Finishing
Quilting in the Ditch
Machine quilting directly along or in the seam lines of a quilt top so stitches are nearly invisible.
Quilting in the ditch means running the quilting line directly in the 'ditch' — the valley formed by pressed seam allowances on the right side of the quilt. Because the stitches fall into the seam itself, they are nearly invisible from the front and the piecing design remains prominent. Ditch quilting requires a walking foot and precise needle placement. It is commonly used on traditional pieced quilts where the piecing design should be the star, rather than the quilting design.
Related Terms
Walking Foot (Even Feed Foot)A sewing machine presser foot that feeds the top layer of fabric at the same rate as the feed dogs feed the bottom layer.Free Motion Quilting (FMQ)Machine quilting with the feed dogs dropped, allowing the quilter to create any design by moving the fabric freely.Echo QuiltingQuilting lines that run parallel to and outward from the edges of a design, like ripples in water.
Practice makes perfect.
NiftyFifty connects quilters from all 50 states through block swaps, bees, and quilt-alongs. Great place to put new techniques to work.