Thursday, June 11, 2009

Day 2 - 21 Days to Free Motion Quilting Success!

Stitch Quality.... Let's talk tension!


When you are free motion quilting, you may find that your stitch tension is not what it should be. You may see that your top thread appears to be "laying" on top of the fabric , and you may see loops of bobbin thread on the top . This indicates that your top tension needs to be decreased. Decrease the tension one number at a time and continue to sew.


What if the back side of the quilting is loopy? Try increasing the top tension to eliminate those loops. You'll find a setting that works for you if you work at it. This is also a good time to check your manual for tips to help you balance your tension.

Now - your assignment for today is: Write your name in free motion. This exercise is to be done in cursive. Here is what I did:
Because you have written your signature so many times, this will be an easy exercise to familiarize your hands with moving in all directions. This is fun - use your quilt sandwich and the "get started list" from yesterday. You may want to try quilting gloves also!

Keep quilting!

-Kris Poor




3 comments:

Cristin said...

Fun! I've been practicing and can tell I'm getting better! My name is next - should be a snap, right???

Have you ever heard of cutting out about 1/2" of the quilting foot so you can see right to the needle?
I was watching a Patsy Thompson DVD and she suggested it... and it REALLY helps. just my two cents :-)

Kris Poor said...

Hi Cristin-

Great suggestion! Thanks so much for sharing!

Patsy Thompson's website/videos are wonderful - I like her stippling ideas!

Keep Quilting! -Kris

MandMStudio said...

Thanks for the tips:)