The Quilt Skipper

quilting makes me skip for joy

Jenny K Lyon

Quilting makes me skip for joy

So what is the perfect stitch length for free motion quilting?

I continue to read articles and blog posts about the “perfect” stitch length for free motion quilting, as though it were a singular number. All that I have read and heard refers to the standard 2.5mm stitch length we would get with the default setting on our machines for feed-dogs-up quilting. Nope! It depends.

This is a good example of my point. I hope it’s clear from the photo-the stitch length on the background with thin blue thread is much shorter than that of the thicker white thread.

I hope my less-than-excellent photos can convey my message. Stitch length really depends on the thread you’re using. In all cases you are looking for the same thing: each stitch should show the beauty of the thread.

NOTE: Your stitch length when free motion quilting is regulated by the combination of the speed of your hands and how fast your machine is revved: slow hands, slow machine, biiiiig stitches; fast machine, fast hands, teeeeny stitches.


As an obvious exaggeration, the bottom row has ridiculously long stitches and the thread is just laying there, forlorn. In the middle row, the stitches are way too short and the line of stitching is lifeless. In the top row, the beauty of the thread shows.

But there is no standard best stitch length because it depends on the weight of your thread. Thick threads need a longer stitch and skinny threads need a shorter stitch. In the following I put the feed dogs up to assure a standard stitch length to illustrate my point.

I’m using uber-skinny 100 wt Superior Threads Kimono silk thread. On the right is the standard 2.5mm stitch length. It’s too long; the stitch lacks beauty. On the left, I shortened the stitch length to 2.0 and the beauty of the thread shows.


In this case I’ve used big ole’ fat 12 wt Sulky. The 2.5mm length on the right is again, lifeless. The thread begins to glow at 3.o.

There is no formula for the right stitch length, your eye is just seeking that length where the beauty of the thread shows. When I begin a project I’ll do some stitch-outs on a scrap piece or in the seam of my project to find that sweet spot. Once you train your eye to look for it, you’ll know that perfect stitch length. It’s worth the time to get it right–you want the beauty of your thread to show. Of course you also need to have good fabric, quality thread and perfect tension, perhaps subjects for a later blog post.

Not that I’m opinionated about stitch length or anything…

On a personal note, we put in the final touches on our remodel that mostly finished 2 years ago. It took us awhile and the help of an excellent designer to finish things up. This is one vignette from our Living Room. Yes, we do hang out in our Living Room-it’s comfortable, not formal or stuffy, and you can put your feet up on anything–unless you’re a Basset. I’ve got bullet-proof fabrics (well, maybe a little bit of an exaggeration) and new technology makes them impervious to spills. Obviously Basset Boy enjoys it too!

I’m going to link up with Nina-Marie’s Off the Wall Friday. I learn something every single week from the linky party.

Comments

  1. Thank you for that little article. I never looked at thread that way before and your examples were excellent. I didn’t think the stitch length mattered after you lowered the feed dogs. I thought the stitch length was then regulated by pushing your fabric around.

    • Thank you Mindy. I see how I have been confusing and I think I will go back in and edit my post. I really appreciate your comment. You are correct, your stitch length IS regulated by pushing your fabric around and your feed dogs are down. I put the feed dogs up for the example just so my stitches would be a certain specific length. When fmq and the dogs are down, your stitch length needs to adjust to the thread and that is done with the combination of your machine speed and hand speed. Hope that clarifies it?

  2. A very good example of stitch length being variable depending on which thread you use. Living room looks fabulous and I love the design in the rug. I’ve never seen one like that.

    • Thank you Barb! The rug is a design I had not seen either. My designer found it and knew I would like it.

  3. Thanks for this post on stitch length. I like a bit longer stitch but now I know the weight of the thread plays a big part. I’m using my BSR and move my stitch length up to 3.5 using aurafil 50 wt. Does the BSR regulate the length to the 3.5 or to my speed and motion?

    • Hi Nancy! Yes, the BSR will regulate to whatever length you entered no matter what speed and/or motion you use. The BSR will accommodate and crank out a 3.5mm stitch. Cool, huh? Of course if you are wildly fluctuating, the BSR may not be able to accommodate that, but you don’t do that!

  4. You demonstrate so well! Thanks for showing your point with different thread weights. Can’t wait for the book! btw – I noticed that your carpet (rug?) has a wonderful ‘free motion’ quilting design. Was that intended, or a beautiful accident?

    • Yes Diane, that carpet was intended. I worked with a designer and she knows what I do. When she saw that design she thought of me. I’m glad the post was useful to you. Thank you for writing!

  5. Even your carpet has a quilting pattern Jenny, ha ha I never worry too much about the stitch length unless it looks horrid, I seem to just ‘know’ when I have it right.

    • Yes Janet, love that carpet’s pattern and it’s no coincidence! You are so experienced-you know when it’s right!

  6. LOL, Jenny, I LOVE that your carpeting looks like a wonderful quilting pattern…..

    teri

  9. a good explanation. I find once people can understand that they are in control of stitch lenght almost regardless of machine speed they are well on the way to feeling more relaxed about fmq. from Irene in an unusually hot spell in Northern Ireland

  10. I could not agree more wholeheartedly! When I first started quilting I tried to follow that “ideal stitch length” guideline and it made me think that certain THREADS were ugly. I thought the fine threads were ugly (when really my stitch length was too long and my quilting was spaced too far apart to show off that thread) and I thought the heavier variegated threads were ugly (when really my stitches were too short and I should not have been using that thread for quilting designs that had backtracking). Love seeing your Bassett hound in your lovely living room, by the way. I will not be posting pictures of MY living room any time soon, as it is strewn with PlayStation game controllers, empty Sun Chips bag under the coffee table, and dirty socks flung around the room as though they were objets d’art!

    • Yes-that’s why I wrote about it! The wrong stitch length makes your thread ugly. And my Living Room looks the way it does because we are empty nesters with no grandchildren yet. It’s easy to look good at this stage. Your time will come!