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Making Quilt Sense

SO WHAT’S A STIPPLE STRIP?

by Linda V. Taylor, Linda’s Electric Quilters LLC

The difference between “stippling” and “meandering” can be confusing. First, let’s clarify the difference. The distance between stippling lines must be 1/4” or less, and it is sometimes defined as a “dotted effect.” Meandering on the other hand, is executed the same as stippling but has more space between the quilted lines. Today, folks tend to call meandering “stippling.” I gave up a long time ago trying to correct everyone; perhaps this is a case where the meaning of the word has been changed by the quilters. To complicate matters, some people refer to both stippling and meandering as “vermicelli.”

In any case, the technique is easy and fast, especially on a longarm machine. Large meandering is usually the least expensive method to consider if you are paying someone to quilt your quilt top. The traditional meandering technique is easy and fun to learn. Practice it on paper before trying it on a quilt. There are three basic rules to follow; first, all the lines are rounded, no points; second, do not cross lines; and third, try not to establish a regular pattern in the freehand stitching, make it a true meandering.

Remember that there are no “quilt police.” There are a variety of meandering patterns, many of which do not follow these rules. You will find your own signature meandering pattern. It is like your handwriting; each person’s style is different.

If you are stippling or meandering around a motif, it is important to “stipple to outline.” In order to accomplish this task and enhance the motif, I find it helpful to stipple very close all the way around the motif before I start stippling out into the more open areas. This helps me concentrate on “outlining” the motif and my stippling will be more even. This will also accomplish your goal of raising the motif up from the background.

When hand quilting, using your home sewing machine or using a longarm quilting machine you still need a “stipple strip” for stipple quilting. I created the stipple strip out of necessity while I was quilting for the public. Not only was I quilting, but also I had employees in my shop and subcontractors in their homes quilting for me. It was increasingly difficult communicating with the customers regarding the different sizes of stippling they desired on their quilts. To resolve this dilemma, I loaded a large piece of muslin on my quilting machine. I divided the strip into seven segments and filled each segment with a different size of stippling and meandering -- from very tiny to very large. Then I cut the quilted piece into strips and gave one to each of the people working for me. I also hung one up in the shop to show the customers. With each size marked with a different price, it was much easier for my customers to pick within their budget and know exactly what size would be on their quilt.

Then I discovered another reason for the stipple strip. While you are quilting, you can keep the stipple strip right near your work to compare it with the stippling you are quilting, assuring the consistency of the work. This is invaluable when you get tired and your stippling tends to get larger. It is a self-regulatory piece of equipment!

If you are in business, a stipple strip is especially important for your customers to choose what size of meandering they desire on their quilt. Pricing will be different for each size of meandering or stippling. Good luck and have fun!

Linda V. Taylor is a professional quilt artist, master teacher and author. She has produced eight instructional DVDs and authored 7 longarm quilting books. She owns and operates Linda¹s Electric Quilters LLC, a longarm learning center and Linda’s Longarm Lodge which also houses deluxe retreat facilities. She is the host of Linda’s Longarm Quilting on your local PBS station and on www.thequiltingschool.com. For details or a free catalog, call 1-800-893-2748 or visit www.lequilters.com.

Reprinted from Quilting Now magazine, August 2007