I need some advice, I have a full size quilt that I yet to put sashing and borders on, but I am thinking of hand quilting it when I get ready to quilt? Would I be nuts to try?
I am half tempted to try! Need advice on this, to try or not to try is the question. It is something in the evening that I could do while watching television, so should I?

I think you can do it, and the sooner you start, the sooner you will get finished. I do hand quilting and it is doable, but it won't be fast.

Get with it!!!!!! :lol:

I have always wanted to hand quilt one for the sake of saying that I did one. I say go for it!!!

Billy

Go for it!!! :D :D :D

My first quilt was a whole cloth queen sized all hand quilted. Go for it/ You will never feel more accomplished.

I say go for it

I would if I were you.
Just don't think it...DO IT!

thanks for the encouragement, I am excited and I know it will take time to do, but what a great winter project for the evenings. I got quilting needles and thimbles (the good ones) but do I use quilting thread which is much heavier than regular or regular thread? I know I need even and small stitches. I can do this, I have quilts that my Aunts handstitched the entire quilts. Something so real and close to my heart with those quilts, when I think of my Aunts hand quilting them and how kind they were to me, it is like a part of them is still with me! Both of them have been gone for many years! I really miss them.

Go for it!!!!! I always have one in process. Sometimes wall hanging or baby quilts. Love to hand quilt. My winter project is a queen size with 28 12 1/2 inch blocks. Will probably do one or two on the machine at the same time. I have a large quilt room so I can spread out.
If you enjoy hand quilting, you will be hooked!

If you like hand work, go for it. I do hand embroidery when I watch TV but can't stand to do it if nothing is on. This makes is slow since TV is pretty bad, but if you can live with slow, why not try it?

agreed, not much on tv these days, but dh flips the channels, so hand quilting is something to do, even if it takes me two years I am ok with it. It will be warm to cuddle with while hand sewing. winters here in Illinois can be cold and sometimes long. This will tell me if I like hand quilting or not!

Don't worry about making tiny stitches. Try for more or less even stitches at first.

Go for it. I love to hand quilt and do it on special projects. I usually end up machine quilting gifts just because I get in a time crunch. I find it very theraputic.

Learn and enjoy, you will be amazed how improved your stitching will be by the end of your quilt.

Well.....have you started yet??? :wink:

Yes do it! I hand quilted my very first quilt...it was Queen sized and you will learn a lot! I found it very relaxing.

I use J & P Coats, Dual Duty, extra strong hand quilting thread..
It is cotton and heavier than regular sewing thread. It goes through the eye of the needle very easy. Comes in lots of pretty colors, though I usually use off white or ecru.

You bet ya..............go for it.

I do both hand and machine quilting. I do love the hand quilted. Better to give the grandchildren, because of the personal touch. but do not worry about the small stitches try to just make them all the same size then later you can try for the smaller stitches. I use embroidery thread to baste my quilts . I take a stitch about a foot apart and I use the oval hoops. Much easier for me to handle. You will be so proud.
The machime quilts are beautiful, but the hand quilted are so special.

Nope, you are not nuts. I hand quilt everything including 2 queen sized and 1 full sized quilt. You will find it to be very relaxing and hard to put down. You won't regret it!

My favorite quilts are the ones I hand quilted. Even did meandering by hand on a table runner one time. I chuckle whenever I look at that one.

I have to have something in the evenings during the winter as I like spending time in the same room as DH and he won't come near the sewing room most days! So I sit in the LR and we chat and watch TV while I quilt. Picture of domestic bliss ! LOL

I love to hand quilt!

Wow, Loretta, what a great suggestion!!! I, too, have toyed with the idea of hand-quilting something. Mainly because I want one of those cute little hoops on a stand that I saw in a shop at Shipshewana IN a couple weeks ago. LOL Definitely need to be able to justify that purchase before I make it! The most handwork I have done up to now is finishing bindings. I teach kdg kids all day and some evenings, just going up to my sewing room is work...I'd love an excuse to just cuddle up in my recliner and watch some TV while I quilt. I have a couple twin size quilts in the works....I think I might hurry up and get one of them to my long arm person and let her baste it for me. I, too, could try this out this winter!

