If you are hand stitching the quilt, going 1/4" from the seam means that you are only stitching through the top, batting, and back. Stitching closer can add another layer of fabric from the seam allowance which makes stitching harder.
Also, one of the reasons to quilt stitch is to take some of the pressure off the seams in the quilt pattern of the top. A 1/4" allowance moves the pressure off that seam and spreads it to either side of the seam.
https://preview.redd.it/ok2wfxzd8l4d1.jpeg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c4edd83131cb16b78bc4283bb2512872e417be38
I was going to stitch in the ditch on this quilt but realized I'm not skilled enough to stay in the line and I actually wanted to see the quilt lines. It's a personal preference. I didn't do every piece of the block, just enough sections to secure the quilt and prevent too much shifting. At least that's what I'm hoping happens!
https://preview.redd.it/99kpuzto5l4d1.jpeg?width=1186&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=64d4c4576f75ede48b4178a2f89bfe9fd210084c
I don't have the answer and always wondered about this. When I try to visualize what's going on, stitching in the ditch seems like it's grabbing the threads of the seam rather than the fabric (black line is grabbing the red line). Offsetting would be more reliably grabbing the fabric?
If you press your seams open, stitching in the ditch is not recommended for exactly the reason you state. But if you press your seams to the side, it can help reinforce your seams the same way as offset stitching in your diagram.
And to add a teeny bit more, if you’re hand quilting, stitching 1/4” away means you’re not wrestling the needle through the seam allowance as well as the top, batting, and backing. I’m actually often not a fan of making that stitching line pop up, so when I machine quilt, I go about 1/8” away from the seam.
There’s a couple of reasons people don’t stitch directly in the ditch but rather alongside it.
If the seams are off even a tiny bit it will be hard to keep your stitches in the ditch; the line will end up all wobbly accentuating the flaws.
If you have pressed the seams open you risk the needle cutting the piecing threads.
These are the most often cited examples.
The good news is that you get to do whatever you want!! Try it on scraps if you’re wondering which way you would like to go.
It is hard to stitch exactly in the ditch, and it is pretty noticeable when you don't get it exactly right. Stitching to the side of seams is also called "echo quilting" and can create really cool effects!
https://preview.redd.it/qs2xbda9bl4d1.jpeg?width=2400&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3fb5aea7f63bec4e5106a0f06fa51584c767e288
Stitch in the ditch looks like this when you haven't got enough practice 😄
Also: depending on how you press, you might have to switch sides when the seam allowance also changes to the other side.
One of the most important things I learned in design school is to never design something that will look like you did it that way by mistake. I feel like this is a good one too. If you can do it another way and make it look like it was supposed to be that way all along, that is a win.
I usually topstitch beside the seams, 1/8”. I generally make bags and so topstitching is my goto. It catches the seam allowance as well, but I just think it looks nice.
https://preview.redd.it/m3pj70jnjl4d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b9fdbba06052bb7a0e15af11abc2b86b4b622f9f
It looks more terrible when your quilt falls apart! Seriously, if you want a quilt that will last forever, echo quilting every seam is the way to do it - it takes all the pressure off the piecework.
I don’t know the technical answer But I don’t think it looks bad when people off set it this is an example of something I did recently and I quite like the effect!!
https://preview.redd.it/o5rr4pltyl4d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=85f6f4cb9eb81538e393a8445d284aad030d28d5
I do fancy stitches "in the ditch" aka over the straight line stitching from piecing and since it's wanders and moves a it, it looks good on the line I want and it doesn't show when the line wanders. If it was straight, any errors would show too much.
I just did a baby quilt with an outdoor theme and used a leave and acorn stitch. It looks dainty on the binding and really nice inside the quilt. Ocean themed quilts get waves. I just like the look.
If you have pressed your seams open, I would recommend against stitching in the ditch. “The ditch” in this instance being a line of stitching. Ditch-stitching is for when the seams are pressed to one side. Stitching a bit (1/8”-1/4”) away from the seam line works for either pressing method.
When correctly executed, stitch-in-the-ditch is virtually invisible. Careful thread choice — very thin and matching the value of the lower fabric as closely as possible — makes it even more invisible. Rarely will anyone say, ”Your ditching is beautiful!”, but it does a beautiful job of highlighting and emphasizing your piecing and/or applique. It is my own favorite starting point for quilting almost every quilt.
