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