How To Quilt Diagonal Lines

Quilting is super fun if you have got the hang of it. Many people consider quilting a strenuous process, but only the experienced would understand how easy quilting can get. The best way to quilt without any hassle is to create your own quilting process that includes patterns and stitching methods that suit your pace. You can go through plenty of YouTube tutorials that will tell you millions of different ways to quilt; you need to watch them and form your own method.

The most crucial part of quilting is to decide the pattern. When you use a machine to quilt, there are endless opportunities to draw different quilt patterns to make it exciting and enticing. One of the simplest ways is to make diagonal lines. Quilters love this because it can be created with a walking presser foot or a standard presser foot. There is only minimal marking on the quilt when you are making diagonal lines. All the backstitching will be hidden beneath the binding. You can complement this design with any of the quilt tops.

How To Quilt Diagonal Lines?

Quilting diagonal lines are as easy as eating cake. You can do it with your walking presser foot without any hassle. Take a measuring tape and create diagonal lines from corner to corner. You can use safety pins to hold the fabric together. Attach the walking foot in your machine, feed the top of the quilt, and reduce the puckers. Sew along with the markings. Backstitch at the beginning and end of the rows to get a secure hold. Keep your fabric laid on the table with one half on your sewing machine and the rest on the table. Keep sliding the quilt as you complete the stitches.

Step-By-Step Guide To Quilt Diagonal Lines

Simple diagonal lines are easy to make and make the quilting process fun for the quilter. It only requires minimal supplies that are easy to find. Let’s get started.

Supplies You Will Need

• Painter’s tape
• Basted quilt sandwich
• Tape measure
• Guide bar
• Walking foot
• Quilting thread (preferably cotton thread)

Measurements

• Take out the measuring tape and make diagonal lines from corner to corner. Make sure they are not exactly aligning with the corners; this way, they won’t be straight.
• With a painter’s tape, draw 4-5 inches marks on the top of the quilt. That’s all the marking you will have to do on the quilt.
• Now attach the walking foot if you have it. A walking foot will easily feed the quilt into the machine and decrease the puckers. You can also use a regular presser foot if you don’t have the walking foot.
• Take the guide bar that probably comes with the machine. Read the machine’s manual to know the right way of using it. Generally, it is wedged under the metal flap with a screw to hold it rightly.

Setting Up

• Set up the guide bar according to the distance you need between your quilting lines. Measure the distance between the needle and the guide bar. For this method, you can set your guide bar at 2″.
• Start from one side of the painter’s tape and backstitch at each end of the rows. Your backstitching doesn’t need to be perfect because, in the end, it will be hidden by the binding.
• If you have attached the pins, make sure to remove them as you sew-along. Keep one half of the quilt on the machine half and the other half on the sewing table. It is imperative to support your quilt while sewing, especially with large quilts. The weight of the quilt can disrupt your quilting process and create sloppy stitches.

Finishing Off

• Now, you can remove the tape and slide the quilt into the machine. Start 2 inches away from the first stitch. The guide bar should be on the previous row of stitches. It is advised starting from the same side to keep the quilt smoother.
• Start quilting the second line similarly with the guide bar; it will help keep the rows straight.
• Keep quilting 2 inches apart until you reach the half of the quilt. Once you reach the half, turn the quilt around.
• Change the guide bar position in a way that it points to the left direction. It will help in quilting the other side of your quilt without changing the position of your quilt. Not many people use this trick, but it works wonders if you use it in the right way.
• Keep quilting until you reach the top of the quilt, and you have a complete quilt with diagonal lines. Take breaks in between just to ensure everything is in place. It would be better if you picked up the right pace when starting the quilt.

Types of Quilting Pattern You Need to Know About

There are different types of quilting patterns that will decide how your quilt comes across. Here, I will explain to you four basic quilting patterns that will help you in your quilting endeavors.

• Piece Quilts: It is the most basic all-American quilt that you can find. Several blocks are stitched together, pressed, and then sewn into larger columns and rows. It can be quilted with a hand or machine. These are easy to make and less complex than others.
• Applique Quilts: Applique quilts are the designer ones. It will give you the audacity to go beyond the regular squares, triangles, and rectangles. You can add applique either by the raw edge or interfaced. You need to trace the outline for the raw edge, peel the back and stick it to the fabric. The interfaced one is good for large pieces; it ensures that your applique doesn’t fray. Start cutting the fabric and matching light-weighted interfacing. Stitch around the edges ¼” seam. Press and place on the quilt.
• Paper Pieced Quilts: It will give your quilts crisp points, and you can make amazing shapes out of it. For a paper piece quilt, you need to start printing the templates; you can also buy it from the store. Now stitch the templates together and sandwich the template between paper and fabric.
• English Paper Piecing: It is yet another efficient technique for quilting. English paper quilting is a hand sewing technique. You need to make or buy the templates and wrap the fabric around these pieces to baste. A whipstitch will piece the hexagons of the pieces together, after which you can remove the paper.

Each quilting technique has its perks and demerits; you need to weigh them and decide on the ideal technique for yourself.

How Far apart Can Quilting Lines Be?

It depends on the quilting pattern you are using to quilt. For instance, a simple parallel line pattern will require 1-3″ apart stitches. Take it 3″ because 1″ stitches will make it densely quilted that can often ruin the entire design. It would be better if you get to know the ideal quilting lines for each quilting pattern.

Can You Use A Regular Sewing Machine For Quilting?

Yes, you can easily sew with your regular sewing machine; you don’t need to buy any quilting machines to make quilts. You can make straight-line quilting with a walking foot or any design of your preference with a free motion quilting foot. It depends on the type of pattern you are going to make on the quilt to decide the ideal presser foot.

How To Attach The Ends Of The Quilt Binding?

Quilt binding is a crucial part of your quilting. For this, you need to fold your quilt in half and give a little working space in between. Take the binding pieces together at a 90 degrees angle. You can also use pins to hold then start sewing from one end to another.