Greetings and Merry Christmas :)

I'm here hoping to get a bit of advice on a project I am working on for her mother.

Five years ago my mother's grandmother (my great-grandmother) was tragically killed outside of her home. She was very dear to the entire family - a 'matriarch' of sorts. This wonderful woman was known for her giving spirit, as she helped teach adults how to read and often made and donated quilts to the needy.

She left an unfinished quilt when she passed, and my mother claimed it and has kept it hidden away, wanting to finish it but never finding the time or skill to do so.

This christmas it is my hope to finish this final quilt for my mother. Here's the trick - I am an experianced seamstress, but have never sewn a quilt. It appears to be entirly pieced together (it is a very simple design) and has batting and a 'backing fabric' all pinned together. It is still in the center of her quilt stretcher, and she appears to have just started quilting. Here are my questions:

From the photos, is that her intent on quilting, or is it basting? the stitches seem very small but also very far apart. Is that how quilting stitches are?

Would you guess that I should continue tracing along the length of the pieces and then also the height? Should I do any other quilting? I wish she were here so I could ask her what she intended!

Any suggestions on binding?

Do you start in the center and move in any specific direction?

I'm so sorry for all the novice questions, but I'm sure you understand the importance of this project. Thank you all for your help, and I promise to keep you updated.

Wow, what a treasure!!! I'm sorry to hear about your great-grandmother. What a tragedy. And yet how wonderful that you are willing to try and finish her quilt. It will truly become a treasured heirloom!

They look like basting stitches to me. My question is, do you want to hand quilt it or machine quilt it. If you want to machine quilt it, you can use a walking foot to stitch in the ditch (following the seam lines exactly) or you can stitch on the diagonal (making the quilt stitches from one corner to the opposite corner) or you can stitch 1/4-inch from all the seam lines. If you want to hand quilt it, there are some tutorials out there that can really help.

I'm running a bit behind and have to head off to work but I know others will post and give you great advice! Good luck with it and if you feel you cannot do it, perhaps someone nearby who quilts would be willing to finish it for you.

I think it's quilting. Do you have any of her other quilts to compare it to? You just run stitches 1/4" from all the seams. Sometimes there are several stitches per inch and sometimes just a few. It depends on the quilters experience. It's such a labor of love! Your Mom will be thrilled I'm sure!

Thank you so much for your quick reply!

I'm not sure whether I want to hand or machine finish. I know that she used to machine to piece it together, but I'm wondering if she maybe would've hand-quilted it. I think I'll mull it over a bit.

I'm very excited to get some help, I'm sure with everyone's input and advice I'll be able to do justice to my great-grandmother's name.

Unfortunately, no, I don't have any of her quilts for comparison. She made me a crocheted blanket when I was young, but never a quilt. So we have one vote quilting, one vote basting. Would it help to take more pictures? maybe with a ruler?

it looks like she was going to hand quilt it and those are her quilting stitches. just finish going along as she did with the same looking stitches and you'll have a lovely quilt. you can go across and then down, doing 1/4 away from all the seams. or just around the print blocks and do something else in the plain ones.
binding, you can pick a color from within the quilt or match the plain squares. good luck. when you get to the binding,come back for more help if necessary. great find!

I think you could tell if they are basting stitches or quilting stitches by looking carefully at the stitches.

Can you see any knots in the thread? If there are big knots and/or long tails that are not buried in the quilt sandwich, these are probably basting stitches. If you can't find any beginnings, they are probably quilting stitches.

Also, try measuring to see how many stitches per inch there are, and post that here. In the photo the stitches look too small for basting but quite large for quilting. However, if this was the first time your grandmother was trying to hand quilt, it's quite possible the stitches would be that big.

Are all of the stitches made with a single thread?

Is the stitching all across the quilt in a pattern -- say every 6 inches apart? If so, that is typical of basting. Sometimes basting is in a grid, sometimes it radiates out from the center of the quilt.

