AlvaStitcher

To all hand quilters out there....what is your favorite design when hand quilting? I have not done anything elaborate yet; no feathers or swirls. I don't like the process of marking the top for quilting because I never know what to quilt. Mostly I have done crosshatch or outline. I am using a stencil now on a quilt that I have had in the hoop for years and occasionally put some more quilting on it. Determined to get it done and free up the hoop for something else. LOL

ManiacQuilter2

I have just done crosshatching.

luvstoquilt

I use templates and mark mine. We have lots of templates to choose from at my quilt group.

Boston1954

I very often make my own. I recently made a Tumbler that I named "Iced Tea Anyone?". I went online and found a picture of a pitcher, and a slice of lemon. I just put them all over the main body of the quilt. I had a blast doing that. I made another quilt that the colors reminded me of the tropics. I put dolphins in the main body, and waves on the edges. I just use white chalk for marking because it brushes off easily.

tessagin

I've been practicing and I made couple of my own. I use a piece of felt to brush off the chalk. Old piece of wool works also.

Jan in VA

Lands, I own enough stencils to open my own stencil store, just love the darn things! Most I have used at some time or other, in blocks, in sashings, in borders. I NEVER stitch-in-the-ditch -- am working too hard when I hand quilt NOT to have it show up, for sure! The hand stitching is part of the design in the quilt, in my opinion and different ones in a quilt improve its appearance.

Here's what I mean:

Jan in VA

maryb119

I use stencils and make the quilts in a water soluble pen or air soluble if it is a small design that I can stitch quickly. I enjoy hand quilting. Machine quilting is beautiful but I like tha hand quilted look especially when I am using 30's prints.

merrylouw

I, too, use stencils, and the quilt itself seems to speak for itself for what stencil(s) to use. One I just finished this week has hearts in the outside border, sid in second border, swirls in inner border,and meander and hummingbirds in the body of the quilt. I'm working on the binding now, and will post pictures as soon as it's complete.

lynnie

I love feathers, straight, heart, circle, or square. Love them best.

I also use images off the net. I did one with anchors, dolphins, sand castles, and compasses.

I'll use any line design I can find. I'll trace it onto cardboard, and trace around with the disappearing blue or chalk. it's a lot of fun to hand quilt and add other designs to the quilt

roguequilter

i have a few plastic templates that i bought many years ago when i first started quilting. but now i just make my own templates or just freestyle as i work. the quilt pattern often sorta decrees what the quilting will be. i'm also thinking about & planning the quilting as the quilt top is pieced. i use white chalk to mark, rubs off easily. the templates i make are often designs i've taken from books i have on vintage or historic quilt patterns from the british isles. ideas also come from books of antique quilts. i did a wall quilt a few years ago that i used a photograph out of a book article about colonial times & using headstone rubbings for their quilting designs. the recipient told me recently that when her quilting friends come over for their group meets the quilt is always taken down again & passed around. she is british national living in holland and she really enjoyed my north england motifs and tulips that i quilted into the quilt.