When you hand quilt are you a staber or a rocker? Me am a staber could never get that needle to rock. Don't know how many times I have tried to do it but never could get it. Stabbing my stiches are smaller .

I'm mostly a rocker but stab if crossing a bulky seam. :D

Ditto, but I can't use a hoop - just can't, so I hold it in my hand, then rocking is easier for me, and I stab over seams as per K3

I had the same problem and gave up on hand quilting until I discovered that I was using the wrong size needle. I tried a smaller needle, quit using a hoop and wala.......love it!

I'm a rocker. Of course for seams I will also stab. If I'm lap quilting, I don't use a hoop, but for large quilts I use a king size wooden floor frame. I did see a show on the stabbing once, and they had a needle that was sharp on both ends. Since I often stab myself as it is, this did seem a little dangerous for me! :D :D I love a small needle, size 10 or 12, and I think that makes all the difference. Now if I could just find someone to thread all of them for me! :wink: :wink:

I agree, I can rock several stiches, but at bulky seams... arghhhhhhh. I use a hoop, just don't put the sandwich too tight. That makes it hard to rock.

I guess I am a rocker. I usually only get about 3 stitches on the needle at any one time due to the fact that much of my quilting has lots of curves, but soon I will be working on "Lincoln's Legacy" my Log Cabin that I will be giving hubby for Christmas. It will have all straight lines and I can go to town on that.

I definitely rock - well, while quilting anyway! :) I use the smaller needles also - I have found large eye smaller needles - LOVE 'EM!! I stab, also, across seams when needed. I do not use a hoop - tried it, hated it. I pin baste mine and move the pins around as needed to pull the fabric smoother as I move to quilt the next section. I would LOVE to have a quilting machine but would still hand quilt most likely.

I rock and roll!! :)

I have a gracie hoop on a floor frame - the kid that turns through 360°. I also have a snap together plastic tubular frame for travelling or smaller items and I agree about not putting the quilt too tight. Sometimes I quilt very small items (eg doll quilts) frameless and also outer borders.