Was the quilt in the hoop when you found it? It is not typical to baste a quilt in a hoop; hoops are typically used to hand quilt.

Look at the underside of the quilt too. Is it neat-looking? Are there any long stitches (toe catchers) there? Larger stitches would be more like to be basting. Neat and even stitches are more likely to be quilting.

I think it would be most appropriate to hand quilt this because it is pretty clear that was your grandmother's intention. If she had wanted to machine quilt, she would have pin-basted.

OH!!! I just re-read your post and see that you mentioned that the quilt is all pinned together. In that case, the quilt has been pin-basted. Most likely the stitches are your grandmother's first attempt at hand quilting. It would certainly be in keeping with her spirit to continue hand quilting it, especially since it would be your first attempt at hand quilting too. I would just keep the stitches similar in size and spacing to your grandmother's.

For hand quilting, you do typically start in the center and work out. Outlining each square would be good. If there is a border, that would need to be quilted also. How big are the squares? If the squares are large, you may need to add quilting to keep the batting from shifting -- easiest would be a big X, but you could also do a flower or other design.

Don't worry about binding until you get the quilting done. There are Youtube videos on how to bind a quilt that are very good.

I had to take the quilt out of the hoop, but I was able to find the beginning of her stitching (she had only finished about 10 inches of stitching) and I found a very small, hidden knot yet a tail of thread about an inch long. What a confusing lady she was being! Also, she does have pins around all four edges as well as spaced about a foot apart in the quilt.

The stitches stay pretty consistant at 4 per inch.

Is it possible a combination of her age (maybe some arthritis or eye problems?) and the fact she was making them as charity (needing to be quick) that might explain the rather sparse stitching?

The quilt was in the hoop when we found it

The stitches are precisely the same underneath as they are on top

She appears to be going lengthwise 1/4 in from the horizontal seam lines, going over both the colored and plain blocks.

Oh, I just saw the rest of your post :) The rectangles are 3" x 5.5"

I am very excited to try hand quilting and work on this "collaborative project" with my great-grandmother.

I think if I need to do quilting inside the blocks, either a four-leaf clover (she was a renowned clover-finder. She could walk down a street and have a handful in minutes) or a honeybee (she made her own honey) or possibly her initials or a combination of all three.

i also believe she had started to hand quilt it. i can't imagine she would have pinned it (which is, itself, a method of basting) AND put it into a hoop with the intent of adding thread basting.

on a basic design such as that, larger quilting stitches look quite appropriate and will be lovely. she was most likely planning to bury that little knot and tail later on.

i would continue the quilting as she started.

she loved you dearly, i'm sure. she would want you to enjoy the process of finishing her last project. she wouldn't want you to worry or take on more than your current skill can handle.

It is very traditional to quilt 1/4-inch in from the seam line. That, plus the even spacing of the stitches, plus the pin basting, plus the fact that you found the quilt in a hoop, indicate that the stitches you found are her quilting stitches. Hand quilting is often done in a hoop, whereas basting is never done in a hoop.

Are the pins safety pins or straight pins? Typically safety pins are used. Extra pins are needed around the edges to keep the layers secure.

Quilting stitches are counted both top and bottom so, if you are seeing 4 stitches on top per inch, then that would be counted as 8 stitches per inch -- pretty standard for beginning quilters and very acceptable for a utility quilt or charity quilt. Experienced hand quilters strive for 12 stitches per inch. Most likely she was planning to quilt inside every square; however, the most efficient way to do this is to quilt in straight lines -- first one way, then another.

Are the quilting stitches just a single thread? It sounds as if your grandmother had read up on quilting but hadn't quite figured out how to bury her quilting knot and thread tail. Making small quilting stitches takes a lot of practice. Since you don't have other quilts from your grandmother, my guess is that she was just starting out to hand quilt and that's why the quilting stitches are rather large.

The needle looks relatively large in the photo. That would also be typical of a beginning hand quilter.

My guess also would be that this is the start of hand quilting.