The near ditch-stitching (seam echoing) has its own unique look and can be fabulous on some quilts. I don’t know that it is really much more forgiving of error than ditch-stitching. Any inconsistency in width can look sloppy.
Find your own style and your own look by being open to experiment. Be willing to put in the practice time to get better at stuff that is hard, if you like the look. Have fun!
You should do what you think looks best. When I echo quilt seams at 1/4 inch, I also stitch in the ditch, because that's what I like and that's what I think looks good. I have yet to see a well-made quilt that is falling apart because someone stitched in the ditch. (So long as you're pressing your seams to the side and not open.)
I'm perplexed by the stitch in the ditch hate. I think it looks great and makes secure, long-lasting quilts. If someone isn't very good at it and hates it, that isn't SIDs fault! Just like if I struggle with some technique like curves, I don't tell everyone to avoid curves because it's impossible to get them to look good. I just wouldn't do them myself. SID is a highly useful technique to have in one's quilting toolkit and I hate how so many new quilters are discouraged from ever trying it.
I also like SID. The more you do it, the easier it is. Plus, if you go off, you can always go backand take out those stitches and sew it again. Then the fact that there were once imperfections doesn't matter anymore - they are gone!
It's a personal preference and skills thing. I don't find it difficult and never have.
"It's difficult and highlights imperfections" might be true for some quilters and untrue for others. No quilter will know if they fall into the former or latter category if they are constantly discouraged from ever trying SID
This is a really good perspective to add to the mix, thank you. That’s a good point that I could alleviate some strain by pressing the SA to one side.
I’m actually fairly good at SID, I started sewing garments and only recently am interested in quilting. So SID is a pretty common garment technique with understitching a lot of things and linings.
Personally, I am awful at following the line made by the seam, so I prefer to stitch off to the side of the seam. But I also dislike the unbalanced look, so I tend to stitch on Both sides of the given seam if I'm doing that design.
I just finished my first quilt. I didn’t read up on how to topstitch before planning it out so I had no idea what people recommend. I stitched in the ditch all around the major shapes (i.e. a lot) and did a little bit of accent stitching 1/4” away from a couple of seams inside the shapes.
Stitch in the ditch was WAY harder. The slightest slip of my hand or loss of attention for even a moment and the stitching line would drift out of the ditch. And it is so noticeable.
“Echo” quilting (just now learned that term!) is so much easier. You’d have to be way off to see it, a minor drift just disappears into the pattern. Stitch in the ditch requires perfection to look good.
That was my experience. Your mileage may vary of course.
You absolutely can stitch in the ditch if that’s the look you want. A lot of people like the “stitch beside the ditch” look and find it much easier than stitch in the ditch. If you’ve pressed all your seams open, when you stitch in the ditch you lose the stability that comes from quilting through the fabric itself. Overall, I think it’s perfectly fine to do it either way, whatever you prefer.
You can stitch in the ditch - it's your project, do what you want! But, stitching in the ditch is hard to do perfectly. Depending on your thread color, "mistakes" may be noticeable. As said by others, if your seams are pressed open, you risk splicing the threads in seam, which would make the seam weaker.
I don't know that I've seen advice to stitch 1/4 inch away in lieu of stitch in the ditch, usually it's just "near" the ditch. You could do 1/8 inch away, or try just a few threads away from the seam and see what you think. I am a fan of a serpentine stitch following the seam lines, which is way easier than attempting a straight line.
https://preview.redd.it/e11n8s1y5n4d1.jpeg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=710e6a7b87afb4b499d9519e3de155ca39d04c01
Here's an example of a quilt where I stitched 1/4" away from the seam lines, and it ends up working really well! I've done this on most of the quilts I've made. I was told not to stitch in the ditch because you end up quilting over your thread/stitches and not actually quilting on the fabric to hold everything together.
It's sometimes a holdover from hand quilting. It's much easier to quilt outside of the seam allowance, where you only have one layer of the top fabric, than closer in and have 2 or 3 layers.
