hand quilting scrap quilt
 

I have made a scrappy queen sized quilt with blocks 6" square...The blocks are of 5 different patterns. Because of lack of funds, I am going to hand quilt it. Besides stitch in the ditch, what are some other designs/patterns what would be somewhat easy to do? Crosshatch? Fan? Ideas would be appreciated.

I would love to see a picture. How about outline the major block parts 1/4" from seam? I don't do much SID, I like my quilting to show.

You can put just about anything on there, but I agree with pt quilts - if I was hand quilting I'd want it to show some (even if my hand quilting leaves a lot to be desired...). SITD will hide your handwork.

I usually outline stitch, and use stencils for a design in the larger areas. I hand quilt all mine

I have thought about quilting my Farmers Wife top by hand and I have the same question in my mind-just how do I choose to quilt it? There are lots of small size stencils and they are inexpensive. I don't want to just SITD-too much work and not showy enough!

Love this site for stencils..bought a ton from them:
http://quiltingstencils.com/viewallblocks.aspx

I plan on doing some hand quilting in the near future and will be creating my own "stencil" by using the Glad press & seal . I will be placing the plastic wrap on a design I wish to copy.. then using a black marker trace the design....lift the plastic wrap and place on the block and then stitch thru everything...when finished remove the plastic wrap...I understand the plastic has a very light sticky back that doesn't leave a residue on the fabric. I hope it works...

How about something like Baptist fans? An all over design like Baptist fans can really help pull a scrappy quilt together.

Starting in the CENTER of the quilt stitch diagonally through the squares forming a diamond. Then continue on out echoing this for the whole quilt and it will look kind of like a Trip around the World when you're finished

I hand quilt all my quilts. I have gotten addicted to Baptist Fan and it is easy! I don't use a template. Just start an arc in the bottom corner and expand and expand -a finger's width apart . I use 7 rounds and then start another one going at an angle - go seven and then in between the first two. It is easy and fun.
I am sure there are tutorials online, if my directons were clear as mud.
I also really love diagonal cross-hatching, especially for appliqued quilts leaving the applique "puffy" and unquilted.
Around the border, use leaves or hearts or triangles- again just meandering lines with a cardboard template.
Good luck.

I have never done this BUT. I had read a tip about glad press and seal. it had to do with painting. it said to used glad press and seal to protect nearby surfaces. So last week, I was painting a hutch, but didnt want the counter part to get paint on it, so I put on press ans seal, while I applied my 3 coats of paint. it rally worked good for keeping paint off my surface. THEN when I removed it there was a lot of residue on my counter. I tried wiping, then soap, then something stronger, then goo gone!!! the goo gone did work, but I have a new fear of press and seal residue!!!

How about a different "motif" for each block pattern? Could be fun!

The press and seal is a great product but it does have it's limitations. On a totally different sideline I have used it on the back of my large square rulers to keep them from slipping. I have the Invisigrip but ran short and they both work equally well.

I don't like stitch in the ditch - you can't see the stitching and it is often hard to do because of going thru multiple layers. Without seeing the pattern, my first inclination is just put an X thru each block ~ lots of straight lines and you can mark them w/ masking tape. Easy Peasy.

I don't get the purpose of the press & seal??? I just use frixion pen or pencil. It doesn't come off, even w/ the rubbing of my hand over the quilt w/ the hand quilting.

That sounds like a great idea!

I tried to hand quilt through P&S and had a tough time with it. Had to really puncture the P&S and since it's slick, it slowed down my rocking. Works great with machine quilting, but I won't use it for hand-quilting. YMMV.

If your scrappy is very scrappy (with lots and lots of seams) you might want to go with a larger motif, or one of the widely spaced cross-hatch or diagonal lines mentioned before - keeping handquilting even across seams can be difficult, and frustrating! I know it doesn't show off your stitching very much, but SITD on the ditch side of your squares does make it easy to be consistent....

Alison

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. I usually don't have a problem deciding how to handquilt my "masterpieces". This one really had me stumped. I knew I could count on my fellow quilters to help out!

I also hand quilt. The patterns I use are all the traditional ones that "Grandma" would have made so I quilt each block 1/4" from seam. When I look at the ones my DH's grandmother made, that's how she did it and guess what? All the stitches aren't exactly the same length? We admire those so much but somehow don't notice that the stitches are always even. Hand quilters, let's stop being so hard on ourselves! Let's enjoy the process and keep up the tradition of hand quilting!

The easiest way to quilt is echo quilting as you won't be quilting through seams. Stiching in the ditch is the hardest type of hand quilting, or it is for me as I can't stay in the ditch. I like the design to show on the back and this way it is as pretty as the front.

Yes, I hand quilt every quilt - first outlining the design so it stands out. Then when looking at the borders, and/or the rest of the areas around the design, I choose what I feel the person receiving the quilt is like...I put colors and quilting designs according to the person's personality. I know this may sound strange...but we are artists...one of a kind creations!

I am doing the happy dance knowing there are other hand quilters out there. :-)

I like my quilting to show too. And, I can't seem to be able to stay in the ditch. So, I usually echo or what I call shadow quilt about 1/4 to 1/2 inch away from the seam lines. Or, I will follow the pattern of the blocks. Hand quilting is very rewarding. It really doesn't matter how large your stitches are, as long as they are a consitant size. Have fun! Be sure to post when finished!

If and when you try this, let us know how it goes. I tried the P&S for machine quilting and didn't like it at all. I can't see using it for hand quilting because 1) it's another layer (2 actually) to go through and 2) it'd change the whole tactile experience of hand quilting. I could well be wrong, so please be sure to write about your experience trying this, please!

I have hand quilted some. I like outlining 1/4 inch away and I use cookie cutters for heart shapes, stars just whatever I have....stencils are outrageous!

I usually stitch around the squares -or-
cross ( as in "X") in the boxes -or-
a variance of both.
J J

Check out this site..they have reasonable prices on stencils, and a great variety!! Love the ones I ordered from them:
http://quiltingstencils.com/viewallblocks.aspx

I love to hand quilt too. I absolutely love the process and fall in love all over again when the quilt is done. I like to use cross-hatches, which is my hand-quilting version of FMQ stippling. It is somewhat dense and flattens out an area. My lines are usually about 1/2" apart. Actually, I don't know how far apart they are. I just use the lines of an old school ruler I have. I draw the lines based on the contour lines of the ruler. I finally just bought a real 1/4" ruler the other day that will make my lines much more mathematically correct. :-)

From another handquilter: As I see your quilt of 6 inch squares, if it were my quilt, I would quilt a small design in the lighter colored squares and also stitch in the ditch around these squares . I would crosshatch the rest of the top in the diagonal, maybe 1 in apart. My reasons for doing this: Pretty designs show up best on light colors, and, for me, diagonal quilting is quickest and easiest stitching. Just my ideas, lots of good ones here for you to chose from. Happy quilting!

Here are a couple of examples. The butterfly I got from a picture on line, printed it out, traced it onto some stencil material and then free handed the body and antennae. The hearts I just cut out of paper folded in half, like we use to do in elementary school. The little curly Q's that look like ocean waves came from a real stencil I bought at the Houston Quilt festival. For the lines on the blue fabric I used a triangle ruler and traced off the edges every inch or so.

On the fancy cut block with the sailing ships, I free handed to make it look like ocean waves. Then outline stitched the triangles and squares.

These are my first two quilts. I am now quilting on a third. It is fun to be creative, so enjoy.
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This is great advice. I also will echo what someone else said about the PnS creating another layer to hand quilt through. Personally, I would choose another stencil method...perhaps using a ceramic pencil.