Tips for How to Quilt on a Home Sewing Machine
Don't Try to Duplicate Long Arm Machine Quilting
Sep 16, 2009
It's rather ironic that a long arm quilting machine that costs thousands and takes up a lot of space, can't quilt large, sweeping designs easily. Don't be put off by not having access to a long arm quilter or not having mastered free motion quilting. Quilting designs that are easy on a home sewing machine can be very intricate in their own way. Follow these tips for producing quilts that display your talents in a way unavailable to long arm quilters.
Using a Home Sewing Machine
Maintain stitch length, and maneuver a quilt through the machine, by reducing the pressure of the presser foot. Some new machines and most old (1950's) machines allow this adjustment. Alternatively, the feed dogs can be lowered to the intermediate level. Again, some machines allow the feed dogs to be lowered slightly, on other machines the feed dogs are either fully engaged or not there at all.
If your machine won't take either adjustment, try either a darning (walking) presser foot, or lower the feed dogs completely. If the feed dogs are lowered completely, the stitch length is determined by speed of the needle and evenly feeding the quilt under the needle. This can take some practice, but is easier when stitching straight or slightly curved lines.
Quilting in Sections
Dividing large quilts into sections about 36" square reduces the physical strain of quilting large quilts. The quilted sections can be sewn together, and the intersections quilted. Plan the size of the sections to suit the size of quilt you want to make. The maximum section size shouldn't exceed 45". The advantages include:
- Not having to quilt the center of a large quilt in a limited space
- Quilting a section at a time eliminates the strain of basting the backing, batting, and top together as a whole
- Piecing and quilting can take place at the same time, breaking each into smaller, more manageable parts of the project.
Planning the Quilting
If your quilt is pieced in straight lines, plan the quilting in curves. If the quilt has curving lines, straight quilting lines can be used. Quilting adds another layer of interest to a quilt. It's an opportunity to add movement to a linear quilt or to add linear stability to a lot of curves.
The center of the 36" square quilt section shown here was marked with 2 large curves. The squares of the quilt can be used as a grid to determine placement. The spaces between the curves were divided into smaller sections to allow the curves to stand out.
Marking the Quilting Lines
Rather than marking the quilt with pencil, chalk, or any other means that leaves an actual mark on the quilt, masking tape can be used to outline the design. Quarter inch quilter's masking tape is pretty pricey. Try finding 1/4 inch masking tape with painting supplies. Alternatively, use a knife or razor blade to cut 1/2 inch masking tape in half, through several layers while still on the roll. You really only need 1 straight edge.
Masking tape isn't just for straight lines. Small pieces of masking tape can be used to form gentle curves. The tighter the curve, the smaller the pieces need to be. Mark your major lines first. Make adjustments as needed. This is as simple as moving the masking tape until you're satisfied.
Half inch tape is more stable, and will make straighter lines than 1/4" tape. It's always a good idea to double check with a straight edge.
Stitching the Lines
Stitch close to the edge of the tape. There are 2 options for beginning and ending a stitching line. First, backstitch no more than 2 stitches at each end. Second, after the line is stitched, pull the end of the top thread to the back, tie the top and bobbin threads together and sink both threads into the batting between the layers.
You don't need an expensive machine, or a mastery of free motion quilting to have a satisfying quilting experience. Quilting is the final dimension that makes a quilt unique. Think big when quilting on a home sewing machine. It's easier than it looks! You may also be interested in How to Plan to Make an Easy One Block Quilt.
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