Machine quilting for beginners
You can quilt a whole quilt on a home sewing machine. Start with straight lines and a walking foot, which feeds the top and bottom layers at the same speed so the backing doesn't pucker.
Set the stitch length to about 3 mm, 8 to 9 stitches an inch, and use a new needle, 80/12 or 90/14.
By Editorial Staff
Your first quilted lines
Quilt from the center out. Stitch in the ditch along the long seams that run through the middle first (1 and 2), then work outward (3, 4 and so on), so any fullness is pushed to the edges instead of trapped in the middle.
Roll the sides of the quilt tightly so the part under the machine lies flat, and let a table to the left and behind hold the weight. A quilt that hangs off the table pulls the stitches.
Start and stop each line with very short stitches for ¼", or leave long tails and tie them off and bury them in the batting with a needle. Then add more lines: straight lines, a grid, or gentle waves.
When straight lines feel easy, try free motion: see free motion quilting patterns, and quilting designs for beginners for every design drawn on a quilt with its thread.
Plan your next quilt in your own fabric
Quiltspiration draws any pattern in the fabric you own and works out the cut list for any size.