You said that you are hoping to finish this quilt for Christmas. This year? Not sure how large the quilt is but if you are planning to have it done in less than 2 weeks and you have never quilted before, you may not finish it if you hand quilt. It really is time consuming.

If your goal is to give it to your mother on Christmas, you may be better off doing a simple stitch in the ditch by machine and then maybe adding some hand quilting inside the boxes after you give it to her.

Wow, thanks for all the information!

I do know that she has made quilts for a very long time - though I would not be surprised if she taught herself.

I'm looking up how to hide a not/tail now.

She is only using one thread and a needle about 1 inch long.

Haha oh yes, I know it will be difficult. I tend to be known for taking on too much, but I normally come out okay. I just finished a hand-sewn corset so my hand stitching should hopefully be relatively quick by now. If it gets close and I'm not finished I'm sure my mom will understand if she gets a rain check. Luckily I'm home from college and have no plans until Christmas!

I would say it is quilting. Some friends in my group baste and the stitches are usually an inch or more for that. If you continue in the manner that she started, it will be just fine.

I would finish the quilting the way it was started :D:D:D
What a treasure you are working on... your Mom will be so excited to see this quilt finished :D:D:D

What I see looks like quilting to me because it is very even and precise! Good luck with finishing the hand quilting. If you want to do it, you will get it done! There are lots of tutorials here to help with whatever part you want to know about, just "search".

THe fact that it is pinned, that it is in a hoop, and that the stitches are inset and in a perfect line, suggests strongly that she was in the quilting phase. I think if I would hand quilt something, I would probably end up with large stitches (as I am not practiced, nor patient when it comes to hand work)

You have choices.
You can continue in the same style and finish the quilt.
You can share the quilting with your mother and make it a 3-generation quilt.
You can take out the 10" and finish it on the machine.
You could even send it out to be done by a longarm quilter.
EIther way, it will be a wonderful memory of your grandmother and you can be very proud of yourself that you are tackling this project.

I agree that it is quilting and my advice would be to continue in your grandmother's fashion with quilting 1/4" away from the seams around the squares.
The idea of quilting a 4 leaf clover may be appealing because it reminds you of her, but it is much harder to quilt than a straight line and I think you will find the quilting parallel to the seam will be doable and also attractive.
Doing the stitching by hand also increases the value of the quilt, whereas machine quilting it (in the eyes of an appraiser) would decrease it. She has some vintage fabrics in there, so it is something to consider.
If you wish to include the 4 leaf clover or honey bee, you can include that on a label on the back of the quilt, where you will also include her name and your name, and maybe some of the history and affection you had for your grandmother.
it will be a lovely gift and treasure for your mom!
Good luck!

Some great answers here, whatever you decide will be just perfect. What a wonderful thing you are doing. As has been mentioned, please do a label...and I'm sure when you put in those final stitches, grandmother will be smiling, from somewhere!

that looks like she was hand quilting it. YOu can get 1/4 in tape from your local LQS, and that will help you keep the quilting straight and the same distance from the seams. She probably had quilted for so long, she didn't need the tape, or markings. What a treasure you have, and how touched your mother will be.

What a wonderful legacy! Your grandmother will live on and be refreshed in you mind every time you look at the quilt. How you must have loved this special lady!

I definitely think she had started to quilt it by hand. The stitches, while rather large, are very even, and I know that I was told that while the size is important, it is how even they are that is most important. If you continue as your grandmother started you will have a beautiful heirloom with a rustic, charming look.

I hope you will be able to finish this by hand quilting. I would stay with the 1/4 in from both seam lines as she was doing. I wouldn't worry about trying to match her stitch length exactly. all beginner hand quilters do get better as they go along, you may find by the time you are finished you have mastered very tiny stitches. You will also have in the quilt lable that your grandmother started the quilting and it was finished by you, so that will explain the difference in the stitching.
Good luck to you, I am sure you mother is going to love you very much for doing this.

