I always thought you counted the stitched on the top of the quilt HMK; but I'm probably not the best person to ask. But I'm glad you asked which pushing finger one should use. I was afraid to ask any more questions!! :oops:

I am left handed so it may be different for the righters. I push the needle with my pointer on left hand and receive the holes on right hand corresponding finger. Then when pointer gets holes and is sore I go to the middle finger left to push still receiving pointer on right. And so on until I have holes or sores on all fingers. Then I quit for about a week. Takes that long to heal up.
During that week I cut out for next quilt or crochet. I am making a shell pattern afghan for my son's friend that is getting married this summer.

I could be mistaken, but I believe you count the number of stitches on your needle at any given time other than when you first add a new needle/thread to your quilt. It's supposed to be the number in an inch, I think. I'll check to see if I can find a source online if you cannot find one.

I think they are getting away with the number because the overall consistency seems to be key.

Counting the number of stitches varies by region, I think, as I have heard different methods used. The main thing to watch is that all your stitches are the same size! That takes practice.
Your question about the under, or pricked finger is a good one, especailly in the winter when my fngers crack. I catch the under stitches with my thumb, and it gets pretty sore sometimes. The best thing I have found it to use tape on my thumb. I have used Band-aids, white adhesive tape, duct tape, whatever and they all work. There are little plastic patches you can buy to apply just where you need them, but the bandaid stuff works just about as well and is usually available right now! There is a little metal thimble thing I saw in a quilt store that was designed to place on your under finger/thumb, whatever you use. I bought one, but it is so small, I don't know where I put it, so I don't have any first hand experience using it yet! :?
BTW there is a companion pocked metal thing to put on you pusher finger. The under one has a smooth surface. They adhere with sticky tape that is reusable.

http://www.quilttownusa.com/Town_Hall/ecexperts.htm

http://www.reddawn.net/quilt/handqlt.htm

http://reviews.ebay.com/Antique-Quil...00000000949050

The above are just some of the references available from google. I imagine that there are previous threads as well and will check the search function under the title. There is a fantastic resource written about hand quilting by Ami Simms...It's called How to Improve Your Quilting Stitch. She has illustrations specifically for lefties. It's a great book and a quick read.

I'm so pleased that I inspired you to try hand quilting! I usually inspire people to go for a long walk or take a hot shower or have a big glass of wine or something!

On my left hand I use a gizmo called the Under Thimble. It sticks to your left middle finger, and because it's kind of dome-shaped it deflects the needle and protects your finger from turning to hamburger. It's not bulky at all, and when the glue wears out (takes a while) you can just put another glue disk on it. There's a link below. I use one of those open thimbles on my right hand.

http://store.quilting-warehouse.com/082403.html

I think that consistency in your stitch length is more important than the actual length of your stitches. As you get more and more practice your stitches will get smaller. You might want to practice your hand quilting on a small piece before you go at the big quilt!

I love your quilt. If you want the star to show up well, you might try quilting in black, although white might be better if you're still struggling with stitch length and consistency. Can't wait to see your finished product!

Thanks Harmony. I was admiring your latest red and white creation. Great job on picking out fabrics. Is it yellow brick rd pattern? Take care and thanks again for the inspiration AND the advice! :)

If you get an opportunity, I recommend that you take a class or meet with an experienced quilter who is willing to sit and teach you. This is such a "visual" thing... I could never have learned it from a book.

Sure appreciate all the suggestions and will look into that under thimble thingy but in the meantime will go the tape or bandaid route. Guess there's confusion as to how to count stitches in the quilt world so either way is okay but when someone says they get 15 per inch it's difficult to know if they have counted both the top & bottom or just the top. I'll just continue on the way I've been doing.