Lesson One: Organizing for Quick Quilting

61 responses to “Lesson One: Organizing for Quick Quilting”

1. RE topstitch needles: I have never had satisfactory results using a topstitch needle. I give them another try at least once a year, but the results are still unsatisfactory, no matter how I adjust the machine. With the same settings such as tension, etc., I get better results with a quilting needle. Am I doing something wrong?

   (All this may be a moot point now – I am getting a new APQS George, to be delivered this Thursday. My sewing machine is a Brother VQ3000; it sews fabulously and usually does free-motion pretty well, but some days it simply will NOT do a decent job of free-motion quilting – skipping stitches and fraying thread when I move the quilt counterclockwise, no matter what size needle I use. After 3 years of fighting with it I decided to get the George. [I have 3 queen-sized quilts to get done before Christmas, and I want more throat space and better stitch results.])

   Also, thanks for the tip about not using batiks as backing – that had never occurred to me.

   Happy Monday!

   1. Happy Monday, Arvilla! One of the tricks to machine quilting is finding out what works for you and your machine. I always say, “if you don’t have a favorite quilting needle, start with my favorite, the Topstitch needle.” I acknowledge that everyone is different and your machine might “prefer” something else.
      Exciting to get a new machine this week!

2. Hi Lori
   Flower Power is one of my favorites. Also love the variations a person can do with this motif!

3. unable to find class could you send link….it’s a little confusing where to go

   1. Hi Gloria,
      This post is the beginning of many weeks of written articles (posts) that you will find right here at Lori Kennedy Quilts! The “Class” or “Quilt-a-long” will be right here. Read the post for information, ideas, inspiration and links. Occasionally, I will add video links and we will try a few “Live” events and you will receive information about that here. Stay tuned!

4. Hi,
   I am looking forward to this quilt along.
   I got my book with the wishes and sample. Love it!!!
   The moment the book I started reading it and it is by far the best book I have seen on machine quilting. Thank you for putting this together!!
   Now I have to get my sandwiches ready, (not lunch)! LOL

   1. Wow! Thank you, Kay! Please consider writing a review on Amazon (even if you didn’t buy it there!)

5. Thread the bobbin? Please explain.

   1. Thread the bobbin just like you normally do. I will have more information about each of the steps later this week.

      1. Are you going to talk about “bobbin work” at all? I’d love to hear about it. Thanks for doing this, Lori.

      2. Bobbin work is a special technique and I would be happy to cover it, but we have a way to go…

6. I’ve sent the above to the printer so I can get a better start. Next outside chores and then, maybe a quilt sandwich or two. My book is still on order. I had placed an order with our LQS and they are waiting for its arrival.

7. Hi, Lori!! Your friends in Ladies of the Lake guild, WBL have added a guild “small group” to support & encourage one another on your Quilt Along!! We’re so excited for this opportunity! You’re a great teacher, we know!!❤️

   1. Woohoo! Some of my favorite quilters! We sure had fun!

8. question.. in the LESSON, ITVSAYS 25 WEEKS not days.. does this really take 6+ months?

   1. The book is 25 Days. We will work through one lesson per week here on the blog, so we can get the most out of all the lessons. Of course, I recommend that everyone work at their own pace.

9. Lori, do you have a time line for shipping orders? I understand you are swamped at the moment.
   I ordered my book last Wednesday, and have not received an order confirmation as of today?
   If it’s stil a week or so out, that’s fine, just wanted to know when to be concerned.
   Thank you!

   1. All orders will be shipped no later than Thursday of this week. We are shipping daily! You will see it soon–I promise!

      1. Thank you!!

10. Thank you, Lori. I’ll start organizing TODAY! And thank you for the nudge. I’m looking forward to becoming a better FM quilter in many ways. 🙂

11. Hi, Lori! Just received my book this minute! Can’t wait to get started. Thank you for the cute sample in my favorite color, purple! Going to take the book & get it bound this afternoon.

12. Thank you Lori! I have recently retired and this is just what I need. I’ve always been afraid to “ruin” my quilts by quilting them myself. Bless you. From Hastings.

13. As I’m over the magic age for being out and about in Whitefish, Montana, I’m joining my cousin in Egan Minnesota to do this quilt along. Got my book on Friday and excited to start today.

14. I am really excited for this class. I am not far from Lori. This is very exciting! I want to really improve my quilting! I am a bit confused is this daily or weekly? I want to do well & get to know the other ladies.

15. Excited to get started. I plan to participate on my longarm as I bought it a year ago and have been afraid to step away from pantographs. Instead of quilt sandwiches should I load up a few yards on my frame and just draw or stitch lines to section into fat quarter sized areas?

    1. Yes! That sounds like a great idea!

16. Always looking to improve and am really looking forward to this! BTW, I have a long arm and the quilt on my frame today is getting your square flowers in the blocks.

17. Ok, I’m ready! I’m zigzagging some leftover batting to use in my sandwiches today–fabric is already cut, so they just need filling! And thinking of ordering a darning foot so I can also FMQ on my Featherweight….

    And you should post before and after post-covid haircut photos….since we’re all in the same boat with you. : )

    1. Ellen, I’ve been thinking about using my Featherweight also. I did a quilt along with Lori a few years ago using my Janome. I was hooked! Let’s both try our Featherweights, so we can encourage each other and share tips!
       What do you think?

       1. I think that sounds great! I will start on my other machine til the foot arrives.

    2. Not happening-LOL!

18. I have a Bernina 770. For this project should I be using the BSR or the free motion foot? Also, what is meant by press basting?Thanks.

    1. Free motion foot!

19. I also have a Bernina 770 and wondering about the BSR stitch regulator for this course.

    1. I have mixed emotions about the BSR. I would prefer that you tried the class without it. I will discuss the pros and cons later this week.

