Last week, Heather posed a technique question: How is backwards stitching used in quilting? How would it eliminate the stopping and turning corners? I just can’t seem to picture it in my mind how it would be different from forward quilting.
The beauty of using the reverse stitching/quilting function on your sewing machine is that you only have to rotate your quilt top 90 degrees for a short period of time before you straighten up the quilt again. By contrast, if you always quilt going forwards in the conventional manner, you have to manipulate your quilt a full 180 degrees under the throat of your machine – first 90 degrees to turn the corner and then another 90 degrees to come back again and so on. This is perhaps best illustrated in a diagram:
In this diagram, the arrows show the direction that you are quilting and the blue line shows the orientation of the quilt top. If you can quilt backwards part of the time, this is infinitely easier than doing multiple big U-Turns with your quilt top. However, as I lamented on my “A New Dawn” post earlier in the year, I have yet to find any make, model or price sewing machine that neatly and reliably forms “backward” stitches for any decent period of time. How about you?
paula, the quilter says
Thanks for leaving a comment on my “Book Reports”. There is another book that I am re-reading right now by Roberta Horton: Fabric Makes the Quilt. Oh and remember my question about piecing or fusing the circles? I’m re-reading Dale Fleming’s book on
Pieced Curves (aka circles). I am trying to learn and refresh things for a challenge I’m in with an awful colored polka dot fabric (it is muted colors not brights). The worst part of it is I’m the one who
chose the fabric! I did it because it will challenge both participants of this challenge. My GF and I do a mini-challenge between the 2 of us about once a year just to keep things fresh!
Sorry about the spam attack and replying to your comment this way, but you have your email set to “no-reply”
Heather says
Brenda,
Thank you so much for this wonderful explanation and illustration. I will have to give it a try! If I find a machine that creates superb backward stitches I will let you know.
Tracey Petersen says
This sounds like the very reason that I drop the feed dogs and go in any direction!
Brenda says
I agree that using a free motion foot (whether or not you drop your feed dogs is a matter of personal choice) and moving the fabric around yourself allows you to any direction you wish. I successfully used this approach in Unplugged which is heavily hatch quilted. However, these are times when you want longer lines of very straight stitching/quilting with no wibble wobbles. It’s times like this that a reliable backwards/reverse mode would come in very handy!
Caitlin O'Connor says
My Pfaffs go backwards with no complaints. Especially the 2144 (Which is a TOL embroidery machine) but even the little 2036 does backwards at the push of a button for as long as you want – just push the button again to change direction. And because of the built in dual feed the fabric doesn’t get all ruckled up going backwards, either.