Ok, so the actual hand quilting is coming along nicely, but I do have a question. I’ve learned to do the running stitch (still walking) by the book as it were, though when I come to the spots where patched are seamed together taking a small stitch is tough due to the many layers of material. Many times I just duck under between the patches but then come out somewhere a bit further from the corner of the second patch than I’d really like. Going over leaves a long stitch and re-stringing would be silly. I've only a couple of patches left on this one. What suggestions do you all have for me?

Morning Steve,
I'm in the middle of a queen size that I'm hand quilting for my niece so I know your pain. What I do, right, wrong, or indifferent is to put the neede through to the back, the push it back through to the front without trying to put multiple stitches on the needle. Sometimes I do a quick backstitch, turn the thing over and make sure it's not ugly on the back side and then get on with the row.

One stitch at a time is time consuming but I feel like my hard work of piecing and then quilting deserve the time. How 'bout you?

Sharon

Well the hand quilting is fun in a way, slow, but rewarding. There is something about the feel and look of a hand stitched quilt that I like a lot. I'm probably going to eventually give the machine a go of it, but figure special quilts, like those for my parents, will get my undivided attention and hand stitches.

I'll give your method a shot on the last couple patches. If I do this for any length of time (as I’m planning) I might as well learn as many tricks as possible. Thanks!

I wonder how many here hand stitch their quilts?

Hi Steve. Those pesky seams can be a problem! LOL I usually just run the thread between the layers until I get to a point that I can start stitching again. If you need to go a long distance, you can put your needle in an inch or so, pull the needle part way out, then while holding the end of your needle, turn it around between the layers and poke it back out on the eye side of the needle. You can keep doing this all the way across a quilt if you want to and never really come up for air LOL. Although, I can't imagine any reason why someone would need to do that! LOL I'm just saying there isn't any length that's too long for this technique. If it makes you feel better to have stitches even across those seams, then you can do the one stitch at a time thing like mimi suggested. If you don't mind skipping over the seams, just be careful where you bring your needle up on the other side. You should do fine. :)
Also, I agree that family or heirloom quilts should be hand quilted whenever possible. I wish I had more time to devote to my hand work. I still make sure the ones that are really important to me are done that way.

I do the one stitch at a time on the bulky areas, too. If it is not quilted, sometimes the seams and bulky areas raise up and ruin the look of the quilted pattern. I love to hand quilt. A big quilt on a machine would drive me nuts, DH says it is a short trip. lol He knows me too well.
Glad too that we another guy on the forum. Now we have two to pick on......eeeh, I mean joke around with while showing the greatest respect.

Great idea and it works on the tough spots.

I finished the blocks today and am outlining the borders now. I asked Leslee and she says the border won’t require the hoop, just to make sure the back edge is flat since the inside quilting will hold the piece in place. She did suggest going ahead and basting it when I turn the back to finish. Should work.

It’s funny how much I’ve learned over the last month and especially the last two weeks when putting the knowledge into practice.

I’ve a funny story about readying the new quilt. I took some fat quarters over to the friends whose baby gets the next one. I showed them the quilt and the baby (1 ½ year old) got excited. Asking him if he’d like a quilt, I took out some fat quarters of blues and yellows and had him pick out two of each. He understood and pointed to the blue ones he liked. Then he pointed at one yellow but hesitated. He kept floating his finger over a yellow with blue flowers, obviously wanting it but thinking the blue flowers made it a blue piece. I said “Yes that has blue flowers but it is yellow in back too, do you want that one?” He started pointing at it and shaking his head yes. Cool! The funny part is the quarters he picked are an awesome combination. I just hope I can fill in the blanks and make it nice for him. He’s going to be weaned in the next few weeks and will need some comfort.

Hi Steve, sounds like you're going great guns, can't wait to see your quilt. I love to hand quilt especially on hand pieced and applique work. I do the stab stitch over the seams, which I think is the same thing as the others have described. For hand quilting I also try to avoid seams in the backing, just saves a bit of work :-)

I don't always have time to hand quilt but love it. Some times I will combine the two by machining the straight lines ie in the ditch, where quilting dosen't show up as much. Then save the areas where I have a bit of open space to showcase a bit of hand quilting.

