Sync

dottiemae, first thing I want to say is when I hand quilt I don't wear a thimble, never have, and I have been hand quilting for almost 30 years now. Add the fact that I'm left handed ...... well that brings another set of difficulties ...... lol But the best tips I can give you is just take your time, practice, and don't worry about the rocking motion (I still have problems). The consistency of your stitches will get better the more you quilt. So just relax and enjoy your slow stitching.

ckcowl

Jinny Breyer has some good tutorials on her website for hand quilting. She uses a spoon.

Prism99

I hand quilt with the rocking motion. One thing I learned early on is that it is important that the quilt NOT be drum tight in the hoop. You want to be able to move it about a fist-size up or down in the middle. This slackness allows you to manipulate the fabric, not just the needle. The second thing that really helped me was finding the right thimble. For me, the thimble MUST have a pronounced raised ridge around the top to hold the needle while I am rocking. If you look closely, most thimbles are made for hand sewing, and they have a rounded top. The rounded top works fine for hand sewing, but it lets the needle slip when you are quilting. Also, most sewing thimbles have pretty shallow dimples. It helps to have a thimble with deep dimples, both on the sides and inside the ridged top. Those deep dimples hold the needle better. I will attach some photos that show the type of thimble that work for my rocking stitch. The second website also lists the brands of each thimble:
http://sentimentalstitches.net/instr...hand-quilting/
http://academyofquilting.com/class-s.../?classesID=50

The above doesn't work if you have long fingernails but if, like me, you are used to short nails it will be fine! It is also important that the thimble fit your finger. If a thimble is a little too big, you can place a small amount of children's clay inside to help it stay in place. Once you determine which finger works best for the thimble (with the shape of my hand, the middle finger works best for me), you still might want to get two sizes of the same thimble since fingers can swell a little in heat.

I will say that one of the best award winning quilters in my old city owned a quilt shop, and she quilted with the "stab" method. That is, she stabbed the needle down from the top, grabbed the needle underneath to pull the thread through, then sent the needle straight up with the underneath hand. She said she could never get the hang of rocking. I simply don't have that kind of dedication. My rocking stitches are not as perfect as her stab stitches, but I would not have the patience to make two hand motions for every single stitch!

ube quilting

You are right not to worry about stitches per inch. It is better to have consistent, evenly spaced, straight stitches.

I don't do a lot of hand quilting and I stuggle with the rocking needle too. I use the stab down and up, a single stitch at a time method when I do hand quilt. Haha, it works for me.

Practice is your best friend.

peace

Sleepy Hollow

To learn how to hand quilt, I met up with the quilting group that meets up at the local senior center. They are amazing women who are very willing to help someone new!

I was told not to worry about the size of stitches to start, but to work on consistency, and that I would get better as I went. When I first started, I thought there was no way I could quilt on short, thin needles, but when I used one, I was surprised at how much smaller I was able to get my stitches.

After they taught me to lap quilt, I found a video on using an "Aunt Becky". I work in a dirty environment, so I try to keep needle pricks to a minimum. Several of the women had one but could not get the hang of it, and we think I picked it up fast because it was all new to me, I didn't have years-long quilting motion habits. The methods in these videos works well for me-- (only allowed to include one video per post, second video in next post)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DHEDYeIWz4

Sleepy Hollow

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KeKrAHJKAwU&t=585s

NJ Quilter

Prism99 has given you great advice. For me, I don't think I use a 'rocking' motion with my hand but rather 'rock' the fabric. It really doesn't matter. Consistency with your stitches is what you are after. I've also seen it recommended to have a scrap quilt piece available to do a few stitches to get your rhythm going before jumping into your actual quilt each time you start up again.

As to thimbles. I highly recommend the Thimblelady thimbles. They are open-ended at the top so nail length is not a factor. They have wonderfully deep dimples to hold the needles. You push with the pad of your finger vs the top/tip of your finger. Their sizing is wonderful. Go to the Thimblelady website and read their directions for sizing. So as you're not spending a bundle, I would also suggest trying their plastic version before getting either their stainless steel or sterling version. I think the plastic one is @ $15?? I would also suggest taking a look at some of her videos as well. She reinforces what Prism99 had to say with respect to the looseness of the quilt in your hoop. I've used her needles as well but not as fond of them as I am of Roxanne needles.

As to needles - they make a difference as well. As I say, I prefer Roxanne needles. I usually use their #10 or #11 needles. I've used their #12's as well but they would be my least favorite of the 3 sizes. Colonial Needle has great prices on those needles and have great service.

Just keep keeping on. Enjoy the process and try not to make yourself crazy. This is supposed to be a fun and relaxing hobby.

P-BurgKay

I have hand quilted for at least 50 years - off and on. Until about a year ago, I was die hard hand quilter. The most important thing is try for consistency. The length of your stitch, blah, is my notion. I strive for consistency, but sometimes, you are just off. My children, and grandchildren, and now great grandchildren, don' care if I have quilted 12 stitches to the inch or 6 stitches to the inch. The enjoy and appreciate the fact that I have made them a quilt. Now, I am however, enjoying learning to free motion on my machine. So it is what you enjoy. I don't make show quilts, I want my quilts loved and used. You enjoy the process of learning to hand quilt and be happy. Remember, our maker, is the only one that is perfect.

Stitchnripper

I have a method that works for me, and I find it sort of relaxing. I can only quilt down, not across, or up. Alex Anderson is a left handed quilter I think? and she can use her thumb!! I just quilt for my own pleasure and sometimes I make a quilt that I like to hand quilt. I put no pressure on myself with deadlines, etc. I try to get consistent stitches. Sometimes they are smaller, sometimes, just consistent. It does take practice, but, I don't mind it at all.

popover

I suggest you don't worry about it and just do it, however is most comfortable for you. In that, you will find it a comfortable and comforting process.