20. I believe it was 2002 when I discovered quilting. Roughly a decade later I decided that I wanted to learn how to FMQ on my home sewing machine. But life kept interrupting my plans to ‘finally figure it out’. Life got so in the way that I haven’t even touched the sewing machine for 2-3 years. Fortunately, my DH and I are buying a house and I’ll have a dedicated sewing room. I hope to begin your QAL later this summer. As sewing & quilting things get moved and put away, I plan to organize it so that I can begin your ‘lessons’. Even if that means taking a ‘break’ from putting things away to make a quilt sandwich or two.

    1. As a long arm owner with a computerized Gammill, I will be participating in FMQ in order to strengthen my free motion skills. There are times when I have needed to free hand motifs and I realize how rusty I am. Thanks for the great opportunity!

21. Got the book the other day, finishing up piecing a quilt top, should be done this week, and then I was planning on diving into quilting some of my tops done during this shelter-in-place, so the timing is perfect for this quilting adventure 🙂 I organized my quilting books, and found 180 Doodle Quilting Designs, didn’t have to look far for your Free Motion Quilting books (they are front and center when I am planning quilting motifs!). So I am raring to go. I have even been reviewing your Craftsy classes. Thank you so much for doing this. It is the incentive so many of us (like me) need.

22. Am I right in thinking that press basting would simply be pressing the layers together?

    1. Yes! Pressing does double duty in this case. It removes creases from the layers AND it bastes the layers together!

23. Any chance you’d consider making the group private? Love seeing and sharing within the group but not keen on sharing to the public.

    1. Hi Edy! Thank you for letting me know…I have corrected it. The settings take three days to switch from Public to Private!

       1. Thank you!!!

24. How do I order the book?

    1. https://www.etsy.com/listing/806027031/25-days-to-better-machine-quilting

25. I’d love bobbin work too.

26. Hi Lori, I received the book and your lovely FMQ of the Closed Umbrella. I tacked it up on the wall in front of my sewing machine – It makes me feel warm and fuzzy everytime I look at it. Your were very sweet to make them for us!!! I love your website everything about it is inspiring!!!

27. So sorry Lori, I was too excited to get started and jumped ahead to do some free motion and not only that but then I posted a pic! Boy is my face red😬

    1. Never apologize for enthusiasm! I love it and glad you jumped in and started quilting!

28. Hi Lori, Thank you so much for offering this class on line. I am on Maui, staying home most of the time to avoid the Corona Virus and this gives me something fun to do. Robert is busy adding stamps to his albums and I quilt. Question, Is it ok to do this work on my long arm so I can practice using it? I picture putting on a couple yards of fabric and dividing it up for each day’s lesson. Hope you are well. Still waiting for my book but your directions here are great.
    Linda

    1. Aloha Linda! Glad to hear you and Robert are well! My sisters and I loved our visit to Maui, your guild, and of course, stamp collecting with Robert! Yes! Use the techniques and projects on your long arm! Almost all the information and all of the projects are adaptable!

29. Is there some other way to get your book? I live in Canada and shipping is expensive!

    1. Janette, it’s available in Kindle format. And no waiting for shipping!Jo

30. I just put my Straight stitch juki 2010 on a grace qzone frame. Will i be able to follow the lessons on it or should i just stick with free motion on my other machine? With the juki i can quilt about 5″ by about 40″ across.

31. Excited to get started! Do you prewash fabric for free motion quilting? I personally prewash all fabrics, but want to follow your lead. 😊

32. Lori, I am very excited to do this quilt along. I did pre-order the book and it was sent, but currently it seems to be lost in the mail. My husband is trying to track it. The last info we had it was in Des Moines and we are in MIchigan. Anyhow, I have no doubt that once I get it, I will love it!!! You make machine quilting look so easy. I currently do a loopy wandering type of free motion. I am looking forward to doing actual designs other than just hearts and stars. Thank you for doing this quilt along.

33. I read WAY ahead to the chapter on Thread because I am curious and curious minds want to know…. so, I spent a good amount of time going through thread and getting it organized better. I made a LOT of quilt sandwiches, and then looked around my sewing room…. and decided to get MORE organized. Spent the whole day in my sewing room rearranging and put my cutting table on risers – which I am going to LOVE. I also made more space, vacuumed the carpet, and did my first ‘rambling’ quilting of an entire fat quarter sandwich…. it is ok, but I am excited to know, after this class, it will be REALLY much better. Looking forward to having fun learning to do this and do it well!

    1. LOVE your enthusiasm!!!!!

34. Hello. I’m 71 and have just rediscovered sewing – and FABRICS! – since I began making facemasks to donate and give to friends and family. A long way round to say I rediscovered my long ago “want” to make a quilt. Figured I’d make the top and send it away for quilting. Doncha know, I now have an new machine on order to replace my old basic machine that didn’t even have zig-zag, but had made everthing from baby clothes, pinafores, curtains, etc. decades ago. And nothing since. Then your Doodles article showed up in my Google news feeds and here I am. Glad to meet you!

    1. Glad to meet You! And welcome!

35. Hola Lory, hace muchísimos que sigo tu blog pero nunca acolché a máquina aunque utilicé tus ideas para acolchar a mano. Para mí es toda una aventura que inicio, soy de. Argentina y tengo una máquina doméstica de coser pero quiero prácticarlo en la la máquina de pedal de mi madre, he visto los trabajos que compartiste hace un tiempo de una artesana que usaba este tipo de máquinas, su superficie de trabajos más amplia y cómoda. Tu último libro está en versión Kindle???? Siempre eres una inspiración y te lo agradezco de corazón.💞