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Great Expectations
The machine quilting industry has grown significantly in the last 10 years allowing most piecer’s to find one or more machine quilters within a reasonable driving distance. Nonetheless, some still prefer to mail their quilt tops out of the area because of lead time issues, quality of work or simply personal preference. In last year’s Professional Longarm Yellowbook we helped quilt piecers assess longarm quilters by giving them the information they needed to make informed choices. This article speaks to the opposite perspective and looks at how piercers’ decisions influence the machine quilting process and ultimately affect the outcome of the finished quilt. Please remember when making your appointment that machine quilters have lives beyond machine quilting. Just like you, they have families, appointments and some machine quilters work at jobs outside the home. Often there is the perception that, because we quilt at home, we have plenty of time on our hands and can easily flit back and forth between our quilting and family lives. As with other professions, this is not the case. Some machine quilters schedule an entire day for customers to pick-up and drop-off. To have the much needed time to discuss your quilt, you should arrive on time, have your questions ready, and make your machine quilting decisions efficiently. Your machine quilter doesn’t have time to listen to how Aunt Maggie taught you how to piece when you were six years old, or how you’ve taken classes, gone to shows, etc. You get the idea. If this is your first experience with a machine quilter, be courteous and you will set the stage for a positive experience and a great partnership with your machine quilter. The Piecing Process Some quilt constructing situations to look for when sewing your quilt top follow. Being aware of potential issues will make your quilt top beautiful and make the machine quilting process easier. Let’s explore some piecing topics and practical piecing solutions. Consistency: Cutting fabric and the quarter inch seam. After you’ve purchased all the fabric and it’s time to cut, use the same measuring device throughout the cutting process. If you are using marks on the mat, then use them for all cutting on this quilt. If you use the marks on the ruler, the same applies. Don’t bounce back and forth between the lines on the mat and different brands of rulers because your cut pieces may vary thereby creating a nightmare when you begin sewing it. This same rule applies to brands/models of sewing machines. Each manufacturer has a different quarter inch seam measurement. If you started piecing your quilt with one brand of machine and then switched to another, the quarter inch seam allowance may be different enough to cause serious issues. Be consistent. Use the same tools and machine for the entire quilt. Matching: When we first learn to piece, it is frustrating if corners don’t match or seams that were supposed to line up ultimately do not. Beginners often plug along and end up with little puckers just to get the pieces to fit. As we gain experience we look back at those quilts and cringe. Puckers can’t be quilted out by the machine quilter. They are there to stay! Pressing: We’re not talking about trying to get wrinkles out of a shirt, to do that we press down with the iron, and grind the wrinkles out by going back and forth. Pressing is just that, making a seam lay flat by setting the iron on the seam, applying very little pressure (usually the weight of the iron will take care of that), and letting the heat do it’s job. Speed piecers like to “finger press” seams and although that works fine for some situations, a light press will achieve a better result. There is considerable debate about whether to use steam -- or not when piecing. It is my belief that beginners should NOT use steam. It has a tendency to distort fabrics, thereby making the piecing process more difficult and potentially frustrating. For the experienced piecer, the use of steam can be a valuable tool. Pressing seams open- or not: More and more piecers are pressing their seams open to create less bulk. Before making the decision to press seams open, consider its effect on machine quilting. For example, seams that are pressed open cannot be stitched-in-the-ditch (SID) because the ditch is only thread; each seam allowance has been pressed away from the seam. If you want your quilt stitched in the ditch, you must press seams to one side. On the other hand, lumpy seam intersections are difficult to machine quilt, causing machine needles to break and quilting around bulk may leave an unattractive lump. Squaring Up: Although seemingly a trivial thing, squaring your blocks before assembling the quilt top is an important step in making your finished quilt lay flat. When pieced, an unfinished 8 1/2 inch block can vary in size. Measure several of your blocks and square them to within a quarter inch of each other. A smidge of easing and stretching is fine. Any more than a quarter inch may make the quilt body lumpy. The flatter your quilt top, the better the machine quilting outcome. Always square up blocks before assembly and remember to press the entire quilt top! Working with Bias: Working with bias may create piecing issues since the fabric tends to stretch. Use care when piecing with bias edges by pinning whenever possible. This is especially important if you have large bias areas…when they stretch out, the measurements of the entire quilt can get thrown off creating a “snowball effect” which throws the entire quilt out of square. If you run a basting stitch with your sewing machine, this will help stabilize large bias areas. Borders: When borders are sewn on and excess border fabric is cut off, wavy borders result. BEFORE applying borders, measure your quilt top width in three places; the top, middle and bottom. First measure at 4 inches from the top edge, the middle and then 4 inches from the bottom edge. Let’s use an example of a quilt measuring 71 1/2 inches on each end and 70 inches in the middle, cut the two borders an average measurement of 70 3/4 inches. To apply the borders, fold the quilt top in half and place a pin vertically at the half way point. Now do the same with the border. Place right sides together, match the center pins and then match the ends. If there is a bit of easing or stretching involved, take your time and pin about every 4-6 inches. Sew the border fabric on using your walking foot and you will have a wonderfully flat border…and a happy machine quilter. Repeat this process for the lengthwise borders. Although this technique seems time consuming and labor intensive the extra time it takes is well worth it! Look at how quilts hang at a quilt show. Once you know what to look for, you’ll know exactly who did and didn’t properly apply borders. Backing: The same attention should be paid to a pieced back If there are multiple pieces, sew it with a consistent seam allowance and use a walking foot. Quilt backing should be a minimum of 4” larger on all sides. For example, if you had a quilt that measured 100” x 100”, your backing should measure 108” x 108” after being squared up. Your machine quilter will probably measure the backing while you are there to make sure there is an adequate amount of fabric. A poorly pieced backing may end up with unsightly tucks so attention to detail with the back is as important as carefully piecing the quilt top. Remember to also press the backing well. If you are a beginner, use this information to establish quality piecing skills. You do not have to become stressed in the quest for perfection. Strive to do the best possible job since your finished quilt is a reflection of you. If you are a more experienced piecer, try to think ahead toward the machine quilting aspect of your quilt. There are many talented custom machine quilters that enjoy receiving quilts that have been designed with lots of open areas suitable for beautiful quilting. The partnership of piecer and machine quilter can be exceedingly rewarding. As piecers, finding the best machine quilter will reward you with great finished quilts. As machine quilters, receiving well pieced quilt tops allows us to do our job to the best of our ability. The ultimate result is a partnership filled with respect, admiration for each others’ talent and spectacular quilts! Janet-Lee Santeusanio has been a passionate machine quilter since 1999. She is well known for her custom/heirloom machine quilting and her work has won many awards and has been published in numerous publications. Janet-Lee and business partner Mary Schilke are the founders of Machine Quilters Exposition. MQX began in Janet-Lee’s living room in April 2000 with 40 women and has since exploded onto the quilt show scene. MQX is now the leading machine quilting quilt show and conference in the country. The show features several hundred competition quilts, special exhibits and over 200 classes. In 2003, Janet-Lee began a machine quilting discussion group called Machine Quilting Professional. Now boasting upwards of 3,000 members, this active group is a critical resource for machine quilters all over the world. Janet-Lee, her husband Peter, and two teenage children reside in Hampton Falls, NH. ©2007. Reproduction without authorization is prohibited |
