Most important when quilting on minky: a walking foot and a new #14 needle. At every bobbin change - just check that your needle is free of any spray baste that may have some fibers stuck to it.
Here is my fancy sewing set up for both piecing and quilting. Two children's tables with a larger piece of white laminate that is not attached. It is important to have a side table next to your machine - minky is heavy and can be a 'drag' when compared to an all cotton quilt.
Just quilt an arm's length at a time - re-adjust and pull the quilt up some more and continue. You can also use your left arm to help the quilt along by gently pulling on the back.
I have no experience with free motion - my minky quilts are either straight stitched or with a wavy line. Shown above is an example of a 3.0 length. Anything from a 3.0, a 3.5 or a 4.0 stitch length is good. When you reach the middle of the quilt you will find it harder to quilt. The bulk of the quilt and just the nature of the minky will work your sewing machine motor a little harder. No worries - just slow down your speed and help the blanket along and everything will be fine :)
Yes, its easier with a bigger machine - but I have done many blankets using a small Janome in the early days and they came out just great.
I use Aurifil #50 for both piecing and quilting. I go medium speed and not race like a manic when quilting - it's a walking foot... not a running foot!
Here are some examples of wavy stitches following the seams - always a winner.
Some minky's like to try and make an appearance on the quilt top. Below you can see a hint of red minky fluff trying to surface on the white Kona. I know no way to stop that. But for me, that slight show through is not enough to stop using minky.
Another concern can be uneven thread tension. What may happen is a minor show through of the bottom bobbin thread onto the quilt top. Good news is that since minky is usually 3mm thick, the bottom thread pretty much sinks & disappears. You don't need to coordinate bottom thread color to minky color. Dark minky and light quilt tops can work with a light thread color throughout.
This quilt has a beautiful chocolate brown back but I used the same thread for both the top & bottom. It looks good from every side!
Before you start to quilt use some spare minky to test out quilting tension and stitch size.
It's also time to be flexible. For me that means keeping top and bottom thread colors light on a delicate quilt (left) - and going bold and wild with different top & bottom threads on a snazzy quilt (right).
Lastly, clean your bobbin area (lift out the bobbin casing and remove fluff) with each new bobbin. You don't need any more fluff!
All posts are linked at the top of the blog under 'How To Make a Minky Quilt" - or scroll down to read Part 6 - How to Bind a Minky Quilt.
What machine do you have pictured above?
ReplyDeleteHi Tammy - the smaller picutre is a Janome 2212 which is a simple beginner sewing machine. The machine with the quilt under it is a Janome Horizon Memory Craft 9400 QCP - which is very fancy and has a really nice big throat for quilting. The motor is strong and the walking foot grabs well. But to be honest, its very expensive and if you wanted a really good machine that is in between the entry level (2212) - and the Horizon, I recommend the Janome Skyline S5. It is computerized so you can move the needle, it comes with the wavy line stitching, auto thread cutter (features also offered with the Horizon) and it's my main everyday sewing machine. The big difference between them is the throat size. Having said that - I have used the Skyline S5 for many minky quilts, but it is nicer with the bigger Horizon dimensions. The key with any minky quilt is to go slowly, walking foot is a must, and guide that minky sandwich with your left hand as it goes through. And remember to always, always stretch you arms and back so you don't hurt yourself. If you have any more questions please feel free to ask ;)
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