" I don't always have time to hand quilt but love it. Some times I will combine the two by machining the straight lines ie in the ditch, where quilting dosen't show up as much. Then save the areas where I have a bit of open space to showcase a bit of hand quilting"

What shelly said here is how I completed my last one. Use the machine at great speeds for the wide open spaces--stitching in the ditch and hand quilted the other parts. I just couldn't seem to get the quilt to turn when it was suppose to around the curves, so out of desperation, I hand quilted around the flowers. I would have liked more stitching but had already used fuible webbing o hold everything an dplace and knew I'd never get a hand needle through lall the layers.
Can't wait to see both of them. You are hooked big time :!: :lol:

hmmmm ... Tim goes on vacation; Steve shows up.

coincidence?

ok, Steve. prove you're Steve and not Tim in disguise, testing our loyalty

:wink:

AHA! good point. Steve, tell us how you feel about flying geese.

Well, I was Steve last time I looked. Besides, if I were on vacation I'd be getting a lot more quilting done. Also Leslee works with me, and can verify I'm only one guy (thus far). If you'd like further proof I suppose I could send you a link to my Blog so you can peruse the writ, though I thought that a bit presumptuous to post on a quilting group.

I went and looked up the pattern for flying geese. Unsure if and when I'll get to it, but like it. It doesn't look too hard but then again I've yet to try triangles. I figure to try triangles either on the next quilt or the one after. One step at a time...

The piecing on this one was by hand, but I just wanted the experience of hand quilting, which I turned out liking a lot. It’s frustrating at times, but the top feels fantastic. Hopefully I’ll get the borders done in the next day or so. I’m just running a line along the borders and leaving the outer edge to turn. Leslee says that if I double it (the binding) by rolling it over, it will be more durable in the long run. The only thing that has me worried now is the mitering of the corners, but figure what the hey, it’s just another thing to learn.

Oh, and I figured another thing out. My machine is a smaller Janome (Quilter’s Dream) without an extended table. What I’m going to do is set it on my kitchen table and stack up my two butcher-block cutting boards that I use for dough (after scrubbing) left of the machine to raise up the piece I’m working on. It should give me an extra two feet of support. Cool beans. Where there’s a will there’s a way!

Way to go, Kathy!!! Great question about the geese. Everybody here knows Tim would have written volumes about the "%&#@@%#" geese, so y'know the answer had to come from Steve!!! :lol:

Yeah but, there is still one more way to be sure. Demand to see if he has a missing toe. If they are all there,then we know for certain that its not Tim in disguise! :lol:

except i finally caved in and gave back the stupid toe. if "Steve" posts a picture of his feet, make sure all 10 toes are a nice, healthy pink - with no stitch scars.

:wink:

Well, Steve can't be Tim because he likes flying geese. Tim would never say that. Plus, he has not taken a swing at Patrice yet. Is it possible that there ARE two men that are brave enough to hang out with this many women???? :lol:

I understanding the quilting fetish but eew, you lost me with the toes.

So tell me more about flying geese, I saw several pics. On google which were all relatively different but did for the most part take on the formation of geese in flight. I don't really know for instance why it wasn't called say, flying ducks? Any good links to the pattern, and who here has done a quilt with the pattern? Is it particularly difficult?

Oh yeah Norah it isn't bravery, for me anyway, just a thirst for knowledge; and if women then just happen to know the answers, so be it. It’s funny how home cooking use to be considered primarily a women’s domain, but now most of the women I know tend to ask me the cooking questions.

OK Patrice, we know you didn't "cave" how may FQs did you get? I want some and a 6pack of DC also.

Steve, you'll do just fine here (keep your shoes on and don't cross her!

Isn't it great getting the little ones involved....I have always let my kids pick the outfits and colors they liked...got a few stares and shaking heads when they would see I was asking a 9 month old :roll: ....but they didn't have to put up with the fussing and trying to get the outfit off they would do when it was one they didn't like. :D Cant wait to see the quilt the little one picked. You go Steve. 8)

I'm planning that one in my head. I'll need to go get additional fabric to fit the quarters (oh dear) but look forward to the day I give it to him.

I remember everytime, as a child, I was around quilting, the colors, small pieces and quiet stitching made quite an impression.

You never know! I've seen stranger things than that before. We might actually have two converts! :lol:

Steve, I gotta tell you, you're my kind of guy. I have two sons, both in their thirties, and they are quilters, and the best cooks. It is a good thing I taught them everything they needed to know about how to take care of themselves and a household, because both of them married women that don't know how to cook, much less all the other things they need to know. I really admire a man that will dive in and learn. That is very macho to me.

