Garylester

Mitch's Mom, Keep at the hand quilting. You'll come to love it. I certainly have. I've got everything down except the straight and even stitches part. But it's enjoyable and the results suite me, because I improve little by little as time goes on. The best part is that after awhile it just starts to come naturally (I think it's called muscle memory). I can now just sit and relax and enjoy the beautiful quilt on my lap. So, just keep doing it.

Butterflyblue

Well, I have to admit, the first day or two of hand-quilting were anything but relaxing for me, but if you persevere (and look for some good online videos and tutorials) eventually it will all come together and be fun.

Nurse Jan

I also have watched Alex and all the other quilting shows and they have all scared the heck out of me. Had me thinking their way was the only way to hand quilt and the only way to have a professional looking quilt. What a relief to know that it's okay to do what works best for me. Thanks all of you.

AshleyR

I enjoyed this post so much!! I quilted with a hoop for years and finally got a Qsnap and I don't like it one bit! And using it causes me to have back problems!!
I am a hand quilter because I don't know how to use a machine! I'm jealous of everyone who can piece and who can machine quilt while I'm just poking along :) But I do enjoy quilting, even though I got away from it for 10 years- I'm glad to be back!
I'm in TN, too (Knoxville). If you're close, we can help each other!

AshleyR

I'll help you hand-quilt, if you'll help me with my quilt frame!

NJ Quilter

It sounds like the q-snap frame is your primary issue. Either don't use a hoop at all or go to JoAnn's fabrics and get a round or oval 14" frame. They are dirt cheap there. It's all I use. So much better than big $$ for some other frames. Use the stab-stich (one stitch at a time) method until you become more comfortable. You will eventually develop a callous on your 'under' finger. Until then, blood loss is inevitable. Even after, sometimes. I usa Roxanne needles and a Thimblelady stainless steel thimble. Get one of the plastic ones first to see if that works for you. You push with the pad of your finger with them instead of the tip...might be better for you. I also like her needles - they are longer and sometimes easier to manage but it depends on your batting...IMO. I use Warm & Natural batting so not so much. So the Roxanne's work better for me. I hate John James needles. Can't use them. But it's personal preference. You WILL find what works for you.

KerryK

Loved your post! It feels good to laugh! (Laugh with, not at!) My first quilt was a king-size quilt for my daughter. Yeah, I jumped in feet first, didn't give a thought that maybe I couldn't handle it. So, I just did it! A lady at my office gave me limited instructions. I hand pieced it and hand quilted it. What I used, and it worked fine for me, was the Q-Snap floor frame (although now I sometimes just quilt hoopless.) I used a #10 between from Wal-Mart, have no idea what brand it was. I used one of those cheapie little plastic thimbles, one size fits all, and still love them to this day! I stuck and bled, too - goes with the territory. I found some little plastic sticky things to put on the pad of your finger to protect it from sticks. Love those little things! They helped sooooo much. Bottom line is, I really didn't know what I was doing, but stuck with it until it was done. Just a bowtie pattern, nothing fancy. Used Warm & Natural cotton batting. That quilt turned out so pretty and is still one of my favorites! (Haven't made that many yet, just now working on #6.) The quilt police would probably tear it to pieces, but I, and my daughter, love that quilt. So please, don't give up! Hang in there. You'll be so glad you did. I still love to hand piece and hand quilt, and I think you will, too, because the desire is there. Good luck!

lfw045

You might just be one of us who hates frames and hoops and prefers to hand quilt without anything of the sort. Try it....make sure you have basted it sufficiently and start in the middle and go for it. You'll never look at a frame or hoop again.

Sheila_H

I'm with her I bought all of the stuff needed for the Hand Quilting class, tore my fingers up, can't work comfortably with thimble, we were working from the 14" hoop but I never quite figured it out. I just think I'm better off with machine quilting. I feel quilty because I normally don't back down to a challenge.
If your working with small pieces like for a scrappy pattern as your working on the pieces you don't have a piece big enough to go in the hoop. I almost feel defeated with it maybe in the new yr I'll try and do some work on it again. My problem is writing down instructions doesn't help me much I need someone to show me the steps and then I'm ok.

janedee

don't give up it will come to you naturally with a bit of practice - I never got on with a frame and once I stopped using one I was off and running - also try a longer needle to start with and then work your way down to a smaller one because just mastering using a teeny tiny needle is in a world of its own