TeresaA

I learned from Cindy Walter of Snippets Sensations fame. She used to HAND quilt for a living, and my, was she fast.

What I learned from her:


Use a lap frame. The one she suggested was wood with muslin stapled onto it, about 17x17 inch? But I switched to a Q-snap frame of a similar size and was happier.

Oh batting. I found low loft polyester to be easiest to quilt. Warm and natural was a bit sticky for me, but some people like it better. Try different battings on scrap pieces and see which you like the most..


Baste the quilt, of course. Then mount the center of the quilt in the frame so that it's taut enough to create some tension, but loose enough that a needle will rock in and out of it fairly easily. It's kind of an in between state where the quilt sags a tiny bit in the frame. With practice, you'll know what I mean. The worst thing is if the quilt is too tight in the frame. Needles will slip or break, stitches will be too difficult to do. It's terrible. So if it's too hard to rock your needle, adjust the tension on your quilt in the frame.

Use a quilting between, rather than a regular sewing needle. I liked the size 10 John James. Short is good because you won't bend the needles as often as you quilt. Also I found that shorter needles give smaller stitches. You're going to be pushing the needle through the quilt, and then rocking it back out again, so you need a sturdy needle. The thread I used was Gutterman hand quilting. People complain about the new Gutterman thread, but it was fine with me the last time I used it. Thread has a "direction", so it should be threaded into the needle as it comes out of the spool, for best results. Thread the needle before cutting it off of the spool. Use a single strand and make it as long as your fingertips to your elbow or SHORTER. It's tempting to make it longer, but it tends to tangle if it's too long Knot the thread

Oh, thimble. My favorite is just a standard aluminum thimble, flat top with a ridge around the top to "trap" the needle if it slides. This is the one Cindy suggested.

I'll bet you can find You Tube videos on how to bury the thread knot, rock the needle to take quilting stitches and then tie off the thread as you finish.. Doing the rocking motion is the best way to get tiny stitches. And the little stitches will come, with practice.

Good luck! Hand quilting can be so relaxing, and what an accomplishment when you finish!