Stop, Drop and Roll Quilt Along, part 4.4

Welcome to step 4.4 of the Stop, Drop and Roll Quilt Along! I am hosting this for the Old Red Barn Co. Flickr group.

Week 1: We made our blocks.
Week 2: We assembled our quilt tops.
Week 3: We basted our quilts.

Finally, we quilt! All of the quilt patterns this week are practicing this week are based on straight lines.

The machine:
I used my Janome 6600 for this video. I used the darning foot on the machine and I dropped my feed dogs.

The thread:

For the top thread, I used Tutti from WonderFil, color TU01 Sunny.

For the bobbin thread, I used DecoBob. by WonderFil, color DB131 Dark Gold.

The video:

Today's pattern is a little different. I chalked a grid over the quilting area so it would be easier to keep my free-motion quilting evenly spaced. I consider a chalked grid a "quilter's little helper" and often use this little trick.

Grab some scrap fabric sandwiches and practice this design:

The hints:

• When I chalk a grid, I use a template and Quilter's Pounce powder. It goes on fast, and the powder irons off when the quilting is done.
• When I retrace a line, I do not worry if I do not retrace it perfectly. I think a little daylight showing between lines adds some character to the design.
• I usually pause in the corners to allow the machine to take an extra stitch. This makes my corners nice and sharp.
• When I need to stop the machine, I stop in a corner. If I stop in the middle of a design, the stop/start will leave a visible jog.
• Even though my first machine quilting teacher told me to "quilt fast and don't stop," I quilt rather slowly. I set my machine to the speed I want to quilt, and then put my pedal to the floor. This helps keep my stitches a consistent length.
• I stop frequently while quilting. This keeps me from getting a sore neck, allows me to reposition my hands, and gives me time to figure out where to place the next design.

Check back tomorrow for another straight-line design.