Can you quilt a queen on a regular machine?
Question:Do you have to have a quilting machine?
Answers:
You can quilt it on a regular machine, but it is more difficult. When you get to the center of the quilt, you'll have to stuff and scrunch the outside of the quilt to make it fit under the machine arm. There won't be a lot of extra room, especially if your regular machine already has limited arm space.
Sending a queen size quilt out to be professionally quilted can be expensive. Even a basic allover meander on a queen size quilt can cost over $100, and a complicated pattern can double or triple that - or more. If you want to give it a shot on your home machine, there are things you can do to make it (a little) easier. First, put your machine on a large table. If you have a sewing table that the machine sits down in, set up a couple of portable tables behind and to the left of it, and put the whole setup in a corner. This way the quilt won't hang over the edge, and the weight of it won't pull. Drape the side of the quilt closest to you over your shoulder. Again, it prevents the weight from pulling under the needle. Start at the center and work your way out to prevent pleats. You'll need to wad up the right side of the quilt to make it fit under the arm. If you can't get to the center with enough space to move around at least a little, you probably shouldn't try to quilt it on this machine. Personally, I don't like to roll my quilt under the arm - it takes up less space to just stuff it.
If you haven't finished the top yet, you could try several methods for quilting in smaller chunks, then assembling the quilted pieces into the finished top. You can quilt individual blocks, centers without borders, then add the borders, or larger sections that are then joined together. Check out the book "Divide and Conquer" by Nancy Smith and Lynda Milligan for several methods. You can also check out the second link below for a PDF with instructions.
If you decide to send it to a professional, there are several things you can do to prepare it for her. The less time she has to spend preparing, the more you'll save. A professional who does long arm quilting (probably the least expensive) will roll the three layers onto a frame. Any basting you've done will have to come out. You can provide backing, batting and thread, or you can buy it from her. If you provide the backing and batting, make sure they're both AT LEAST 8" bigger in both directions than the quilt top. (That's 4" on all four sides.) Put the binding on yourself - if she does it, there's an extra charge. If you're not in a hurry to get the quilt done, tell her that. She may give you a discount if you let her put other quilts in front of yours. Be sure to talk to her about how you want it quilted, and if possible, see examples of her work. If you're going to pay that much, you should be happy with the end result. Picking out quilting is NOT fun.
You can quilt it on a regular machine if you have nerves of steel. It's a royal pain in the neck and the biggest one I've ever done is a full size quilt. I send out the ones that I really want to look nice now and refuse to torture myself anymore by trying to do large quilts myself.
I know there are people who do it themselves and, I must say, I admire their fortitude. Good fortune to you if you've got the guts for it.
you can do square blocks for any size bed on your regular sewing machine, but if you're sewing to hold in the batting then you need a quilting machine. Check with the sewing centers in your area as they can rent you the quilting machine (so you don't have to buy one unless quilting is your income business).
yes. quilt it in 4 quarters. then sew the 4 quarters together. or do it the old way. roll ends up. like two long tubes. then quilt down the center.and unroll as you go. don't forget to base,first. i like 2 or 3 inches apart. across and down on the quilt. some ladies like to pin. but a good old book to use is on lap quilting by Georgia Bonesteel
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