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Old 02-03-2017, 03:29 PM
  #10  
Sleepy Hollow
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Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: Oregon
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A longer version of the video linked above https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DHEDYeIWz4

And another quilter with a slightly different method-- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KeKrAHJKAwU

The lady in the second video still rocks a little.

I used a combination of these two videos to figure out how to make the Aunt Becky work for me. I just started quilting this last summer, and really wanted to learn to hand quilt. I also work a job where I can be exposed to some icky stuff (including sewage), so I really wanted to minimize any needle pricks to my finger.

The batting used can make a big difference in how it feels. For the baby quilt I did, I used warm and natural, which I've since learned is considered a hard batting to quilt through because of the scrim. At the quilt group, I've done quilting on one with a batting with a lot of loft, and I had to make my stitches bigger to get through it. Another quilt I've done has a lower loft polyester batting, and that is different than the others... I can't quite get rid of the rocking motion, and I believe my choice of batting may have something to do with that.

It took some practice to figure out how loose I needed to make the quilt in my hoop frame (I have the one Jean's husband made/makes, from Jean's impressions). My mom knows a lady who uses one just doing lap quilting without a frame. Sometimes, as I'm quilting, I still adjust how loose it is. The direction I'm quilting also has a difference, "with the grain" quilts slightly different than "against the grain".

As a new quilter, I think it was easier for me to adjust because I didn't yet have any hand quilting habits to change. Some of the women I quilt with have tried it and were never able to get it down, even after taking classes.
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