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How do quilts get "sewn all over"?

sommerraynesommerrayne
in Eco-Friendly Family
Okay, I'm totally clueless when it comes to this but I have made block & square quilts before they were not the kind that had sewn lines all over them...how does that happen?

Can someone clue me in?! :)

Thanks!
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Re: How do quilts get "sewn all over"?

  • SapphyrEyesSapphyrEyes
    My MIL makes a light chalk line of how she wants her lines to show and then she sews over those lines.
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  • sommerraynesommerrayne
    wow, that's labor intensive! I thought there might be a machine that just does it for you!
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  • SapphyrEyesSapphyrEyes
    There's something called a quilting long arm machine but I have no idea what it does.  I haven't actually seen one in action. Only on display.
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  • lauraandleelauraandlee

    Are you talking straight lines or curved lines (like squiggles?). 

    Straight lines: usually marked with a ruler and quilted (all layer together, backing, batting and top) using a walking foot.

    Straight line example:

    image

    (You can also sitch "in the ditch" which is straight line quilting where you sew in between the pieced squares/triangles).  

    Curved lines: aka "Free-motion quilting".  You lower the feed dogs (the "teeth" that generally draw your fabric through the machine at an even pace).  You use a darning or open embroidery foot (usually a circular shaped foot), and you essentially draw the lines with a sewing machine.

    Some free-motion quilting is marked beforehand (like a feather), but lots is just free-hand.  

    Free-motion quilting example: (it's a little hard to see b/c I used invisible thread, I'll have to find some more examples I have)

    image 

    Our Little Fur Family
    image
    My Three Sons
    #1: 2.06 #2: 1.08 #3: 9.10

    DS #3 diagnosed at birth with panhypopituitarism - lack of pituitary function. He is treated with thyroxine, hydrocortisone, growth hormone and testosterone.

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  • smurfetteinredsmurfetteinred
    The 'sewing all over' is actually the 'quilting' part of making a quilt. You can hand quilt like sapphyr said which is the traditional way or you can machine quilt but it's the same concept (you lay out the design and sew over it) as hand quilting it's just faster for obvious reasons.
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  • lauraandleelauraandlee

    imageSapphyrEyes:
    There's something called a quilting long arm machine but I have no idea what it does.  I haven't actually seen one in action. Only on display.

    Long arm machines.  Expensive.  Some run for $30K or more.  You roll the backing and batting on rollers and the top on a roller as well.  The arm is adjustable, and you can fit an entire quilt length at once (like up to a king size quilt).  

    Long arm machines have revolutionized the quilting industry and drastically changed the industry especially with how quilts are judged in shows.  This is because most long arms have the ability to input computerized designs and YES, it does quilt for you.  You can put in VERY complex designs and these machines do it for you.  Granted, there is still a lot of user input and the quilter can still do the entire design on their own.

    (I could talk about this forever, it is literally my ENTIRE life).

    Our Little Fur Family
    image
    My Three Sons
    #1: 2.06 #2: 1.08 #3: 9.10

    DS #3 diagnosed at birth with panhypopituitarism - lack of pituitary function. He is treated with thyroxine, hydrocortisone, growth hormone and testosterone.

    Report Reply
  • lauraandleelauraandlee

    This is not just a meander (which is a doodle type design where the lines never touch), but a loop-de-loop design.  Also free-handed, not drawn on beforehand.

    image 

    Our Little Fur Family
    image
    My Three Sons
    #1: 2.06 #2: 1.08 #3: 9.10

    DS #3 diagnosed at birth with panhypopituitarism - lack of pituitary function. He is treated with thyroxine, hydrocortisone, growth hormone and testosterone.

    Report Reply
  • sommerraynesommerrayne
    imagelauraandlee:

    This is not just a meander (which is a doodle type design where the lines never touch), but a loop-de-loop design.  Also free-handed, not drawn on beforehand.

    image 



    I am utterly speechless! Can I ask how you get it in loops? Do you pull the whole fabric through the opening of the sewing machine over and over?

    And, Yes, you answered my question.

    Can I ask what kind of sewing machine you have? I don't want to enter competitions or anything, I'd just like to make my daughter a toddler sized quilt with the actual "quilting" part in sqiggle lines.
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  • lauraandleelauraandlee

    imagesommerrayne:

    I am utterly speechless! Can I ask how you get it in loops? Do you pull the whole fabric through the opening of the sewing machine over and over?

    And, Yes, you answered my question.

    Can I ask what kind of sewing machine you have? I don't want to enter competitions or anything, I'd just like to make my daughter a toddler sized quilt with the actual "quilting" part in sqiggle lines.

    The loops, you essentially are just "drawing" with the machine.  I roll up my quilt (I'm quilting right now, I'll take photos, since it's harder to explain) so that there is less bulk.  It takes a little practice, but I've quilted quilts as large as queen size on my machine.  

    Because your feed dogs are lowered, you control the direction your fabric is moving, either forward, backward, right or left.  You also control the stitch length, which is really what takes the most practice.  

    If you can't lower the feed dogs on your machine, you can also put some masking tape over them while you're quilting.  

    I'll do a video or some photos of what it looks like.  I actually have a machine that is kind of my baby, a Bernina 440 QE (quilter's edition).  I highly recommend Bernina as they are very good machines, and their Bernette line is a great starter line too.  

    Mess around with it, cut some 12" squares of muslin and sandwich them with batting between.   Go to the library and see if they have some quilting DVDs, or google for YouTube videos.  This can really help you get started. 

    Our Little Fur Family
    image
    My Three Sons
    #1: 2.06 #2: 1.08 #3: 9.10

    DS #3 diagnosed at birth with panhypopituitarism - lack of pituitary function. He is treated with thyroxine, hydrocortisone, growth hormone and testosterone.

    Report Reply
  • proudarmywife08proudarmywife08
    I have a Brother sewing machine with quilting features. I've used it to make quilts with loopy quilting like lauraandlee shows. Its not easy to make it look so pretty b/c the thread goes as fast as you pull/push the fabric and you have to be very consistent with your hand movements. I've done it a few times now and I'm getting better but do something for practice first :-) Oh and it was about a $150 machine from Amazon too so not too expensive. However, you might be able to get a quilting/darning foot, darning plate (to cover the feed dogs) and do it. That is all I do on my machine, change the attachments.
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