1st Machine Quilting Project
by Michelle D
Thanks so much for your website! I have a question. I made the sample quilt following all the instructions. I ironed, taped, and safety pinned all the layers, then started to machine quilt everything together using the "ditch" technique explained on the website, starting from the middle. I used the pinwheel block design for all the blocks. For some reason, there seems to be excess fabric between. I don't understand what I did wrong, but the triangles seem to just acquire more fabric when I am sewing everything together. I took it apart and started over 3 times. I re-ironed, pinned closer, etc., and just can't figure it out. The back is fine, but the front or top piece isn't and looks extremely loose. Any thoughts? ANSWER It sounds as though you need to adjust the tension on your machine. When it's too tight, your fabric gathers (puckers) and doesn't lie flat. Here's a site that explains all about tension. Also, did you press your fabric correctly? If you iron back and forth, you're stretching your fabric out of shape. This distortion in shape causes problems when you're stitching your fabric pieces together. When you press your fabric, you place the iron on top of your fabric and hold it in place for a few seconds. Then you lift the iron. This helps to reduce or eliminate stretched fabric. But, hopefully all you'll need to do is to adjust your tension. |
