CORRECT KNOTS VS LCK KNOTS
As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, The Correct Way to Tie Knots for Free Motion Quilting, I rarely tie knots the “correct” way. The correct way requires the quilter to stop, pop the bobbin thread, tie a knot, thread a hand sewing needle and bury the knot before continuing. The “Correct Knot” is nice because it never unravels and it hides the thread without any buildup. The problem is-this method is slow and it makes it harder for a quilter to develop a rhythm necessary for even stitching. That is why I’ve developed my LCK knots.
While they are not technically correct, and I don’t know how they would be judged in a competition, these knots are quicker, they never come loose, and by making them look as if they are part of the design, they look great. So how can anyone complain? Judges???
THE LCK FLOURISH KNOT
The knot begins just like the “correct knot”: Lower the presser foot.
Lower the needle by hand wheeling forward, heel-tapping the foot pedal (on Berninas) or pressing the needle down button on many Berninas.
Next, bring the needle to the UP position and “pop” the bobbin thread, by continuing to hand wheel forward -while holding the top thread taut. The needle can be brought to the UP position by hand wheeling, heel-tapping the foot pedal or by pressing the needle up button on many Berninas.
Once the bobbin thread is “popped” to the surface, remove your foot from the foot pedal, and use a pair of tweezers to pull the thread so that it is long enough to grab hold.
Hold both the bobbin and top threads and stitch a small “curl” to the left. Stitch very small stitches.
Next, stitch right back over the original stitches-again using a very small stitch length (as determined by the speed with which you move the quilt–as the feed dogs are disengaged for FMQ, right?)
Stitch a short distance away from the “tail”. Stop and cut off the threads as close to the fabric as possible. (Curved scissors may be helpful here.)
Now proceed on your merry way…The stitches will hold very well and look like a little flourish in your design. Bonus!
When you come to the end of your quilting. Do the same thing. Stitch a small spiral using tiny stitches. Stitch back over the stitches with more tiny stitches.
Raise your presser foot.
Cut off the thread from the top.
Then flip it over and cut the bobbin thread. ( Or, you can cut all the bobbin threads at the very end of your sewing session.) That’s it! The Flourish Knot!
The “Correct Knot”
- Slow and tedious
- Requires hand sewing
- Secure
- Hidden knot, does not change the design
The LCK Flourish Knot:
- Fast
- No hand sewing
- Secure
- Lovely–looks like a design element
Your choice may depend on your mood, the quilt you on which you are working, and your “philosophy”. (Read yesterday’s post.)
Knowing the rules and knowing when to break the rules frees one up to concentrate on other things. I suggest you try both methods, then decide for each quilt and each design which is the best method. Works for me!
With a flourish,
Lazy Lori
PS…All information, tutorials and images are the property of Lori Kennedy at The Inbox Jaunt and are intended for personal use only. Please feel free to Pin and Re-blog with attribution to The Inbox Jaunt. For all other uses, please contact me at lckennedy@hotmail.com. Thanks!