I have decided to tackle the subject over the coming weeks in a new blog series on machine quilting. During this series we will consider:

Tools
~ for marking (and not marking)
~ needles
~ thread
~ batting

Resources
~ how-to books
~ quilting designs

Techniques
~ basting
~ starting and ending stitches
~ quilting straight lines
~ quilting free-motion
~ adjusting thread tension

We’ll talk about design and how to choose the right lines and shapes to bring your quilt to life. We’ll consider what features to look for in a sewing machine, if you’re in the market. We’ll look at quilts and other art forms for inspiration and motivation. And hopefully, by the time we’re done, you will know exactly how to quilt on a home sewing machine!

So why did I try some completely different threads on my quilt “Flourish on the Vine”?  The story begins in Houston at the 2009 International Quilt Festival.  My quilt Instruments of Praise had won first place for Innovative Appliqué and I was happily sharing it with viewers at the awards ceremony.

One of the viewers that night was Heather Purcell of Superior Threads, also known as Mother Superior, who invited me to stop by her booth later in the week.  When I did, she asked me the very same question about the kind of thread I used for machine quilting.  We talked and she inquired if I would consider trying some of her thread called The Bottom Line.  B-b-but it’s polyester, I stammered.

Heather smiled patiently – she had obviously heard this all before.  She challenged my bias against polyester thread and highlighted its many virtues.  (See the video “Thread Therapy with Dr. Bob, Cotton versus Polyester Myth”.)  She pointed out that her polyester threads were used and endorsed by such accomplished and well-respected quilters as Libby Lehman, Carol Bryer Fallert, and John Flynn.  And then she gave me some thread!

“Flourish on the Vine” was already under way in the fall of 2009, and I had fabric swatches with me as I browsed the show in search of fabric.  This allowed Heather to select a variety of shades that would work well with my color scheme.  Try it, she urged, and then let me know what you think.

The thread sat there for over a year until it was finally time to begin machine quilting.  I made a practice sandwich of my background fabrics, batting and backing and auditioned a variety of threads and needles.

I was impressed!  The Bottom Line had great texture and perfect tension; with a 60/8 Microtex needle, I would be able to execute very fine, closely-spaced quilting stitches.

The quilting has now been completed and I am absolutely thrilled with the results.  I would not hesitate to recommend The Bottom Line 60-weight polyester thread for machine quilting and will definitely continue to use it myself.  Thank you Heather, for your generous gift and for challenging me to reach new heights.  I tried it and I loved it!

My goal with machine quilting is to add texture.  As such, I am looking for threads that blend almost invisibly with the fabrics in the quilt.

It should come as no surprise then, that one of my preferred threads for machine quilting is invisible thread.  The beauty of this clear (or smoke) nylon monofilament thread is its ability to blend with any color of fabric.  This is particularly helpful when the quilting lines cross over different hues and shades or to disguise any “slips” when quilting in the ditch.  As for brands, I have had good success with Sew-Art Invisible Nylon Thread and Unique Ultra Fine Invisible Thread.

Then again, you may be surprised about invisible thread because of the mixed reviews it has received over the years.  I have long admired the machine quilting work of Diane Gaudynski.  In her book Guide to Machine Quilting (American Quilter’s Society, 2002), Diane explains her reasons for using nylon monofilament thread:  “…it eliminates the problem of color matching, it doesn’t cover my quilt top with heavy machine stitching, it allows me to quilt exceptionally fine designs and closely spaced stippling, it permits me to double stitch over a line of stitching several times with no visible build-up, and it doesn’t make my quilt look ‘thready’.”  That’s good enough for me! 

I am also looking for good tension.  With a domestic sewing machine, this often means balancing the weight of the threads in the needle and the bobbin, adjusting the tension settings, or both.  Some quilters match their bobbin thread to their needle thread, but I use the same bobbin thread throughout a whole quilt.  Therefore, it is important to know how to adjust the tension setting for every different needle thread choice.  It is also helpful for the bobbin thread to be available on large spools, especially if the quilt is large and the quilting extensive.

My bobbin thread of choice for many of my recent projects has been Aurifil Mako 50-weight cotton.  It is available in a large spool of 1,422 yards or a cone of 6,452 yards.  There are 182 colors to choose from which is important because I also like my bobbin thread to blend with my backing fabric!

But things change:  styles change; preferences change.  And I am open to that!  Stay tuned next week to find out the threads I used for my quilt “Flourish on the Vine” and the circumstances that prompted me to try something new.

You might also be wondering why I spent so much time marking my quilt.  That is a good question – especially if you have taken my machine quilting class!  Anyone who has taken that class can tell you that I will go to great lengths to avoid marking my quilts.  So why now?  Why mark or why not mark?

Part of the answer revolves around removing the marks.  You see, design marking lines should not be visible on completed quilts.  (See the Canadian Quilters’ Association Quilting Standards.)  So the decision to mark quilting designs directly onto a quilt means that quilt will need to be washed to remove the marks.  The question “to mark or not to mark” includes “to wash or not to wash”.

