Lightbulb Moment - Quilting Straight Lines Free Motion

It's all about the placement of the hands and the role each hand plays. Both change depending on the direction being quilted. I've been doing this intuitively sometimes, but not always. It explains why some of my efforts are better than others. It is really very simple.

Assume that you are quilting a sawtooth star in the ditch to outline the center square and the points. You are going to do this free motion and you will keep the star in the same orientation the entire time. You will not turn the fabric. There are 3 kinds of lines - vertical, horizontal, and diagonal. I have always found the vertical lines to be easiest and struggled most with the other two, but especially the horizontal lines.

I mentioned the "role each hand plays." There are two roles and the hands must play one, the other, or both depending on the direction of the quilting. The hand is moving the fabric, guiding the fabric, or both.

This is what is needed to maintain the proper control:

• When quilting vertical lines, both hands play both roles equally. If one hand scratches the nose, the line will not be straight. If one hand moves the fabric with more force, the line will not be straight. This is true whether you are quilting forward or backward. It is probably easiest to do if both hands are positioned equally to the left and right of the sewing surface.
• When quilting horizontal lines, one hand moves the fabric and the other guides it. If you are quilting in a right direction, the left hand moves the fabric and should be positioned even with the line being quilted. The right hand keeps the fabric square and guides it. The right hand should also be positioned even with the line being quilted. The right hand should not attempt to move the fabric or push it in the intended direction. The right hand needs to apply lighter pressure on the fabric so that the left hand can do its work. When quilting to the left, the opposite is true.
• When quilting diagonal lines, both hands play both roles, but not equally. If you are quilting in an upper right direction, the left hand is primarily responsible for moving the fabric, but does some guiding. The right hand is primarily responsible for guiding the fabric, but may do some moving from time to time. Both hands should be positioned along the quilting line, which means the right hand will be farther away.

I am least sure about the mechanics of diagonal lines, but I believe the other two are 100% true. This technique requires a lot of stopping and starting as hands and the quilt are repositioned.