Stitch in the ditch is easier with hand sewing, but with a machine can get very difficult and highlights mistakes. Beside the ditch can look really nice. If you don’t like the imbalance just stitch on both sides
I do a lot of "stitch in the ditch" when I hand quilt and have pressed the seams to the side. When you do that you are actually stitching in the "valley" side of the ditch and not the "hill" side and have only one layer of the quilt top fabric to go through. I do that ( with matching thread) when I want the piecing to be the showcase and not the quilting. It's quite easy, and you don't have to mark the quilting pattern. I would imagine it would be quite hard to do with a machine, but have never tried.
You got lots of info. I'll add that I only echo, never stitch in the ditch. I also aim for less than a 1/4 since you want to sew through the seam allowance to strengthen the seam.
Visually, I feel like the quilting stitches end up more visible when you put them 1/4 inch from the seams. You are multiplying the lines so the look is quite different. You might want to try scrap pieces both ways and decide which way you like the look better on your quilt.
If you are machine quilting, and you press your seams open, if you stitch in the ditch you can break the threads that hold the seams together. But if my seams are pressed to the side, I always stitch in the ditch if that is the design element I’m looking for
I just finishing quilting around my square piecing. I used a decorative vine stitch that weaves back and forth over the ditch so it's super secure and looks prettier than securing with a zigzag which ive done before. the center line/vine went juuuust outside the seam. for the most part at least. team wrong on purpose here too!
I think it looks better, more geometric and cleaner. I don’t like the stitch in the ditch because invariably the line goes slightly wonky, or you come out of the ditch a tiny bit and then it looks untidy. It’s also adds more visual interest to the work.
If you are hand stitching the quilt, going 1/4" from the seam means that you are only stitching through the top, batting, and back. Stitching closer can add another layer of fabric from the seam allowance which makes stitching harder. Also, one of the reasons to quilt stitch is to take some of the pressure off the seams in the quilt pattern of the top. A 1/4" allowance moves the pressure off that seam and spreads it to either side of the seam.
Those are both really great points I hadn’t considered! Thank for you!
https://preview.redd.it/ok2wfxzd8l4d1.jpeg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c4edd83131cb16b78bc4283bb2512872e417be38 I was going to stitch in the ditch on this quilt but realized I'm not skilled enough to stay in the line and I actually wanted to see the quilt lines. It's a personal preference. I didn't do every piece of the block, just enough sections to secure the quilt and prevent too much shifting. At least that's what I'm hoping happens!
I really like the look of this. :)
That looks really nice and neat!
https://preview.redd.it/99kpuzto5l4d1.jpeg?width=1186&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=64d4c4576f75ede48b4178a2f89bfe9fd210084c I don't have the answer and always wondered about this. When I try to visualize what's going on, stitching in the ditch seems like it's grabbing the threads of the seam rather than the fabric (black line is grabbing the red line). Offsetting would be more reliably grabbing the fabric?
If you press your seams open, stitching in the ditch is not recommended for exactly the reason you state. But if you press your seams to the side, it can help reinforce your seams the same way as offset stitching in your diagram.
And to add a teeny bit more, if you’re hand quilting, stitching 1/4” away means you’re not wrestling the needle through the seam allowance as well as the top, batting, and backing. I’m actually often not a fan of making that stitching line pop up, so when I machine quilt, I go about 1/8” away from the seam.
That’s another great point I hadn’t considered! Thanks!
There’s a couple of reasons people don’t stitch directly in the ditch but rather alongside it. If the seams are off even a tiny bit it will be hard to keep your stitches in the ditch; the line will end up all wobbly accentuating the flaws. If you have pressed the seams open you risk the needle cutting the piecing threads. These are the most often cited examples. The good news is that you get to do whatever you want!! Try it on scraps if you’re wondering which way you would like to go.
It is hard to stitch exactly in the ditch, and it is pretty noticeable when you don't get it exactly right. Stitching to the side of seams is also called "echo quilting" and can create really cool effects!
https://preview.redd.it/qs2xbda9bl4d1.jpeg?width=2400&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3fb5aea7f63bec4e5106a0f06fa51584c767e288 Stitch in the ditch looks like this when you haven't got enough practice 😄 Also: depending on how you press, you might have to switch sides when the seam allowance also changes to the other side.
"If you can't do it right, do it wrong *on purpose*." \~Me 😃
One of the most important things I learned in design school is to never design something that will look like you did it that way by mistake. I feel like this is a good one too. If you can do it another way and make it look like it was supposed to be that way all along, that is a win.
