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Hand quilting why is it so?
Why is it that when I hand quilt the stitches on the top are nicely even but the stitches on the backing are crooked?
What am I doing wrong and how can I correct this? |
Are you "stab" stitching?
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mine too. not stab stitching either.
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Ok, to get even stitches the needle needs to go straight down and back up. I think this takes practice. For me my stitches looked better toward the end of my first quilt.
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LOTS of practice. You aren't a machine, you know.
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Maybe you are holding the needle as in sewing...at an angle. The needle has to go straight down and straight up as sewingitalltogether posted. :-)
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All of the above suggestions are good. Also, the batting makes a difference. I avoid batting with scrim. It causes too much drag on the needle. The easiest batting to hand quilt is wool.
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Does it matter what the back looks like? If you've achieved 'nice and even' on the top side, I'd be delighted with that!
I've been hand quilting a Hawaiian needleturn quilt and started with a big hoop. My stitches were huge. I got rid of the hoop for the outer edges and now my sts are much smaller and better looking. Still not really 'nice and even', tho. I think I much prefer quilting with no hoop. |
It is difficult to get perfectly even stitches when hand quilting but the most important tip I can give is, have some slack. I put my work tight in a hoop to make sure all the pieces are wrinkle free. Then I push down with my hand in the center to give me about a 1-1/2 dip to the center of the hoop. This slack gives me the ability to load my needle better. The first stitch is always the most difficult for me so I load my needle with as many stitches as possible before pulling it through. Also don't try for tiny, try for consistent size.
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It's easier to be even and consistent with the front stitches, because you can see the tip of the needle, how big of a stitch you're taking, and exactly where it is landing. Just keep stitching and those backing stitches will improve (that's what I tell myself).
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