilting, makes the quilt.
I hang my mini quilts with clothespins.

Debbie

sewing the seeds of love said...

Hi,
LOVE the look of the line quilting...but I am ditto on the question you received from d spack...that is...I am not sure what you mean regarding crossing over the seams ??? I would like to try this method..
Cheers,
PJ.

Rose said...

very nice tutorial, love how you showed how to box the corners, and do the lining! I have lots of charm packs so I might use one of them up to make this :)

Susan said...

I am so itching to get my machine out and get a quilt going. Or maybe put out a top that I made years ago and quilt it finally. When things settle down in my life I will definitely get back to quilting. For now I knit, it's perfect for something to stuff in the purse to work on anywhere. Thanks for all of the inspiration!

Amanda Jean said...

thimbleanna and millymollymandy loves to quilt,

when i mentioned that i was crossing over the seams, i meant the vertical seams. now i am just echoing the vertical seams instead of crossing over them. does that make more sense?

aj

Amanda Jean said...

robyn,

no, my walking foot does not have a guide bar. i sure wish it did, though. my cheapy sewing machine before this one did and i rarely used it. now i think i would! isn't that the way it always works?

aj

Anonymous said...

LOVE this bag! Definitely on my gonna make soon list! Thanks so very much! You are always so creative and inspiring. Because of you, I am now knitting (saw something you had knit and knit one too, and it just went on from there) and getting quite obsessive about it too! You brighten and enrich my life!

sewing the seeds of love said...

Thankyou Amandajean..I do understand now...
I have got my doll quilt top ready to start quilting with lines like yours tomorrow morning .

Rebekah said...

what an adorable doll quilt! love it!

heather said...

Nice bag!:) I thought I was going crazy seeing it on your post.:)

sulu-design said...

Those little hands, that baby doll, that tiny quilt - so sweet! I love that the doll quilts get used - and as intended!

dutchcomfort said...

Thanks for the tutorial. I stared a bag like yours months ago after you posted a photo, but I got literally stuck making the bottom! Now I can finish it!

Kay said...

I so wish I had the patience to do the line quilting, I get so excited that I just want it done and speed through easier quilting...I must reevaluate and try this because the results are awesome. Lovely little quilt :o)

angie said...

could you tell me where to buy the fabric for this quilt?

Faye said...

I hae a question.... since you have been so kind as to answer most of them :)

when you are quilting it.. from top to bottom or elsewise.. do you turn it around while you are quilting or do you cut the thread and go back to the top?

ok.. you sew a line, and then when your at the bottom, o you reverse or cut it and start at the top again to do the next line...?

you might have answered that, btu i didnt see it, and im usually good about trying to find the answer before i do. but i have been so distracted, all of your posts are so great and your creativity is well.. it puts me to shame!!!! I lOVE your style, adn your willingness to try new things. i dont know how to stiple really, i ahve just done wavy lines, tied, and in the sitch. i will try this def.

do you have any ideas for a 4 patch that is about 16in squares? its a mod floral print and solid. just if you have time get back to me, i know you are a busy gal! thanks for stickin around!