the main thing i notice is the crooked lines, something i also do, even now after several quilts. The fixes for that are marking you quilting line by using the painters tape, marking with chalk, soap, marking pencil etc until you get really good at judging that 1/4" line out. i find that if i don't mark some quilting lines are 1/4" out and some are more like "in the ditch". I've just learned to use thimble and for years use my fingernails . The thimble is nice if you can get accustomed to one. i use one that pushes on the side versus the top. i do recommend getting the little piece of rubber you use to pull needle through if you load it with more than 2 stitches. i can load a #10 needle with 4-5 stitches which makes them more consistent in size and straighter than taking a new needle full every 2 stitches.

keep at it! I have to quilt for about 3 hours before I feel that I have got the hang of it. I agree when it is your first hand quilting project I would use thread that matches. I would also look for videos on hand quilting to get some visual help.

You are doing fine for your first time. It takes practice to make the stitches smaller. Try the advice others have given and keep on going. Do not quit.

looks good for a first attempt. i would work on getting smaller stitches and perhaps stitch in the ditch.; Don't give up!!!

I use a band-aid instead of a thimble. Works better for me and is not as clumsy as a thimble.

Hey, for a first time, it looks pretty darn good! If you're this good now, just think what you can become with practice. Like everything hard in life, you just have to practice, practice, practice! Good job, so far. You will be surprised by how good the outside blocks look when you finish this one quilt. Just try to maintain a constant 1/4 inch away from the seams. You are definitely getting there!

Don't be so hard on yourself. Yes, a thimble makes a difference as well as "rocking the needle" but most important--time and practice.

Don't be so hard on yourself. I give you a lot of credit for even attempting to quilt something this difficult. Remember practise makes perfect.

If you are a new quilter you are doing fine.
You will get better with prctice. Buy a good thimble.
Keep it going.

for your first attempt at hand quilting you did very well, it takes lots of practice, and I was told to just try at first to keep your stitches uniform.. Keep up the good work.

I like it.
J J

Great advice.

Hand quitin' is my true love! For years I quilted one "rocked" stitch at a time. I used my fingernails & boy did my fingers git sore. I'd try thimbles but couldn't git 'em ta work. One day I was at a thrift store & they had some thimbles out so I bought one. I put it on &, wow, it didn't fall off. What I realised was the other thimbles I had been tryin' were way too large. When I got a thimble that fit. I kept it with me till my finger got sore. Then I pulled that puppy out & put it on. I had ta be motivated! Now I can't imagine quiltin' without it. I always concentrate on the same size stitches & each quilt I quilt the stitches are smaller that the last one.:) One stitch at a time. Your gonna be a great quilter.:thumbup:

Or you could try another quilting pattern that would avoid going through the seams quite so much. Might make it easier on the fingers. I use a funny thimble designed for people with long fingernails -- the tip is open but there's an extended bit that works like a fingernail. Found it at Walmart.

I like making my stitches 10-12 per inch (counting the up and the down). It's just a length I'm comfortable with, but size of stitch, I think, is less important than getting them straight and even. That, as everyone has said, is a matter of practice, practice, practice. You'll make it!

For the first time, I think it looks fine. It is more important to have equal stitches than small stitches. Yours are pretty equal for the most part. As you continue to quilt, you will learn to make them smaller. My first was all different sizes and it was only a table topper. Practice will improve it as you go along. Everyone is always much more critical of their own work than someone else's work.

It looks fine to me,I wouldn't be game to even try it.

Not bad as first time
I loved the DMC threads (emproidary floss) and just make smaller stitches ( next time) but hand quilting is so attractive

Oh my and thank you for sharing
Have a Blessed day
Ellen

Update: I've been working on my quilting on a piece of muslin with black thread. Here are pictures of the 1st and the 2nd try. Do you know which is which? I'll bet you can tell. :)

[ATTACH=CONFIG]344340[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]344342[/ATTACH]

Now thats why I love this site, all the great advice and help. I tried hand quilting once and it I thought it looked terrible. By the way yours looks 100% better than mine. Now I may try again, at least on a small project.

I think for your first attempt it looks good. Your being far to hard on yourself! The info you get on this board. Some of you say Roxanne quilting needles are easier to thread? I had no idea! I love hand quilting but I have so much problem threading the needles. I have man size hands and I find the needles very small. I wonder if anybody has any suggestions for this.

I looked at your original quilting and the second set of quilting and your practice quilting. I would recommend you start a new thread, such as an update to your original thread, because it seems like you want some more advice and folks don't usually read all the blog entries. This way, some of the same quilters who already posted will see the new thread and look at your progress and possibly comment again.

You must be working with small pieces. In your first try, the stitches were closer and the spaces on either side of the quilting seemed balanced. When you moved a quarter of an inch in, the space changed. This is the difference you see. You should try another block using your first "distance" from the seam and see which one you like better.

I think you are doing very well for your first attempt at hand quilting. It does get better the more you do. I am impatient and feel I should be able to be "close to perfect" within a short period of time. Humility took it's toll and I marched on. By the time I was done with the entire quilt, I was much better.

Good luck! I like your block and you've got a great start on developing your hand quilting skill!!!

We are all imperfect! :)
It looks just fine....and you'll get better as you go!

Not sure if you have your mind set on using the rocking motion, but here's a link to Jean Brown's website: www.jeansimpressions.com Scroll to the bottom of her page for a video of her technique. If you prefer the rocking technique, then look into purchasing Roxanne McElroy's book: That Perfect Stitch. I've read many reviews and everyone speaks very highly of her book. Hope I was able to help!

Two suggestions: You might want to look at a video, such as: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDcLMiR2SAo. Also, your batting will have a big effect on ease of stitching. Wool batting (Dream or Hobb's are both well regarded it seems) is easy to needle. Cotton--it depends; if it has a scrim, it most decidedly is not easy. The easiest ones I've found are Dream Request and one by Bosal--a line called Katahdin. Lovely stuff. Need to go to the Bosal website to find distributors, or contact them to see if they can help you find it in your area. Or order it on-line. Cream Rose also good. I second the motion about The Perfect Stitch, originally by Roxanne McElroy and now in a new second edition by her daughter, Dierdra McElroy. Terrific book, easily findable on-line. Finally, I think you may have to try different methods before you find one that works for you. Nosing around the web, I see that some people prefer hand qulting with hoops, some without. My "quilting heroine" is a Japanese quilter called Shizuko Kuroha, who does not use a hoop or frame, but does baste extensively before quilting. Good luck! I, too, am a novice, but have made good progress thanks to Dierdra's material. I also remember how it was when I first started knitting lo these many years ago. Felt terribly awkward at first, but just kept at it and now can knit quickly, with my eyes closed. (As long as it's simple!).

thimbles aren't expensive, but it needs to suit your finger and your style.

i couldn't figure ti out for the life of me until i took an afternoon workshop. three hours of instruction (or at least it was a three our workshop with a lot of doing) really made the whole process make sense to me. it was well worth the money to take that class :)

i am still slower than empires, but i am consistent. i love it, though sometimes i wish it was much much faster.
it's so meditative. i feel like handquilting stitches your thoughts and feelings right into the fabric.

but don't get sleepy...then you also stitch dna samples in (poke poke).

aileen

NO it doesn't look terrible all your stitches are pretty much the same size, which is a good starting point and not always easy to achieve, you just need to practise at getting them a bit smaller. In fact it looks like 'big stitch' handquilting which is an art in its own right keep going you will get there xx

Here in the UK we can get handquilting needles with a big eye - so much easier - would have thought you could get them as well