The quilt back I showed you last week is layered with the top and in the final stages of quilting. To keep all my layers together I basted it on my longarm! A giant, long stitch meander works well. I loaded the quilt onto the frame as I would any other quilt. But instead of quilting it, I basted. I am using a 12 wt. thread and quilting it on my domestic machine. The photos below is the quilt on the longarm and then the long basting that I did.

#1 – Use your longarm for basting!

When I began quilting with the 12 wt. thread I knew I needed a larger needle. But, no, I went ahead with what I had. Nope! Skipped stitches, thread breakage and frustration. I stopped after the third line of quilting and got new needles. MUCH better! It pays to use the correct size needle for the thread you are using. You can see the skipped stitches (photo on right). The photo on the left shows how the basting stitches look while quilting. It was the second row of quilting and the point I knew I needed to get the new needles.

#2 – What a difference the correct size needle makes! Take the time to change your needle. Know what works best for the thread weight you are using. Also, don’t forget to change your needle with a new project. Needles do get dull!

I am using a thinner thread in the bobbin. The 12 wt. is great in the top of the machine, but a bit thick for the bobbin thread. Now, back to finishing this quilt. Photos coming soon.

in quilting,

Debbie