FMQ question

[Zimmy]

I am starting a lapquilt that will have directional quilting, meaning
left to right or top to bottom. I know you are supposed to start in
the center of the quilt, and I might still do that, but... what is you
were to start at a side and work to the middle, then start the other
side and work to the middle. I will be doing loop de loops.

Also, has anybody found that after FMQ for awhile, it is hard to
start piecing "accurately" ?

Zimmy
in sunshiny midwest

[Roberta]

Start in the middle and work to one side. Then turn it around and work
to the other side. But you are certainly allowed to begin the
stitching line at the top (or bottom) edge. Even better if you can
alternate the direction with every row, but that's not always
possible. So best use a walking foot.
(I do hope we are talking about the same thing!)

Hmm -I never found that FMQ interfered with piecing accuracy.
Roberta in D

On Thu, 12 Nov 2009 06:22:23 -0800 (PST), Zimmy <zimmy...@gmail.com>
wrote:

[Patti]

If you can go from top to bottom (with you directional design) then I
suggest you start in the centre of the top and go down to the bottom;
then, if your design is columnar, you could move towards one die and do
the next alternate column as far as one side. Then back to the middle
and go from the top to the bottom, again alternate columns. The turn
the whole quilt round and work the columns in between from the bottom to
the top. That should give you a nice even distribution, density and
direction.

Would that work?

I don't think I have ever gone straight back to piecing after doing some
quilting! I almost always (or even 'always'?) have a rest between
pieces.
.
In message
<fbf7176a-b943-4bd3...@g23g2000yqh.googlegroups.com>,
Zimmy <zimmy...@gmail.com> writes

--
Best Regards
pat on the hill

[Leslie& The Furbabies in MO.]

Hi, Zimmy, and welcome to rctq!

Well, it's *your* quilt and you can do anything you want to do to it! If
your quilt sandwich is very well basted with absolutely no wrinkles and
perfectly smooth you should be fine.

BUT... few of us are that perfect. VBG The reason you are advised to start
in the middle and work your way out (checking the back side periodically for
any folds/pleats or problems with the tension, thread, etc.) is that you can
smooth any excess fabric to the sides or adjust the sandwich as you go- if
necessary.

Many folks start with quilting a grid pattern over the entire quilt and then
fill it in with additional quilting. (The grid would be- possibly- quilting
in the ditch on the sides of each block or something- it's not a secondary
basting so it needs to be planned to fit into the overall quilting scheme.)
The grid will secure the layers and the added benefit is that you can remove
most of the basting or pins- and that makes it a bit easier to quilt.

Good luck with your project!

Leslie & The Furbabies in MO.

"Zimmy" <zimmy...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:fbf7176a-b943-4bd3...@g23g2000yqh.googlegroups.com...

[Sandy]

In article
<fbf7176a-b943-4bd3...@g23g2000yqh.googlegroups.com>,
Zimmy <zimmy...@gmail.com> wrote:

Zimmy, unless you have *really* basted well or have a guardian angel,
quilting toward the middle that way can easily lead to puckers in your
backing. <g> For the sake of keeping things easy, I'd work from the
center (or close to it) to the edge that started out under the harp of
the machine.

Second question: nope. FMQ and piecing are so entirely different -- feed
dogs up vs. down, straight lines vs. curves, etc. -- that the two don't
seem to conflict. That's my experience, though, and YMMV.

Good luck! :)

--
Sandy in Henderson, near Las Vegas
sw.foster1 (at) gmail (dot) com (remove/change the obvious)
http://www.sandymike.net