Time To Relax While

Hand Quilting

There are many of us out there who want the soothing quiet feeling of hand quilting. We spend hour after hour on that perfect quilt.

Quilting is done with a short, sharp needle. Needles start at size 8 (the largest needle) and go to a 12 (the smallest). The consistency of the size of the quilting stitches is more important than having tiny stitches.

The thickness of the batting helps to determine whether the stitches are small or not. As you practice and do more quilting, your stitches will become smaller and more consistent.

Hand quilting is done traditionally ¼” from the seam lines. Then some of the larger spaces may have a design quilted in them. To find stencils for quilting designs, visit your local quilt shop or look online. You can use ¼” masking tape along the edge of the seam as a guide for quilting. It is reusable 4 to 5 times.

Most people find it easier to quilt in a hoop. The three layers are held together taut and it is easer to get consistent stitches. Traditionally hoops are round, but there is also a half hoop that lets you hand quilt right up to the edge of the quilt.

I have been a cross stitcher for many years also and I do not use a hoop while cross stitching. I have been able to master hand quilting without a hoop. The trick is to control the tension of your stitches.

Large floor frames are still used for large quilts. But many of our homes just do not have enough room to leave a frame set up for any length of time.

1. Use a single thread about 18” long and knotted at one end. To secure the knot under the top layer of the fabric, take a single stitch through the top layer only, toward where you want to begin your quilting. Pull the thread slightly until the knot opens the weave of the fabric and slips through. The knot pops though more easily if you put the needle between two of the fabric threads.

2. The quilting stitch is an up and down motion. Insert the needle from the top to the back side, making a stitch 1/8 to 1/10 of an inch long. As you get the feel of it, you will be able to get several stitches on the needle. The finer the needle and the thinner the batting, the smaller the stitch.

3. When you reach the end of your line of quilting, make a single knot in the thread. 4. Take a small stitch through the top layer only and pull the knot through the opening. Trim off the excess thread and remove the basting.

It is not necessary to use a frame or a hoop to complete your hand quilting though. Some of the Amish women hand quilt without a frame. The frame is not really the issue.

The key to hand quilting is keeping your fabric taut and your stitching even.

There are different kinds of thimbles to use so you can keep your left hand under the quilt to move the quilt back and forth to help push the fabric along the needle. You can end up quilting pretty fast.

You can develop your own style of hand quilting to get the job done.

Go to Ideas for Quilting from Hand Quilting