I think it is in the quilting phase too. A question I have--with the quilt, was the thread she was using passed along too? It would be great to use the exact same thread as she started the quilting with, so that it would match exactly. And how very special that you get to hold the very same needle she held in her hand too...
How blessed you are to have this piece of personal history from your great-grandmother's life!

What a wonderful treasure you have there!! As far as I know, no one in my family has quilted before me.
I think it is wonderful that you want to finish this for her.
I am sorry that you lost her in such a horrible way.

Welcome to the board from Southern California.

Since it was pinned, I would call it quilting stitches. If that frame has been in the same spot for five years, chances are that the edges are going to be stretched out of whack. You may want to lay out flat and spritz with water when you remove the frame, and let it relax before quilting adjacent areas.

I was taught to hand quilt from the center out, so spots that are not perfect can be cheated in more easily.

Okay, reading back through, I can see where those are most likely her quilting stitches. I assumed they were basting stitches simply because they seem rather far apart to me. However, after reading Prism's explanation of how to count the stitches per inch (I didn't realize we counted the stitches on the back too) it seems I quilt 12-15 stitches per inch. Here I thought I was doing 8-9 stitches and I keep trying to get my stitches smaller. :roll:

I love the idea of quilting a 4 leaf clover or honeybee on it. The only thing to remember when quilting a circle instead of a straight line is that you can only pile on 3 or less stitches onto the needle in order to keep the integrity of the circle. Otherwise you end up with a straight line and your circle comes out a bit strange looking. Yep, experience talking here. Lol.

Moonpi, excellent suggestion about spritzing it with water and letting it dry if it is stretched out of shape.

It looks like she was quilting to me. This might sound crazy but I would probably use a different color to finish so your mom will know where her mom's stitches are and where ours begins. I think that would be sort of neat to do. What a heartwarming quilt!

[quote=Prism99]

Quilting stitches are counted both top and bottom so, if you are seeing 4 stitches on top per inch, then that would be counted as 8 stitches per inch -- pretty standard for beginning quilters and very acceptable for a utility quilt or charity quilt. Experienced hand quilters strive for 12 stitches per inch. Most likely she was planning to quilt inside every square; however, the most efficient way to do this is to quilt in straight lines -- first one way, then another.

Woo Hoo! I just doubled my stitches per inches!!!

:mrgreen: :mrgreen:

No wonder I was never able to achieve 12 stitches to the inch...I always counted just the top stitch. I didn't think a stitch was complete until you come up to the front.
Now, I'm going to look at some of my hand quilting and count my stitches and see how I did.

Okay, so now that we know we count the top and bottom stitches, I'd love to know how many stitches per inch you ladies are quilting.

i'm not sure that info is accurate. I've been quilting quite a while and that is the first time I ever heard that stitches on the underside are counted. I'm not sure where to research the information, but i was always under the impression it was measured on the top of the quilt only. There are people who get 12 stitches to the inch on the top and you never hear them saying they get 24~
Rather than focus on the number of stitches per inch, I would just work on keeping stitches even. There are many factors which affect the closeness of stitches, including thread count on the fabric and thickness and content of the batting, so it is not necessarily fair to compare one quilter to another on the stitch count. Just strive to do your best and it will be fine.
Lisa

I usually quilt from 10 to 11 per inch. Depends on how long it has been since last time I quilted. Sometimes it takes me a few blocks to get my rhythm back.

All of the hand quilting books I have state that both top and bottom stitches are counted. However, when I Googled I found websites that state that you count only the top stitches. Makes it very confusing for purposes of comparison.

Here's a website that supports what I think was the traditional counting method:
http://www.quiltersreview.com/articl...t/011126_b.asp

Other websites, though, say it is done both ways.

makes it a bit confusing, doesn't it!:?:
Seems like more recently, the quilters have started counting the bottom stitches too, where in the "olden days" they did not. :thumbup:
It helps to take the pressure off!!
Lisa

I would not worry about it so much....keep quilting, and enjoy your self while doing it :D:D:D

what a treasure, I would complete it as started and be sure to label it with all the info