Machine Quilting

Machine quilting can be just as lovely as hand quilting. some people think hand quilting is the only acceptable way. That is not true anymore. When women were home all day and had the time and wanted to quilt all the time, that was their outlet and they were lucky to have it. Nowadays, our lives are more hectic and there are a lot of other things that we can use to fill our days.

To save time, you can machine stitch the pieces together for each block and do the top stitching by hand. It will look like the entire quilt has been hand quilted. If your quilt is larger than a 36x36 inches make sure you have enough room around the sewing area. A large quilt can pull the sewing machine off of the table. Next, lay your basted quilt on a large table or on the floor. Roll each side toward the center, leaving at least a one foot space in the middle. Use heavy safety pins or bicycle clips to hold the rolls while you sew in the center. You can get bicycle clips at a sporting store or a craft store. A craft store, if they do not have bicycle clips, will have something that will do the same job.

To begin sewing, use an even-feed presser foot. This will make the quilting smoother and pucker-free. Without it, the teeth under the needle will feed the bottom layer and cause the top to pucker. If you don't want your stitches to show, use clear nylon mono-filament top thread. Match the color of the bottom thread. For more instructions, go to www.machinequiltingtipsandtricks.com.