Easy and virtually free patchwork quilt – Part 7

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Read part 2
Read part 3
Read part 4
Read part 5
Read part 6

Machine Quilting

Quilting is necessary to hold all 3 layers of the quilt sandwich together. Traditionally you would do this with tiny running stitches. I have hand quilted one quilt in the past. It looks lovely, and was therapeutic, but it took a long long time. Now I only machine quilt - much faster!.

There are loads of books available to tell you how to do this, but let me bust a myth. It’s just sewing lines. The only tricky part to it making sure your 3 layer sandwich doesn’t slip about. That’s why good basting is essential.

Decide on your pattern of lines, and colour of thread you want to see. The quilting lines will become a beautiful feature if you use a contrasting colour. On this quilt I used white so that you could see what I was doing.

Use tailors chalk to mark up your quilting pattern. Use a ruler if you want straight lines. As this quilt is supposed to be an easy project I opted for simple straight diagonal lines.


If you don’t want to buy tailors chalk, try this: line up the edge of your presser foot with the seams of the pieced blocks. By doing this you will sew a line that is a nice consistent distance from the seam and is always straight. Most of the quilting I do is wobbly and wavy on purpose so that I can skip the marking up step. I’m aiming for the ‘naïve’ look. Works for me!

Another way to keep the quilting process simple is to run your sewn lines off the edges of the quilt to avoid having to pull through loose ends and tie them and tuck them inside. The above diagonal pattern does exactly this - I start at one side and sew right across to the other. All the end of the threads will eventually be tidied up in the binding.

Before you start, layer up some scrap fabric and wadding to test how the quilting lines will look and to check the tension on your machine.

When you are ready, dive right in and get quilting. A nice play on Radio 4 is the perfect quilting entertainment.



After I had finished the diagonal lines I decided it needed more quilting so I kept adding more and more stitching. Personally I am a fan of quite dense quilting. This part is up to you though – be creative.




Tips for successful machine quilting:

Manoeuvring such a large thing through the machine can be hard. Roll up the sides of quilt if you are fighting with it, and it should fit better through the machine. I use bicycle clips or safety pins to keep the roll together.


If your quilt is large, place your ironing board on your left hand side, adjusting it so it’s at the same height as your table. You can then rest the quilt on it, which takes a lot of the weight from your left arm.

Try not to pull the quilt through the machine, or allow it to drag back. Let the feed dogs pull it through naturally.

Use your fingers to gently spread and flatten the quilt as it goes under the needle. This will help avoid any wrinkles and puckers. I find that I always get more wrinkles on quilts with thick puffy wadding than I do when I use the flatter wadding, which is why I don’t like to use the thick stuff.

To keep the middle layer of wadding in place in the long term you should ensure there is not more than 6 inches between the quilting lines. Otherwise you will get lumpy duvet syndrome. Yuck.

My machine has a walking foot attachment which is perfect for quilting. It has feed dogs (the little caterpillar tracks that grips the fabric) on the top as well as the bottom meaning that the quilt sandwich feeds through evenly. Having said that, I have made loads of quilts with a normal foot.

If you basted using safety pins take them out as you go. If you used running stitch wait until the end and then pull them out. If you used spray you don’t need to do anything!

Practice makes perfect. You will get better as you practice, and the stitches will come out more even and straight.


The final step is to finish the edges and you're done. Come back soon!