SO I have only to put the border on my DH's quilt, and then I can sandwich and start hand quilting. I bought the needle and thread and chalk and a pattern and the batting. SOOO excited and anxious. This will be my first attempt at hand quilting but I have done binding and small table runners by hand. Any tips before I get started.. what to do what not to do? Oh and I bought those little leather thingys to go on my fingertips so they dont bleed on my pretty quilt lol. :)

You will definatly need a leather thimble. did you get the one called a coin thimble????? they last longer then the plain leather. other then that jump in and have fun I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE to hand quilt that is all I do. good luck

Don't forget to pin, baste or use spray basting to get that sucker straight and pucker free before you begin. And hang on, 'cause you're gonna love it!! :D :D

Oh, and if you do bleed on the quilt, rub a little bit of your spit on it and it will come right out..... :D You imagine how I know this :lol: :lol: :lol:

[quote=sewjoyce

Oh, and if you do bleed on the quilt, rub a little bit of your spit on it and it will come right out..... :D You imagine how I know this :lol: :lol: :lol:[/quote]

OH GROSSSSSSSSSSSS don't ever make a quilt for me!!!!

[quote=trupeach]
Wonder you rather have one that's got dark red spots on it???

My only piece of advise is not to try to get too many stitches on the needle at a time. Doesn't go so well. :lol: I've only hand quilted, too chicken to try to machine quilt yet. Actually, I did try stitch in the ditch and even that didn't go so well. :oops: Don't know if you have a hoop or not but I've tried both ways and prefer the hoop, keeps things where Iwant them better. Have fun!

[quote=sewjoyce]JOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOYCE that's gross too!!!!!!!!! LOL

Hahaha you are all too funny LOL.

I enjoy hand quilting too. I have always used frames but I would like to try a hoop. It would be a bit more portable from room to room that way.

I agree to use good thimbles. I have a hard time with thimbles and I prick my fingers a lot. I also use my spit to clean up any blood, but then the quilt is washed before giving it to anyone.

Enjoy and have fun.

I prefer an English thimble to a leather one; they last longer. An English thimble is metal and has a nice ridge around the top edge. I've worn holes through leather thimbles very quickly. But it all depends on how you quilt. If you start with leather, a little trick you might want to try is to take the tab from a pop can (the old type with the ring attached, which you remove first) and place it over the tip ofyour finger,under the leather thimble. This will give you the security of not having the needle pierce the leather and stick you.

I also like to keep a pair of tweezers nearby. Put some clear nail polish on the tips in a fairly thick layer. Let it dry. When you have trouble grasping the needle to pull it through with too many stitches on it (or, if your fingers are fat like mine and it's hard to grasp the needle and pull), this little gizmo will help grab the needle and pull it through with less stress on the fingertips and joints.

enjoy your experience. take your time. and understand that no one is perfect right away. you are bound to have some "toe-hookers" (big stitches), but with practice they will get better and more even. there's nothing like the feeling of accomplishment you get when you are hand quilting a piece, especially if it's a gift made with lots of love for someone you love.