Thank you! I just watched a lot of "basic" machine quilting videos that failed to talk about something as basic as this. This was incredibly helpful for a newbie like me. You explained everything clearly with good visuals.
I love your videos. I am an old Mimaw and never learned to quilt. I’ve been watching your videos and let me just say, you’re a wonderful teacher. May God bless you.🌹
This video is such a blessing. As a beginner quilter, I think this is one of the most valuable videos I’ve seen. I may not be able to FMQ well, or smoothly, but at least I know, now, what to do with my threads, when I start and stop, and run out of bobbin. Thank you!!
Oh my!! Thanks Leah! All FMQ tutorials have one thing in common. None of them talk about what you do when your thread breaks or you run out of bobbin thread! Super excited now that you answered that simple but smart question! 😄
Based on this video alone I subscribed to this channel. Excellent filming, clear and friendly instruction-the masters always make it look easy! I was making kids masks for our hospital gift shop to sell and wanted to find a way to tie off threads without leaving the knot on the outside and the little cat “whisker” threads (how my mom taught me)for a cleaner more professional look.
Thank you for this. I just started my first FMQ and was not aware that the thread needed to be tied off. I was stitching in place and assumed it would be ok. Glad I found out before I got too far on my quilt.
Whew! I can rest easier, but will work on that overhand knot for more security. You make it look so easy, but then, you have a knack for working with your hands that I can only envy and strive to emulate. You rock girl!!!!! ;)
I'm new to sewing / quilting, I was an O.R. scrub nurse for 28 yrs. Those needles you used are called French Eye Needles. Now I know what they are in sewing! Love your videos, they are all so helpful to a novice.
Leah Day, Thank you, thank you!! This is something I've wanted to know about forever! I so appreciate your tutorial and information. Have a great day!!!!
Wow! Thanks Leah, you have so much patience, I love your style of teaching Idk how you find the time to balance everything but you do, your simply amazing! Thank you!
Yay!thanks Leah for this great video...now I know what to do with all those loose threads I have when I quilt and also what to do when I run out of Bobbin thread!
Oh my goodness! Finally found the cheater needles and they make it so much easier! I've been tying off this way since watching your craftsy videos, but I felt like I was standing on my head trying to thread the needle! lol
After spending many hours scouring the shops I finally discovered that "cheater needles" are known as "self threading needles" here in the UK. They are readily available in most haberdasheries, you just need to ask for the right thing. Thanks for all your videos Leah.
I always wondered about how to continue quilting once I either ran out of bobbin thread or if my thread broke. It is what prevented me from even trying to fmq. Thanks for showing how to do this.
Fantastic Videos love everything about them. My issue is when I go to pull up my bobbin thread there is a space between top and bottom needle thread. Love this technique will never go back to “birds nest” on the back. Am I doing something wrong?
I love your videos... I am new to quilting & your way of teaching is very helpful & is easy to understand. I just have a question... Is it important to tie off the tails as you stitch each line, or can you tie them off when you are done stitching all the lines?
Yes, you can wait until the end of the project, but this tends to drive me crazy. I don't like my quilt looking messy so I tend to tie off and bury at the beginning or the end of my quilting session, just depending on how lazy I'm feeling!
Yes. I wash my quilts often and this method not only works, it stays secure indefinitely. I have tablecloth quilts that get washed weekly and no issues with the stitches or knots unraveling.
Leah, thanks so much for the tutorial. Question: do you bury your threads as you go along, or do you wait until you've completed the quilting and then go back and bury all the threads? Thanks!!!
It really depends on my mood Jean and if I'm shooting photos as I go. If I need photos, I'll tie off every thread tail so the pictures are pretty. If not, and I'm feeling lazy I'll wait until the end of the day and tie off everything last. I do like to end the day with the quilt cleaned up so it's easy to see what I've quilted and appreciate my progress. In short - whatever works for you!
HI Leah! Thank you for this tutorial! I used it on my last quilt and while I definitly need to practice, it wasn't as bad as I thought. I do have a question though. When I finish a color or section and have to cut my thread, my machine does it with a push of a button and the threads are so small. What do I do with those? Or should I just get in the habit of cutting the threads myself so they are longer? But then the bobbin thread doesn't pull up. What do i do?
Great question Melissa. When you break thread with an automatic cutter do this first - lift your presser foot to take the pressure off the fabric, then slide the quilt away from the needle at least 6 inches away. Drop the foot, and hit the button to cut the thread and this will leave nice long thread tails. Then tug on the top thread to pull the bobbin thread up to the surface to tie off and bury them in your quilt.
I just think this is the most secure way to lock the thread tails together and to make them disappear. I don't like the feel of knots on the front or back of my quilts.
I have watched this video about 20 times now trying to pause when you start the overhand knot...I think I get it now, but I'm really scared because I just finished my second free motion quilting quilt and I didn't tie any knots at all. I just buried the thread tails with the cheater needle. I'm worried that everything will fall apart now...there's no way to fix this, so should I be very very worried, a little worried, or not too worried that my two quilts are scarred for life? Help me please (the truth may scare me, but I can take it!!!!). Thanks!
If you listen again to Leah's tutorial, at minute 0:55 she says that all the knot is doing is securing the 2 tails to each other. She specifically says that the knot does NOT serve to secure the tails within the quilt itself. Possibly then, the purpose of the knot is simply to make it easier for the quilter to get both tails into the needle together...Leah doesn't really say. But if you succeeded in burying your thread tails, which your comment indicates you did, then you accomplished the ultimate goal of the whole exercise and you don't have anything to worry about. Just enjoy your new quilt! :)
For years I didn't knot the thread tails together. I just buried them and those quilts haven't fallen apart yet. I think you will be okay, but if you do see a thread poking out after a wash or two, you can tug on it gently to pull out the other thread tail, knot them together and bury again.
Yes, knotting is mostly to stick the two threads together because I found when they were together they were less likely to pull out of the quilt and easier to bury this way.
