Tips of the Trade for a Beginner?
 

Does anyone have any helpful tips of the trade that I should know about when starting a quilt? And any recommended backing that is the best for one who hand quilts? I plan on hand quilting all of my quilts and I would love any advice that people have. Also any other tips that people know about that they learned through their quilting life that I would only learn from mistakes and experience? I'm so eager to begin but I'm also hesitant and I would love to do this first one right the first time.

I wish you the best of luck. Are you going to quilt as you go? Is it applique, pieced or whole cloth? Do you like your quilts super warm, really bulky, or very thin? All of these factors go into deciding what kind of batting you will want. I've been trying to learn everything for years and I'm still a beginner even though I read and read and read.

I took a beginners hand quilting class even though I had been hand quilting for years. And one of the things she did was provide each student with a quilt sandwich of 15 in square - some of it had a design lines and most of it did not. She told us to just sew without the lines so she could view what level she was teaching where to focus - but she also said that almost everyone needs a warm up period, so before you quilt your sandwich - take a few minutes to warm up on this scrap sandwich. That was 15 years ago but I still do it because I don't hand quilt that often and a bit of a warm up helps get the rhythm. Also there is a great book out there for hand quilting. "That Perfect Stitch" by D. MacEleroy. It is well worth the money.

I am fairly new to hand quilting myself. You will need a good thimble that is not too small or too big. From my understanding, the smaller the stitch the better. Judges look for smaller stitches if you are going to enter it into any type of quilt show. I personally don't like my stitches too small or too big so your stitch length is going to be up to you. Learning to rock the needle takes a bit of getting use to. Youtube has a few videos on how to tie your quilting know and how to bury your knots so they aren't visable. Good luck on your journey! Hand quilting takes time. I met a quilter from Japan who had a double wedding ring quilt in the Paducah show. She said it took her 2 years of straight working on the quilt to get it finished. It was amazing!

I have been a hand quilter for at least 40 years. I like to use the extra wide fabric that they sell at Jo anns that comes in several colors. It saves you having to quilt through the seams that are necessary if you have to piece the backing. I suggest you preshrink the backing and iron it before basting together the layers. I use the curved safety pins made for basting. The only problem with them is that they sometimes catch the thread so you have to keep an eye on them and remove them as soon as you finish quilting the area they are holding together. Depending on the size of the quilt I use everything from a rectangular floor frame to a large hoop, 36inches or so that stands on one leg to a smaller handheld round wooden hoop or plastic snap together frame. The thing I like most about hand quilting is that it allows you to watch TV or enjoy participating in the the conversation of others. It is also totally portable. I find it very relaxing.

The only tip I have is not to be cheap when buying quality fabric and tools. A good sale is great but don't buy cheap for cheap's sake. Also don't try to make do, do it right with the right tools. Batting type will make our break your desire to handquilt. I would suggest wool or silk blend for your first try. You will have less frustration and enjoy your quilting much more. If you don't like basting a quilt then I suggest you get a no baste hand quilt floor frame.

i suggest that you not expect "perfection" with your first piece.

On the other hand, there is no reason to be sloppy, either.

Great for you to try to do hand-quilting first. I always encourage new quilters to start with a small project like a table runner since it is going to be a learning experience.

One of the reasons I came to quilting was the hand work. Check out www.jinnybeyer.com she does all her piecing by hand.... I was privileged to attend one of her seminars.... it's exactly what quilting meant to me when I first started on my quilting journey.