The rest of the answer lies in the quilting designs themselves.  Quilting designs can be random or planned.  Random designs – such as stippling or echo quilting – do not need to be marked.  The quilting lines are formed as they are stitched.

Stippling

Echo Quilting

In the quilt Butterfly Kisses, the loop-de-loop quilting in the blocks was random and didn’t need to be marked whereas the border quilting was planned and did need to be marked.

Except, I didn’t mark it.  Remember:  I will go to great lengths not to mark a quilt!  So how do I “mark” quilts without leaving any markings?  Here are some of my favorite ways.

~ Marking the designs on tracing paper
Golden Threads tracing paper is wonderful for this.  It comes in rolls of various widths and it tears away cleanly and easily.  I trace my design onto the paper, then staple several layers underneath.  By stitching through all the layers using my sewing machine without thread, I can create many hole-punched versions of my design at once.  I pin the tracing paper onto my quilt, stitch the design, then remove the paper.

~ Using masking tape
One-quarter inch quilter’s masking tape works particularly well for quilting straight lines without marking them.  Simply lay the tape alongside a ruler or other straight edge, pressing down lightly to adhere it temporarily to the surface.  A strip can be reused several times before it loses its stickiness. 

~ Using clear contact paper
Traditionally sold as a shelf or drawer liner, the adhesive backing on this inexpensive material makes it very useful as a temporary template.  I trace or draw my shape onto the contact paper, cut it out, stick it onto my quilt, then quilt around the shape.  Again, the template can be used many times – providing you don’t accidently stitch too many holes into it!

In fact, most of the quilts in the Gallery on my website were machine quilted without marking by using one or more of these products.  The most notable exception would be Instruments of Praise and now, my quilt Flourish on the Vine.  Why?  Because of the trapunto.  And I’ll tell you more about that next week!

How do I answer this question?  I have a variety of approaches.

Facetiously
Do you sleep?  Yes, I do!  I sleep very well, most of the time.  Thanks for asking.  But of course, this isn’t what they really want to know.

Obediently
Do you sleep?  Sometimes.  This is what they think the answer ought to be, so I tell them what they want to hear!

Honestly but Unexpectedly
Do you sleep?  Yes, except when I’m designing.  The design process is a huge sleep-stealer for me.  Not because I stay up all hours, but because I can’t shut off my brain.  I toss and turn; I review what I’ve done; I contemplate what I should do next; I lie awake and think, think, think!  This is a good answer, because it’s true and it’s serious.  But once again, I feel that it doesn’t address the actual issue.

Let’s answer the real question.

How do you find time to quilt?

There is no quick answer here.  But I’ll tell you one thing:  I’ve always made time to quilt.  When something is important, you find a way to do it!  Here are some of my strategies for “finding” time to quilt.

Have a place to quilt
A sewing room, no matter how modest, is great for productivity.  It means that you can leave things out, ready to go at the next opportunity.  I’ve read great tips about leaving the next set of patches pinned or the needle threaded.  Then, even if you only have a short amount of time, you can pick up where you left off and start sewing.

Have quilts at different stages
This is a dangerous strategy, I’ll warn you straight off.  The idea here is that each stage of the quiltmaking process requires a different kind of time.  So, if you have one project that requires handwork, you can use your tv-watching time or your sitting-on-the-commuter-train time.  If you have another that requires machine piecing or quilting, you can use your sewing-room time.  Or another at a design stage, you can use your computer time.  The reason this is dangerous, if you hadn’t guessed, is that it can lead to multiple UFOs (unfinished objects).  It can be difficult to juggle multiple projects, and often one will suffer at the expense of the other.  But sometimes it works.

Schedule time to quilt
This is probably my best advice, and something I’ve done through each stage of my life as a quilter so far.

~ With babies and pre-schoolers at home, I hired a sitter two mornings a week.  One morning, I’d get groceries and run as many errands as possible.  On the second morning, you guessed it:  I worked on a quilt.  Then there was nap time and bed time – more time to sew!

~ The nursery school, kindergarten years were pretty much the same.  No more nap time, but five free mornings with one always reserved for sewing.  Evenings were still available for more quilting time.

~ The school years added more day time but subtracted most afternoon and evening time.  During this stage, I had a scheduled sewing day.  I booked nothing else on this day if I could help it, and looked forward to it all week!

~ Now, I guess you could say I’m a professional quilter.  Quilting is what I do.  But this stage has presented its own unique challenges.  I’m managing a business – proposals, lesson plans, supply lists, samples, correspondence, website updates, scheduling, travel, shipping, bookkeeping, lectures, workshops – and it all takes time away from making quilts.  I’ve had to remind myself of what worked in the past, and schedule time to quilt.  Put it on the calendar:  Sewing Day! 

Do you sleep?

What should I say the next time someone asks?

Yes, because I try to schedule time in my day to quilt.
~ or ~
Read my blog and find out!