Complete novice needs helps please
 

Hi all,
I'm looking for some help please, Never. ever tried quilting before, I usually do needlepoint and cross stitch.

Having made several needlepoint rugs and cushions, I decided it would be rather neat to make a quilt using the same designs (glutton for punishment or what!).

Anyway the cross stitch panels I've made are about 16" (40cm) square - like this one.[ATTACH=CONFIG]607032[/ATTACH]

I have batting, but no idea how to go about turning them into a quilt - do I sew all the squares together and then quilt them or sew each square onto a piece of batting and then quilt them individually then sew them together.

I intend to quilt around each flower.

Also what it the best thread to use to hand quilt them. The squares are 27 count Zweigart Linda pure cotton and the batting is bamboo and cotton mix.

Thank you for reading, hope someone can give a complete dummy some help.

I would think something as lovely as your cross stitch panels would not lend themselves particularly well to the function of a quilt. That is, a quilt that would be used. Maybe wall hangings? As a wall hanging, each square could be padded with batting. You wouldn't need much quilting if it wasn't going to be actually used/laundered/drug in the dirt/used as a fort.
I'm not much help. Someone will be along who has done what you suggest.
Just before I hit the "enter" button, an image of a bed spread with those panels came to mind. Lovely. Not too fluffy, with each panel bordered in a matching green with some texture. Hmmm. I hope someone can help you.

Oh, that is so gorgeous! I'd probably put it in a frame.ha. It is absolutely wonderful. Someone else will have to help you in a quilt. Not I.

Thank you both for your replies. I have my heart set on making them into a quilt/bedspread. I collect Victorian botanical watercolours and have more than I have space on the walls for, so maybe not wall hangings.

Thanks for you kind words, I have about 50 of these squares.

Since I think most cross stitch is done on a looser weave fabric. I would use an iron on stabilizer on the back of each piece, similar to that used on tee shirt quilts. One brand is Pellon feather weight, 911. Besides supporting the blocks, it would help prevent bearding of the batting while quilting. Then you will have to decide the look you like, either putting a border fabric around each block or not. Consider that your background fabric in a color that suites your blocks. If you would like to quilt the blocks individually then join, look on You tube for instructions for quilt as you go. There are lots of good videos there. You will also need a background fabric whatever method you use. You will be working with three layers, backing, batting and top. There is so much info available on the internet and since you are new to this, you will want be doing a lot of exploring before you start. What I have mentioned is like the tip of the iceberg. I think if you are just wanting a quilt to be used for display, not getting a lot of hard use and needing to be washed frequently, this could work for you.

I have some been thinking of a wall hanging although I don't have much wall space. Been thinking of it for several years.

Deedee- that is gorgeous!!!
I'm having trouble imagining cross-stitch made into a quilt because the fabric is stiff and I don't think it would be very comfortable to use as a quilt.
Just an opinion here. I also love doing cross-stitch!

The fabric isn't stiff at all, it's a fine, soft 100% cotton fabric. Nothing like linen or Aida.

I've seen quilts done with cross stitch blocks, and it is totally do-able, and seeing your blocks, will look amazing.

I completely agree with suern3 about adding a stabilizer- the lightest weight woven fusible interfacing you can find. Not only will it keep the blocks from distorting, but it will also anchor all of the thread ends on the back.

Because you will most likely have large areas that are not quilted where the cross stitch is, double check your batting distance requirements. You might even want to overstitch some of the outlines in the cross stitch through all of the layers to hold every thing together and add dimension to the designs.

As for whether you quilt before or after assembling, that would depend on your preference. Since you enjoy handwork so much, I would lean toward a quilt as you go method (again, suern3 is right, lots of youtube videos out there).

As for how washable it would be, it depends on how colorfast your threads are. I would test them for bleeding before tossing them in the wash. Other than that, it depends on your level of bravery. Personally, I've done cross stitch designs on clothing in the past, and not had any issues. Once it is all quilted and stabilized, if the threads don't bleed, I would not hesitate to wash on a delicate cycle with cold water, then letting it air dry. I would not use a dryer on anything with fusible interfacing, since heat can cause it to separate.

Thank you!

Here is a website with good suggestions.
https://www.stitchingthenightaway.co...stitch-pieces/

There are some beautiful examples of the type of quilt you are doing. https://www.bing.com/images/search?q...ares&FORM=IGRE

Warm & Natural batting has a width for quilting of 10 inches, which means you have to have a seam every 10 inches each direction. This might work well for you. There are ways to pre-shrink the batting so you don't get too much of a crinkle look. Or find a polyester batting, which doesn't shrink hardly at all, that has larger inch quilting requirements.

I can't wait to see how your quilt turns out. Your handwork is beautiful.

