I am a beginner at hand quilting and don't know the different stitches and styles for quilting my pieces. Can you help me?
Bev

If you are hand piecing, you want to use a back stitch. Its similar to the running stitch. Take a stitch and instead of going forward for the next stitch, go back about halfways and put your needle in and then go forwards. For quilting just use a running stitch. I may not have described it very well. Its hard to do without showing you. Possibly someone smarter than me can describe it bettr.
If you are making a crazy quilt, most quilters use different embroidery stitches on the quilt top. This quilt was designed for sewers to show off their skills at embroidery and traditionally used fine fabrics like satin and velvet. Kind of like he Baltimore album quilt that also showed off a quilters skills more than a utilitarian quilt would. these were something put on the guest bed perhaps, not for everyday use.
I hope I didn't bore you or confuse you.
Vicki

If your talking about the hand quilting, not the actual pieceing of the quilt top, the stitching is pretty basic, just a straight running stitch. But if your talking about the design of the quilting, thats a different creature. There are alot of stencils, to help, and various pattern suggestions. If your a beginner, the easiest would be something simple, like outline stitching, also kmow as silhouette stitching, or stitch in the ditch. To me they are the easiest. The best way I see and understand. Is it's more important to get your stitches even and consistent in size on your quilt, For the overall look of the quilt. Small little stitches is the aim with consistency for the quilt top. However when you start out it's more important that your stitches are even.No I can't and don't do tiny little stitches, I do as small as my hands will let me, but I aim for consistency in size of stitch. As you progress in your quilting, so will your technique. It is suggested, to use a small needle which will help in creating small stitches. Again I use the smallest I can handle. But rest assure, you will have sore fingers, but don't give up, Let your fingers rest a day or two before picking back up, and maybe pamper your hands alittle bit. The end result is very gratifing. Goodluck.

I agree that consistant size is more important than tiny.