Amy: I am happy to see that you emphasized the importance of basting. I completely agree. Do you have a story related to an early incident that taught you the importance of basting?
Pat: Not a recent one, but one from years past. I didn’t so such a great job of it years ago.. so when I flipped over my quilt there was this BIG fold in the backing.. ack! Being resourceful and not wanting to pick out stitches, I appliqued the fold down flat.. fixed that problem! BUT I really didn’t want to repeat it.
Amy: I noticed that you state that you normally quilt with 10-12 stitches per inch using your walking foot. I have never looked at it that way. I normally use a stitch length of 3.5 -4 mm. Is that comparable? How long is your stitch?
Pat: I like to use a ruler to show you how to check because it’s something that we can see and relate to. Whatever stitch number on your machine produces that distance is what I’d try first. Then adjust if it’s not smooth.
Amy: I am glad that you give permission to tie off and start again if you run out of bobbin thread in the middle of a row. I often debate that. Sometimes, I think it is worth ripping out and starting again. Do you ever do that?
Pat: Oh my… really? You will rip out and start again? Honestly it never occurred to me to do that. That’s a lot of extra work Amy for … what? Who will know? You can thread the tails and embed in the batting like a hand quilter does and it’s all hidden.
Amy: You mentioned the importance of keeping the weight of the quilt on the table and off the floor while quilting. Again, I completely agree and actually had my husband build me a table where the machine is set close to the edge and I have a large span of table space to my left to hold the quilt. What kind of set up works for you?
Pat: This is a great set up! Plus I have my table up against the wall so that the quilt can’t fall off the backside. It puddles up against the wall allowing me time to rearrange it.
Amy: Also, I love your tension trouble shooting section and will refer to it the next time I am in trouble. I think it’s something that quilters often try to ignore but the fix is actually pretty simple, don’t you agree?
Pat: In freemotion quilting people tend to stress over tension.. but you are right, it’s not hard. It’s a mind set. Just turn the knob a little and test again!
Thank you for the interview Pat!
Please visit the other stops on Pat’s Mega Fun Book Tour. They are as follows:
Nov 18
- Bonnie Hunter quiltville.blogspot.com/
- Pam Vieira-McGinnis pamkittymorning.blogspot.com/
- Alyce Blyth www.blossomheartquilts.com/
- Kimberly Einmo www.kimberlyeinmo.com/blog
Nov 19
- American Patchwork & Quilting Magazine www.allpeoplequilt.com/blog
- Mathew Boudreaux misterdomestic.net/ and instagram.com/misterdomestic/
- Moda – Carrie Nelson blog.modafabrics.com/
Nov 20
- Amy Smart www.diaryofaquilter.com/ with an Interview
- Katja Marek of www.katjasquiltshoppe.com/ visit www.facebook.com/Katjas-Quilt-Shoppe and www.instagram.com/katja_marek/
Nov 21
- Lee Monroe www.maychappell.com/
- Jacquelynne Steves jacquelynnesteves.com/blog/
- Stephanie Palmer latenightquilter.com/
- Mary Abreu instagram.com/thatcraftaddict/
Nov 22
- Sarah Maxwell of www.homesteadhearth.com/ Visit designsbysarahj.wordpress.com/ with a Giveaway!
- Debby Brown higheredhands.blogspot.com/
- Jane Davidson quiltjane.com/
- Linda Thielfoldt lindathielfoldtthequiltedgoose.blogspot.com/
- Janet Clare janetclare.co.uk/blog/
- Baby Lock www.facebook.com/babylocksewing and instagram.com/babylocksewing/
Nov 23
- Cheryl Brickey meadowmistdesigns.blogspot.com/
- Helen Stubbings hugsnkisses.typepad.com/
- Kimberly Jolly of www.fatquartershop.com visit fatquartershop.blogspot.com/ and www.instagram.com/fatquartershop/
Nov 25
- Sherri McConnell www.aquiltinglife.com/
- Julie Karasek of www.patchedworks.com/ visit fabricjules.blogspot.
com/ - Ebony Love lovebugstudios.com/blog/
- Martingale blog.shopmartingale.com/
Nov 26 – My Birthday!!!
- Scott Hansen bluenickelstudios.com/
- Victoria findlay Wolfe bumblebeansinc.blogspot.com/
Nov 28
- Amy Friend www.duringquiettime.com (you are here!)
- Heather Valentine thesewingloftblog.com/
- Melissa Corry www.happyquiltingmelissa.com/
- Amy Ellis www.amyscreativeside.com/
Nov 29
- Aurifil Erin Sampson auribuzz.wordpress.com/
- Christa Watson christaquilts.com/
- Nancy Zieman www.nancyzieman.com/blog/ – Sharing a project
- Amanda Niederhauser www.jedicraftgirl.com/
Nov 30
- Kim Niedzwiecki www.gogokim.com/
- Karen Miller karensquiltscrowscardinals.blogspot.com/
- Wendy Sheppard ivoryspring.wordpress.com/
- Brenda M. Ratliff of Pink Castle Fabrics visit www.pinkcastleblog.com/
Pat is offering a great giveaway too! You have a chance to win one of five copies of her book. To enter, follow this link. Good luck!