Go Back  Quiltingboard Forums > Main
Hand piecing? >

Hand piecing?

Hand piecing?

Old 04-24-2019, 04:00 AM
  #1  
Power Poster
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: May 2008
Location: MN
Posts: 24,370
Default Hand piecing?

Do any of you do hand piecing?

I still do once in a while. Especially for a complex block that I have no idea for how to press it after it is completed.

I backstitch every three to four stitches. I have found the stitching to be surprisingly hard to remove when it is basically just a short running stitch.
bearisgray is offline  
Old 04-24-2019, 04:44 AM
  #2  
Power Poster
 
Join Date: May 2009
Location: NY
Posts: 10,590
Default

I love handwork but have never done hand piecing. I always have a handwork WIP going. I have done hand applique, hand embroidery, including sashiko, EPP, finished binding by hand and hand quilting but I have never tried my hand at traditional hand piecing. I would like to though. Winding ways is on my bucket list and I may do that as my first foray into hand piecing. The thought of marking all those pieces with my 1/4" seam is what deters me. I am terrible at eyeballing it so would need to mark my seam line. Have considered ordering the inklingo package so I can run it through my printer.
feline fanatic is offline  
Old 04-24-2019, 04:56 AM
  #3  
Power Poster
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Northern Michigan
Posts: 12,861
Default

I do enjoy hand Piecing. I machine stitch most of the time, but I always have a hand project to take with me where ever I go. If I have wait time, or break time I can sit and stitch. It is amazing how much you can get done in 10-15 minutes sometimes
ckcowl is offline  
Old 04-24-2019, 05:07 AM
  #4  
Super Member
 
IrishgalfromNJ's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: North Florida
Posts: 2,156
Default

I've only done hand piecing with EPP.
IrishgalfromNJ is offline  
Old 04-24-2019, 05:51 AM
  #5  
Super Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Southern Minnesota
Posts: 4,362
Default

One time, there was a video on the web of an Asian lady who could piece by hand faster than most people sew with a machine. (I wouldn't have believed it either if I hadn't seen it). She pieced intricate, small pieces into beautiful quilts.I admire hand piecing and hand quilting, but don't aspire to do it. ha ha. Love my motorized machines!
liking quilting is offline  
Old 04-24-2019, 06:15 AM
  #6  
Super Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: Wis
Posts: 5,928
Default

I used to hand piece when I started quilting because I was terrible at machine piecing. But now I mostly just do hand applique or EPP.
Doggramma is offline  
Old 04-24-2019, 06:33 AM
  #7  
Power Poster
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: May 2008
Location: MN
Posts: 24,370
Default

Originally Posted by feline fanatic View Post
I love handwork but have never done hand piecing. I always have a handwork WIP going. I have done hand applique, hand embroidery, including sashiko, EPP, finished binding by hand and hand quilting but I have never tried my hand at traditional hand piecing. I would like to though. Winding ways is on my bucket list and I may do that as my first foray into hand piecing. The thought of marking all those pieces with my 1/4" seam is what deters me. I am terrible at eyeballing it so would need to mark my seam line. Have considered ordering the inklingo package so I can run it through my printer.
I would make two templates for each shape - one for the cutting line and one to trace around. I can't eyeball that line, either.
bearisgray is offline  
Old 04-24-2019, 07:03 AM
  #8  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Rosemere, Quebec, Canada
Posts: 320
Default

We had a 72-hour power outage 2 weeks ago, and I did some hand-piecing. I had forgotten how much I enjoy it. Of course, it's quite time consuming, but in the circumstances, it was relaxing!

I have to admit however that as soon as the power came back, I was back to machine-piecing!
Patricia Drew is offline  
Old 04-24-2019, 10:58 AM
  #9  
Super Member
 
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Pacific NW
Posts: 9,345
Default

Originally Posted by liking quilting View Post
One time, there was a video on the web of an Asian lady who could piece by hand faster than most people sew with a machine. (I wouldn't have believed it either if I hadn't seen it). She pieced intricate, small pieces into beautiful quilts.
Sounds like you might be talking about Yoko Saito. I was fortunate enough to take a class from her in Houston last year, it was fabulous. She was very patient and demonstrated her techniques over and over again for us. She also had an assistant who was equally skilled and patient. My entire trip to Houston was worth it for that class alone!

Another wonderfully skilled hand-piecer is Jinny Beyer.

I like to hand-piece in the evenings while watching tv with Mr. Peckish, and I love to take hand-piecing projects to work on when I tag along on his business trips.
Peckish is offline  
Old 04-24-2019, 12:57 PM
  #10  
Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2019
Posts: 41
Default

I am possibly a) mad, b) slapdash, and c) patient, but I find hand sewing very relaxing and machine sewing very stressful, and I can't be doing with all those bits of paper. So I just make a pair of templates - a bigger one to cut round and a smaller one to sew round - or one doughnut shaped one for both, out of some very solid cardboard using a stanly knife or some very sharp scissors to cut it out straight. Then I iron the fabric and lay it nice and flat-but-relaxed on the table, and draw the shapes directly onto the back of the fabric with a softish art pencil, taking care to keep it at a consistent angle rather than digging into the cardboard or the fabric. I cut out my shapes, then just sew backstitch along the lines! I pin the pieces in place as I go along, so adding the patches as I get to them when I am sewing, poking the pins through the corners carefully first and pointing these diagonally outwards so they don't slide, then putting a couple of pins in straight along the line that I am about to sew. I made a hexagonal quilt for my Gran that way, and it worked beautifully. It's kinda wonky if you actually get your ruler and protractor out, but that's part of the charm and it doesn't show! I've just finished sewing the front of a standard square patchwork quilt that way, I've yet to quilt it but it looks good so far.

Probably not your normal recommended style of expert quilting, but it keeps me happy!
And because there's no sewing machine to lug around and no clickety noise, and I can control it with my fingertips without consciously concentrating, I can sew on the train, while listening to podcasts, in the garden, on holiday, while chatting to talkative relatives... so it's not like the extra time it takes is wasted!

Last edited by SophieHatter; 04-24-2019 at 01:02 PM.
SophieHatter is offline  
Related Topics
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
elizajo
Main
12
04-18-2017 03:47 AM
Happy Treadler
Main
48
03-30-2011 07:43 AM
beginnerpiecer
Main
4
12-06-2009 07:54 AM
bookwormsub
Main
4
10-08-2009 09:43 AM
Elsie
Pictures
20
06-27-2008 11:09 AM

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


FREE Quilting Newsletter