Quick and Easy Tips for

Successful Machine Quilting

The Machine Quilting Adventure Unlock the secrets for beautiful machine quilting using your home sewing machine by simply watching this video on your TV or computer. Click here to learn more

To control your stitches:

• Use quilting gloves to help control the quilt as it feeds under the needle.

• Put your hands down on the area you are quilting, like a frame, with your thumbs touching. The area between your hands is the only area to pay attention to as you work.

• Have in your mind where you will be stitching and what kind of shape you will be making. Then watch the fabric where you want to stitch - not the needle as it is stitching.

• Practice stitching on a fabric sandwich (2 layers of fabric with a piece of batting between) about 24 inches square. Practice stitching various shapes, and pay attention to the sound of your needle. The goal is to move your fabric about 1/8 of an inch as your needle goes up and down.

• Make sure that the tension on your sewing machine is set correctly

About thread:

• As a beginner, it is better to use light thread on light fabric. As cool as it sounds to use dark thread on a light fabric, every stitch will be magnified - and every mistake will also be magnified. If you want your stitches to show, you could use light thread on a dark fabric. For some reason, that combination does not show the mistakes.

• A lot of thread for machine quilting comes on a cone. That saves money and time (having to re-thread your machine). If your sewing machine does not have a built in thread stand, you could put the cone in a glass measuring cup, and let it bounce around in there.

• Be sure that the thread is coming off of the cone from the top, not un-rolling from the side. (I use this method, and have found that I need to place the measuring cup on the side of my machine, instead of behind it. For some reason the angle that it feeds into the machine makes a difference.)
  

Place your hands so they make a frame around your stitching area. Click the picture to see a video of machine quilting.