Ok Steve, here is a link to the afore mentioned Toegate scandal, http://www.quiltingboard.com/posts/list/15/1340.page check it out and give yourself a good chuckle :mrgreen:

Hi Steve! I'm a Flying Geese fan! The first whole quilt that I designed & um, completed (can't bring myself to use the "f****hed" word), was a flying geese quilt. If you go to the topic "Pictures of your sewing room!" here - http://www.quiltingboard.com/posts/list/15/1371.page - you can see it hanging behind my sewing machine. That one was made the "old fashioned" way, actually using real triangles! Since then I've learned to make them using rectangles & squares instead. (Put the square on the corner of the rectangle & sew across the diagonal & fold back to make the triangle). I've also paper-pieced them so they can fly in curves instead of straight lines (See the picture here of the name tag I made for a friend) AND I've just learned how to make them using only ONE seam!!! I am going to try to write out directions for that technique that others could understand, and when I do I'll post it here.
I admit, I don't know why they are geese and not ducks, and sometimes they turn into star points too. Maybe just because "geese" sounds smooooother than "ducks". :D It's one of those secrets lost to time....like most quilt block names!
I can't wait to see more of your quilts!
Tried to change to a brighter picture, but it won't let me, but if you click on "download" you can see it better.

who turned out the lites?!!!!!!

I like the flying geese Sue. I’ve seen a lot of variation browsing the net this morning and just added one to the to do list (growing ever longer).

The “toegate scandal” was funny Shelly, I figured it had something to do with his picture. I’m rather surprised someone hasn’t sewn it into a quilt yet.

The free hand quilting (without frame) around the borders has proven easier than I had thought. I just keep reminding myself to stretch the fabric after each run to keep it tight. The ¼ I’d planned on turned out a bit bigger in order to miss the seams underneath, but that aside am encountering few problems. What I planned on spending a few days on should be done in a couple. It’s also giving me time to work on the running stitch a bit more since they are straight lines. I like the way it puckers a bit more than when in the frame, it makes my stitching more even provided I don’t get tense. The only spot that it’s a bit wonky is where I tried to hurry it a bit in the center before the string gave out. Silly really because the stitch will be waiting no matter when it gets done. It’s easy, “There is no timeline” is what I need to constantly remind myself. Sit back, relax and quilt.

I’m planning on using flannel for the batting in my next quilt and see if it hand stitches a little easier. Being in sunny California, I figure that the baby will need the heat of a poly filled quilt anyway.
:D

Thank you to Kathy, I think it was her, for making sure it was really Steve and not Tim.

I think it's cool that we have 2 guys on here...both with personality.

Steve, I took a quilting class 4 years ago (my first and only so far) on beginning quilting. It was a sampler that had 9 patch, half square triangles, hour glasses, and *#(*&!#($*& flying geese. I'm not sure which is worse the flying geese or those *#@(*&% hour glasses. I absolutely HATE triangles. I've tried the old fashioned way, I was originally taught with some short cuts, I've even had friends show me their neat tools for working with triangles. I have a very good friend who is currently making a 1000 pyramid with all the triangles being of different fabric. I tell her every chance I get that I think she was dropped on her head as an infant.

I LOVE to hand quilt, and was just given my first frame. I quilt for charity and we meet once a week. We always have a quilt in the frame so I've learned different things to. To answer your question from your first post...when there are bulky seams that are together in the same spot I will do one stitch at a time and use a backstitch if I have to. One of the most talented quilter's I have EVER met quilts very fast. All of her stitches are perfectly even and she makes them ONE AT A TIME!!! I "rock" my needle and am only comfy with 3 or 4 stitches at a time. I stitch in the ditch as often as I can. It hides the stitching on the front and will give it a cute look on the back.

I have yet to try any decorative quilting, so I'd love to hear your impressions on it. If you would like to see my latest venture (4 years but I'm still very much a beginner), http://www.quiltingboard.com/posts/list/3122.page I have some pics posted there. I'll quilt according to the pic in the magazine. Diagonally across all the little squares. I don't know what I'll do with the prissy cut part yet.

Again....great to see another guy on here. I hope I can get my boys interested in quilting.

Melissa

I love to hand quilt, I wish I had the time to hand quilt all the quilts I do. I love the look, and feel great when it is complete Oh but when do we ever have the time we would like to?
Deb :mrgreen:

I also love to hand quilt, but then I love the quiet of the mornings before the world begins to come alive and also enjoy quiet any other time. I just find it peaceful and relaxing and it gets something of a meditative quality to it, much the same as hand piecing does, for me at least!

Helen

I'm glad this topic came up. I'm just learning to hand quilt and found those pesky seams were causing me alot of trouble. I thought it was just me. I'll try the tips and see how it goes.