Your workmanship is beautiful and I think it would be gorgeous just to be in a frame with some light batting. Good luck on your search and please share what your decision is going to be.

DeeDee...your cross stitch is beautiful. I can only imagine the time you have in one block. I just want to say “welcome the the QB.”

I have done this. I have a friend who does spectacular needlepoint and cross stitch pieces. She doesn't sew and asked me to finish them into decorator items. I made a wall hanging with one of them and this is what I did: 1) carefully stem block the item so that it was absolutely square. I used foam core board and pins to do the blocking. 2) stitched carefully around the outer part of the design using a piece of premium quality cotton that best matched most of the design leaving border space outside. In other words, the dimension of the cotton was the dimensions of the design plus the width of the desired border all the way around plus a couple of inches working space. It would be trimmed as necessary when the binding was put on. 3) cut and attach borders by placing fabric (right sides together) on needle point picture. Do sides first, then top and bottom. Stitch along the same line that you stitched on at the edge of the needle work. If possible look at some videos for mitering the corners as that is a much pleasing look than butted ends. 4) layer your quilt sandwich; the backing with the good side down, the batting, and the quilt top. This is probably a good place for spray baste to secure the layers. 5) Quilt around some of the floral motifs to hold them firm. Use matching thread so it doesn't show more than you desire. Quilt your chosen design in the border area to frame your picture. 6) I would recommend binding with the same fabric as the border so it is unobtrusive. 7) add a hanging sleeve-you can find lots of instructions for that on You-tube or this board. When you choose your border fabric choose something that has a muted look so that matching lines or designs is not an issue. Good luck! You can do this.

I have made a quilt with counting crosstitch pieces. they were in a drawer and decided they needed to be used. I bordered each one and put them together. it turned out better than I had hoped. I do use this quilt and have washed it it still looks good. Color Catchers are great for quilt washing. your needle work is fantastic. good luck.

Gorgeous work! I’ve done counted crossstitch and needlepoint and, as someone said, make sure you square before quilting. I wouldn’t think you’d need to stabilize as 27 count has small holes. Check your batting for how far apart you need to quilt. Personally, I love Quilters Dream wool batting (I think it’s every 8” for that). Since they are big pieces, I might consider Quilt As You Go (QAYG). Check YouTube. Also with QAYG, it might be easier dealing with the thicker fabric. On second thought, I’d consider paying someone with experience to quilt it or I’d hold on to them for a while until you have more experience. Good luck. They are beautiful!

Thanks. I'm going to go for it, as you can probably tell, I don't do things by halves:D

DeeDee- I stand corrected! I just assumed it was either aida or linen :)

Because the needle point it thicker than cotton fabric, I would suggest you border each block with a coordinating color of fabric because if you sew the blocks to each other it will leave a lumpy seam and the connecting corners will be bulky to quilt through. I have clients that embroidery blocks and try to sew them together and the stabilizer is a little stiff and really hard to quilt.

a website with good suggestions.
https://www.stitchingthenightaway.co...stitch-pieces/

This link says to lay the quilt top onto the batting "right side down". That can't be right. It also says to cut the batt the same size as the top before you stitch them together. I think that's asking for trouble.

The work you show is beautiful. I once made afghan squares separated by a thin line of black. It is stunning and I enjoy it every day as it is always on my bed as a bedspread sometimes used as an extra blanket. It is made of wool, so is very warm and very heavy.

You will certainly need some kind of sashing, and it really should be the same color throughout, so I was thinking about a beautiful green or blue, probably in tone on tone. But consider the thin black lines. Lay it out and test it to see how you like it.

I would worry about how much washing it could stand.

Wow! What a thing of beauty! I can't imagine the work -- and hours -- that went into this. It's stunning!

Thank you everyone. The screen took me about a year, on and off.

I've cut everything to the same size, laid it out to get the squares in an order I like. I'm in the process of washing all the squares again as some have been in storage a long time, soak in very hot water and Biotex, roll in a towel and the iron with a hot iron on the wrong side, it works really well so I can't see washing it will be a problem in the future.

I'm just waiting for the batting and the backing fabric to arrive, plain white cotton as I don't want to detract from the squares.

I have enough squares for another quilt too - oh boy!

Hopefully I can post an update by the end of the week - the joys of being retired:o

If I’m understanding you correctly, google the Mario pixel quilt BOM. There’s a blog post that goes into the technique. The strips were sewn to gridded fusible. Pixel quilts in general with the gridded fusible stabilizer would lend themselves nicely to the cross stitch pattern.

Some quilters follow the 'big stitch' stle and use perle cotton from size 8 to 12 . At our hand quilt bees members usually buy hand quilting thread.

I have used cross stitched pieces, stabilized and then sewed fabric borders around the cross stitch and quilted. You could do that easily with your pieces and then sew together. Your work is beautiful.