With domestic sewing machine and feed dog engaged.
The Big Challenge.
Your big challenge will be to control the rate of feed of the fabric to achieve even stitches where you want stitches as you insure the fabric’s unencumbered feed under the pressure foot.
Straightline quilting, in my definition, is quilting with the feed dog engaged. One can quilt any design the feed dog, stitch length, quilting speed, and fabric can handle, making an acceptable stitch.
Questions for C:
- What is the height of the sewing machine bed above the cabinet or table?
- Is outfeed table used? If so, what is size and height above cabinet/table to?
- What is the size of the cabinet top the machine is in or table table top the machine is on?
- Make adjustments as necessary
Preparation for quilting
- decide on level of precision that is acceptable
- decide how straight is straight
- decide how crisp angles must be
- decide how precise distances from lines of quilting is necessary
- decide how to handle ending stitches and hiding threads: pull to one side, leave long take to one side, machine cut
Prior to placing quilt under the pressure foot
- Lay quilt onto shop cutting table.
- Verify pinning/basting front and back to assess existing wrinkles or likelihood of introducing wrinkles as quilt moves thru machine.
- Pin/baste more as necessary.
Prior planning: The design and width of the stitching can be guaged prior to quilting. The more precise you want the stitching to be indicated the care of planning required.
Main challenges
- Insufficient basting, permitting ease of bunching and causing uneven stitch lengths
- Bunching of fabric under and to the right of the pressure foot
- Maintaining free movement of fabric by feed dog: if fabric does not feed freely, stitch length will shorten
- Placing needle down where intended
- Maintaining control of fabric while sewing
- Maintaining distance from previous stitch line
How to insure unencumbered movement of fabric.
- roll fabric from right inside of case
- roll and clip
- bunch from right side
- as you mind right side of pressure foot, be mindful of left side
- as you approach the end of horizontal quilting, prepare to make the next turn to keep