i'm practicing hand quilting
#4
The more you do it, the better it gets. I am learning that I get better if I am consistently doing it. If I let too much time go, I feel like I am starting over. No matter what, handquilting, regardless how your stitches are, is a beautiful thing because it is personal and the time you take is valuable. Happy handquilting time :)
#7
Power Poster
Join Date: May 2009
Location: NY
Posts: 10,590
I have been handquilting for around 15 years and I always draw a line to follow or quilt next to painters tape for long straight lines. Thin batting helps a lot. I do not like to hand quilt with W&N batting. It is good for machine quilting but not hand IMHO. I like the way a nice poly bat needles, like Quilters Dream. I like 80/20 blends to like Hobbs. My next handquilting project will be with wool batting. I understand that is very easy to handquilt but very expensive. Having the sandwich not too tight in the hoop helps. Start with a larger size needle, like a 9 until you get comfortable with a rythm. Some people only take 1 or 2 stitches at a time and some like to load the needle up. Find what works best for you to get them evenly spaced. Once you get spacing down you can try switching to a smaller size needle and that helps for getting them smaller.
#9
I was hand quilting in a 16" hoop for the longest, and some times with no hoop at all. This past fathers day, my wife and son gave me a new Grace Z44 hand quilting frame. Quilting on this frame has made a huge difference in the quality of my stitches. The tension is perfect, and it holds it just right to quilt on.
I use to draw a line with a ruler, then hold the ruler next to the line and make my stitches go in or out every 1/16 of an inch. This gave me 8 stitches per inch. I practiced this and once I could do this without the ruler, I could still get 8 stitches per inch, and even moved a little tighter to get about 10 stitches per inch. This is tough though. I found that by not using a thimble, I could get better stitches, though I've not found anybody else that has the same results.
Good Luck.
Steve
I use to draw a line with a ruler, then hold the ruler next to the line and make my stitches go in or out every 1/16 of an inch. This gave me 8 stitches per inch. I practiced this and once I could do this without the ruler, I could still get 8 stitches per inch, and even moved a little tighter to get about 10 stitches per inch. This is tough though. I found that by not using a thimble, I could get better stitches, though I've not found anybody else that has the same results.
Good Luck.
Steve
#10
Also,
I love using the "Clover" brand "Black Gold" needles. My favorite is the #10 Tweens needle, though I do use the #12 too.
IMHO, these are the best that I have tried, and I have tried many different needles.
Happy Quilting,
Steve
I love using the "Clover" brand "Black Gold" needles. My favorite is the #10 Tweens needle, though I do use the #12 too.
IMHO, these are the best that I have tried, and I have tried many different needles.
Happy Quilting,
Steve
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07-23-2011 03:51 PM