Quilter 1234,

Go for it girl! Bible school in Northfield... who would have thunk it?

I am glad to know that there are a few here that does know where I am!

Get that white on white, baste it closely by hand. It is easiest that way because you just quilt over the thread. Use white thread to bastem but not quilting thread. I baste about 2.5 to 3" apart in a grid all over the quilt top. And then I sit down with the quilt in my lap (I don't use a frame for this) and quilt. I use white thread keeping it pristine. They are truly lovely when done.

Take care...

Anita in Northfield

My first quilt was a whole cloth quilt. I won honorable mention in the Marin Ca quilt show. They are nice. I did not have trapunto in it.

KW,

Do you still have it? My son has my first quilt and his wife was given the first white on white (that I marked myself). I should take photos... they have so many of my quilts.

Alll this talk... I am going to have to bring out the quilt that I need to work on and baste it and get started.

Anita in Northfield

Loretta,

And I have seen them where they were actually appliqued, not quilted!!

Yeah, the talk is making me want to quilt like that again in the evening...

Anita in Northfield

does anyone have any tutorials or instruction sites for whole cloth quilting. I haven't found any when I google. Thanks. Quilter1234

You don't need a tutorial!

1) Lay down the backing on a table. Tape it taut, no wrinkles.
2) Lay batting on top of backing.
3) Lay top on batting.
4) Baste closely-- no less than 3" apart
5) Hoop if you choose... I don't.
6. Thread your needles. (I do a minimum of 15)
7. Find the center.
8. Start your stitching.

That is it!!

Anita in Northfield

anita, what is the best fabric to buy to start with.. Do you have a favorite thread and is there a good needle size to use. This is more helpful than you can imagine. Thank you. Quilter1234

A wholecloth is usually an unprinted muslin. You can do either natural or white. I prefer the white. It looks stunning when finished.

Baste with a white poly covered cotton. Don't use pins... they just get in the way when you are quilting, and you need the basting to remain in place until you are finished.

Use a thin batting like warm and white. I prefer cotton...

Use a good cotton thread for quilting, either one made for quilting or just a mercerized cotton. If you use just regular thread, make sure you wax it. You can get the wax and holder at JoAnns if you don't have one.

Make sure you use a thimble! You would not believe the people I have talked to over the years that gave up on quilting because they didn't like the feeling of a thimble. Now I cannot do any hand sewing without one.

As to needles--I use a size 8 or 9. I know that supposedly the smaller the needle the smaller the stitches, but I don't go along with that. All I do is get frustrated because I cannot see to thread the needles! And when I say thread 15, I mean put 15 needles on the thread and pull one off at a time. It is a good indicator of how much thread you are using. I pull out a 2 foot length of thread, wax it, and then put the knot as close to the end as possible. Then I quilt... when the time comes, I put that needle in either an emery sack or the waste basket... You will not believe how many needles get bent, and the 8s or 9s do not bend as easily. If you have 15 needles that means you have used 30 feet of thread. Not much, but when you consider you will probably do that at least 10 times over the course of the quilt top, depending on size, that is a whole lot of thread.

Most of all, relax. This is fun, remember??

Anita in Northfield

Great advice anita211! Just like to add, get yourself some needle pullers, they help a lot, also 505 can be used to help hold it together. Great for lap quilting. When using muslin, make sure it is a good quality. I love the feel of it and it will quilt up beautifully!

Have fun!

Ninnie

thank you very much. Quilter1234