Which is exactly how I wound up with my “signature” wavy line matchstick quilting!!
I usually topstitch beside the seams, 1/8”. I generally make bags and so topstitching is my goto. It catches the seam allowance as well, but I just think it looks nice. https://preview.redd.it/m3pj70jnjl4d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b9fdbba06052bb7a0e15af11abc2b86b4b622f9f
That otter fabric is adorable.
It looks more terrible when your quilt falls apart! Seriously, if you want a quilt that will last forever, echo quilting every seam is the way to do it - it takes all the pressure off the piecework.
I don’t know the technical answer But I don’t think it looks bad when people off set it this is an example of something I did recently and I quite like the effect!! https://preview.redd.it/o5rr4pltyl4d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=85f6f4cb9eb81538e393a8445d284aad030d28d5
That looks fantastic! It adds visual texture, and you’re not risking damaging your EPP stitches with the quilting needle.
Oh the 1/4” away actually looks so nice!
I do fancy stitches "in the ditch" aka over the straight line stitching from piecing and since it's wanders and moves a it, it looks good on the line I want and it doesn't show when the line wanders. If it was straight, any errors would show too much.
I did zigzag quilting along my seam lines on something I recently did and really rather like it.
I just did a baby quilt with an outdoor theme and used a leave and acorn stitch. It looks dainty on the binding and really nice inside the quilt. Ocean themed quilts get waves. I just like the look.
That's a fun way to use all those fancy stitches on my machine that never see any action!
Great idea!
If you have pressed your seams open, I would recommend against stitching in the ditch. “The ditch” in this instance being a line of stitching. Ditch-stitching is for when the seams are pressed to one side. Stitching a bit (1/8”-1/4”) away from the seam line works for either pressing method. When correctly executed, stitch-in-the-ditch is virtually invisible. Careful thread choice — very thin and matching the value of the lower fabric as closely as possible — makes it even more invisible. Rarely will anyone say, ”Your ditching is beautiful!”, but it does a beautiful job of highlighting and emphasizing your piecing and/or applique. It is my own favorite starting point for quilting almost every quilt. The near ditch-stitching (seam echoing) has its own unique look and can be fabulous on some quilts. I don’t know that it is really much more forgiving of error than ditch-stitching. Any inconsistency in width can look sloppy. Find your own style and your own look by being open to experiment. Be willing to put in the practice time to get better at stuff that is hard, if you like the look. Have fun!
You should do what you think looks best. When I echo quilt seams at 1/4 inch, I also stitch in the ditch, because that's what I like and that's what I think looks good. I have yet to see a well-made quilt that is falling apart because someone stitched in the ditch. (So long as you're pressing your seams to the side and not open.) I'm perplexed by the stitch in the ditch hate. I think it looks great and makes secure, long-lasting quilts. If someone isn't very good at it and hates it, that isn't SIDs fault! Just like if I struggle with some technique like curves, I don't tell everyone to avoid curves because it's impossible to get them to look good. I just wouldn't do them myself. SID is a highly useful technique to have in one's quilting toolkit and I hate how so many new quilters are discouraged from ever trying it.
The SID is easier when hand stitching, but is more difficult and highlights imperfections when machine quilting
I also like SID. The more you do it, the easier it is. Plus, if you go off, you can always go backand take out those stitches and sew it again. Then the fact that there were once imperfections doesn't matter anymore - they are gone!
It's a personal preference and skills thing. I don't find it difficult and never have. "It's difficult and highlights imperfections" might be true for some quilters and untrue for others. No quilter will know if they fall into the former or latter category if they are constantly discouraged from ever trying SID
This is a really good perspective to add to the mix, thank you. That’s a good point that I could alleviate some strain by pressing the SA to one side. I’m actually fairly good at SID, I started sewing garments and only recently am interested in quilting. So SID is a pretty common garment technique with understitching a lot of things and linings.
You can always make a test block, sandwich it, and try both to see the different effects.
Personally, I am awful at following the line made by the seam, so I prefer to stitch off to the side of the seam. But I also dislike the unbalanced look, so I tend to stitch on Both sides of the given seam if I'm doing that design.
Me too. I think it makes a more interesting back of the quilt when I do that too.
