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Best Tips For Free-Motion Quilting At Home

 

To quilters who are struggling, here are some tips to help you avoid the rough start with free-motion quilting on your home machine. With these tips, even the best basic sewing machine can handle quilting.

 

Baste Your Quilt Properly

Basting in quilting means that you temporarily keep the three layers, top, batting, and backing in place to avoid them shifting off course. If you don’t baste properly, your final project can bunch up or pucker.

I usually sew long stitches and I find this method works well for me. If you don’t want to do as I do, use safety pins instead. However, I have to warn you, if you choose to pin, use more pins than you think you will need. The last thing you want to see is the layers of your project sliding to different directions.

Adhesive spray is another good option. But when you spray, coat the top and backing rather than the batting for the best results.

Before you use any basting method on your project, smooth out each layer before putting the next on to prevent bumps and lumps.

Save your back a hard time by basting on a large table, not the floor. Especially if you are making a large project, like a blanket, which will consume a lot of time just to baste only.

You don’t have to hand baste, even the best starter sewing machine can do this for you. In case you want to buy the best beginner sewing machine to help you with finishing seams, visit CraftsSelection to get more helpful coverstitch machine reviews.

 

Pick An Allover And Easy Texture, The one That Doesn’t Require Marking

Stippling, waves, or loops are the easiest options for free-motion quilting as they don’t require precision to be beautiful. The way you make your pattern is like handwriting, it is unique and hard to duplicate.

Always start at the edge and work your way towards to center. When bulk starts to form under the machine’s arm, sew the other side.

One of the quilter’s biggest nightmares is the bobbin runs out of thread when they are in the middle of the project. If you are making a large project, come to the edge once in a while to check if the bobbin is low on thread.

 

Stitch In The Ditch Before Moving On To Free-Motion Quilting

Another way to further secure the quilt is to stitch in the ditches first, then you can move to free-motion. So sew the rows and columns. Use a walking foot to help you if you need. When you are done, free-motion quilting becomes much easier. This step will keep all the layers in place.

A walking foot can be purchased separately. Sometimes it is sold with the machine.

 

When In Doubt, Quilt More

If you need to hide some mistakes you make without unpicking them, quilt more. The denser the stitches, the harder it is to notice imperfections.

Looking for top rated sewing machines for beginners for the money? Don't hesitate to visit CraftsSelection.com to gain a complete guide on which is the best sewing machine for beginners and home users.

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