Hi all...beginning quilter here, and I mean VERY beginning.

I've recently retired and want to dive head first into quilting (have sewn for 50 years already, but never quilted.)

I'd like to make one of Eleanor Burns' Quick Trip quilts, namely 'Trip Around The World'. I've seen many examples of quilts sewn in this manner, but her design is a little different, in that the strips of rectangles don't line up horizontally with the rectangles on either side. But rather, the horizontal seams line up with the middle of the rectangles on either side. (Hope I'm explaining that correctly.)

Leading up to my question:

After the top is pieced, sandwiched, and pinned, I plan on quilting with a simple stitch in the ditch. I won't be able to do it horizontally, but only vertically, which I believe is called channed quilting. As I stitch each vertical row, do you think I should stitch each successive row in the opposite direction to avoid pulling/distortion of the quilt? In other words, should I start in the middle of the top sewing down to the bottom, then sew the next row from bottom to top, next row top to bottom, etc.

Would appreciate any advice from you 'seasoned' quilters.

Julie