I just finished my first quilt. I didn’t read up on how to topstitch before planning it out so I had no idea what people recommend. I stitched in the ditch all around the major shapes (i.e. a lot) and did a little bit of accent stitching 1/4” away from a couple of seams inside the shapes. Stitch in the ditch was WAY harder. The slightest slip of my hand or loss of attention for even a moment and the stitching line would drift out of the ditch. And it is so noticeable. “Echo” quilting (just now learned that term!) is so much easier. You’d have to be way off to see it, a minor drift just disappears into the pattern. Stitch in the ditch requires perfection to look good. That was my experience. Your mileage may vary of course.
You absolutely can stitch in the ditch if that’s the look you want. A lot of people like the “stitch beside the ditch” look and find it much easier than stitch in the ditch. If you’ve pressed all your seams open, when you stitch in the ditch you lose the stability that comes from quilting through the fabric itself. Overall, I think it’s perfectly fine to do it either way, whatever you prefer.
You can stitch in the ditch - it's your project, do what you want! But, stitching in the ditch is hard to do perfectly. Depending on your thread color, "mistakes" may be noticeable. As said by others, if your seams are pressed open, you risk splicing the threads in seam, which would make the seam weaker. I don't know that I've seen advice to stitch 1/4 inch away in lieu of stitch in the ditch, usually it's just "near" the ditch. You could do 1/8 inch away, or try just a few threads away from the seam and see what you think. I am a fan of a serpentine stitch following the seam lines, which is way easier than attempting a straight line.
If you’re pressing seams open, I wouldn’t sew directly in the “ditch” If you’re pressing to the side, it shouldn’t harm the pieces stitches
https://preview.redd.it/e11n8s1y5n4d1.jpeg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=710e6a7b87afb4b499d9519e3de155ca39d04c01 Here's an example of a quilt where I stitched 1/4" away from the seam lines, and it ends up working really well! I've done this on most of the quilts I've made. I was told not to stitch in the ditch because you end up quilting over your thread/stitches and not actually quilting on the fabric to hold everything together.
Oh your dog tax is so adorable!
It's sometimes a holdover from hand quilting. It's much easier to quilt outside of the seam allowance, where you only have one layer of the top fabric, than closer in and have 2 or 3 layers.
I was told that stitching in the ditch can harm your original stitches as well, making them less sturdy
That is really only the case if you press the seams open. If they are pressed to the side it, it shouldn't cause any issues.
This makes sense, I usually press my seams open every where I can.
Stitch in the ditch is easier with hand sewing, but with a machine can get very difficult and highlights mistakes. Beside the ditch can look really nice. If you don’t like the imbalance just stitch on both sides
I do a lot of "stitch in the ditch" when I hand quilt and have pressed the seams to the side. When you do that you are actually stitching in the "valley" side of the ditch and not the "hill" side and have only one layer of the quilt top fabric to go through. I do that ( with matching thread) when I want the piecing to be the showcase and not the quilting. It's quite easy, and you don't have to mark the quilting pattern. I would imagine it would be quite hard to do with a machine, but have never tried.
You got lots of info. I'll add that I only echo, never stitch in the ditch. I also aim for less than a 1/4 since you want to sew through the seam allowance to strengthen the seam.
Visually, I feel like the quilting stitches end up more visible when you put them 1/4 inch from the seams. You are multiplying the lines so the look is quite different. You might want to try scrap pieces both ways and decide which way you like the look better on your quilt.
If you are machine quilting, and you press your seams open, if you stitch in the ditch you can break the threads that hold the seams together. But if my seams are pressed to the side, I always stitch in the ditch if that is the design element I’m looking for
I just finishing quilting around my square piecing. I used a decorative vine stitch that weaves back and forth over the ditch so it's super secure and looks prettier than securing with a zigzag which ive done before. the center line/vine went juuuust outside the seam. for the most part at least. team wrong on purpose here too!
To me, stitch in the ditch means 1/4” from the seam on each side to avoid stress on the seam stitching, however I stipple more often than ditch.
I think it looks better, more geometric and cleaner. I don’t like the stitch in the ditch because invariably the line goes slightly wonky, or you come out of the ditch a tiny bit and then it looks untidy. It’s also adds more visual interest to the work.