Tuesday Tip late in the day

It’s still August so we are continuing our machine quilting tips.

This week’s tip: stop sewing when you reposition your hands.

Sounds basic, doesn’t it?  It is as simple as ”don’t take your hands off the steering wheel” and how many of us have done that?

Let me just tell you that nothing good is going to happen to your quilt if you keep sewing as you reposition your hands. This is especially true when the feed dogs are down.

Picture it.  The feed dogs are down and you are doing free motion quilting. You are wearing finger tip grippers or quilting gloves  to control the movement of your quilt. And then you lift your hands up to reposition them.  Who’s in charge? Gravity? Inertia?

Remember, with the feed dogs down, your hands are the feed dogs.  If they come off the quilt, there is no driver.  Stop sewing before you lift your hands.  Stop with the needle down.  Every time.

Reposition your hands and start sewing again. 

I have found that I have trouble controlling the first stitch when doing free motion. The first stitch tends to be too big …a real “toe catcher”.  To overcome this first stitch tendency, I try to take one stitch in place as I start sewing after repositioning my hands. This helps me control the start up stitch.  Try it.  Practice.