Originally Posted by jillaine
What have YOU learned that has helped you reach a higher stitch-per-inch count?
I made one quilt 30+ years ago, then got interested again this summer. Well, not exactly this summer, I've gotten interested before and gotten books, etc, but each time I started, a major life event got in the way.
So, finally, this time I got started and nothing has gotten in the way. The book I've been using is by Liuxin Newman, _Perfect Hand Quilting Without Pain_.
I started out at six stitches per inch (counted on one side only). I haven't practised long in any one session due to mobility problems. In about four hours of practise total, I'm getting 9-10 stitches per inch.
I plan to keep practising on whole cloth scrap sandwiches until I am consistently getting 12+ stitches per inch. I'm guessing another 4-6 hours of practise will do it.
I bought a king sized package of Hobbs Heirloom wool batting for practise, which compresses to feeling like nothing when I pinch it in the sandwich, which helps get more stitches to the inch.
It's very different from the Warm and Natural cotton batting that I used for several quilted vest projects about ten years ago; the W&N drapes nicely but never loses its thickness when pinched. I haven't tried it yet for quilting but I doubt I could get much more than 8 stitches per inch with W&N. I am not putting down the W&N, it made wonderful vests with nice drape! It is what it is and I think most things in life go better when I don't try to force them to be things they are not.
Yes, I bought two thimbles from Thimblelady (the name of Liuxin Newman's company). They work really, really well for me, one on my middle finger and one on my thumb. I can quilt towards myself and away from myself with no change in my stitching. The dimples are really deep and placed well, so that they help me control the needle and keep a good, healthy hand position as well.
Best of all, I still have chronic tendonitis in my hands from doing too much calligraphy (for a living) many years ago. Liuxin Newman's methods have kept me from feeling any hand pain at all. I can barely write three sentences by hand without feeling hand pain but I can stitch for up to an hour at a time with no pain at all.
I guess you can tell that I'm a believer.