My Avatar is my first and i mean first king size',thick batting(no nothing) ,old bed sheet as backing (new quilter+no nothing) hand quilting, a gift to my parents without special occasion and i was :D :D :D as u can say
More than one month quilting + tiered because of the thick batting .

I only hand quilt DO it you will love the way it will come out. Just make sure you have a good thimble or you will get holes in you finger. I use a leather one.

I always use YLI thread for hand quilting. I really like the natural color rather than white. I works with any color.
Have fun!

I am in the middle of hand quilting a queen size double irish chain. I am stitching in the ditch around the small squares and doing a rosebud (white on white) in the big squares. It is on a frame so I don't watch TV when I am doing it but I am not a watcher anyway. I posted pics of it a while back. I don't know if you can still find them.
By the way, I am a glutton for punishment so I handpieced this as well.

I say GO FOR IT!

OmaForFour

I use a leather one also. LOVE it.

I'm a handquilter too and love it for cool/cold months. I use a size 10 needle, so I don't make tiny stitches but aim for consistency. And cotton thread, which I run thru beeswax, and thin cotton batting.

Once you try it you'll be hooked and so proud to show off your work!

I love hand quilting and have done several bed sized quilts. I sit on the couch with the quilt in a large hoop and watch tv and quilt. Slow, but gets it done and I love it.Go for it!! This is how you will learn to do small stitches.

The first quilt I tied. Then I stitched in the ditch for the second one on my machine. I finally got the nerve to do a hand quilting one. I'd always wanted to try one cause that's how my GM and GAs did it. I can always say I did one by hand but alas for me, never again. I could never get my stitches even enuf and for me, it was too slow.

Go ahead and do it! There's something amazingly satisfying about hand quilting.

Oh yes! you should try it ! I love to hand quilt while I 'watch' t.v. listen is more like it.the first thing I hand quilted was a twin, while my daughter was pregnant. It took me about 60 hours to do it. I still love the stitching, althoughI'm not that crazy about the colors in that quilt any longer.Start on something small, see if you like the tecchnique. then go for it. One of the great things about handquilting is,,, you can start another top while you're finishing that one!

i think everyone should 'try' to hand quilt at least one of their quilts...that being said...a small one to start may be the best idea, it is very time consuming and takes practice. if you start small there is a better chance of finishing it. some people take to it like fish in water, others decide it's just 'not my thing' so, if you start with something small by the time you finish it you will know if you want to always have a hand quilting item going or if one was enough...good luck :D

I love to handquilt - have never done a machine quilt - it's funny to see so many people 'braving' the handquilting. That's the way I feel about machine quilting - just haven't 'braved' it yet. :lol:
I use a metal thimble on my right middle finger (to the point that I have found myself leaving the house with it still on my finger!!) and nothing on my left (under the quilt hand) - as I want to be able to feel the needle coming through.
I use a handquilting thread. The brand/weight depends on the look I want.

don't forget thread detangler of your choice. i have used even a birthday candle. and i liked a leather finger on the left hand. then GO FOR IT. my grandma (and me) made their own quilt frame out of l x 3's, padded and leaders put on and 4 C claps. the sides are the same, i made mine about l and 1/2 ft. long. pin your quilt on, roll it, then stretch and clamp. put across 2 chairs, or table and chair, and wally, sit and quilt and take up half the living room. your husband will love you. yrs ago wal-mart sold pvc pipey frames that were nice also. about 3 x 4 work area. everyone has their favorite frame, from big to small.

Just pile it on your lap, tuck a kitty underneath if you have one. You can stencil a design or go free hand. Theres something so relaxing about this. Try straw needles, I just did somehow they work better...and no they're not like straw...relax enjoy :D

sure do it make it work and show us pics :!: :wink:

I like that idea alot! Will Do, thanks

I love to hand quilt -- I think you will too! :D :D