hand quilting

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09-25-2016, 04:53 PM

#31

sailsablazin

Senior Member

Join Date: Apr 2011

Location: Spring Lake, Michigan

Posts: 978

Quote:

Originally Posted by elizajo

I've only hand quilted a 40" X 60" baby quilt. My two other attempts at hand quilting larger quilts languished in the UFO pile for far too long. I found that quilting with a hoop feels awkward to me. Once I found Sharon Schamber's you tube video on hoopless hand quilting, I found that I liked it much better. You have to spend more time with secure basting, but I found that I was much more comfortable without a hoop. I practiced a little on a queen-sized quilt before machine quilting to see if I would like hoopless hand quilting my next large quilt, and I think that as long as you find a way to support the weight of the quilt, it works. The top of my bed is 36" off the floor, so I pulled my quilting chair next to my bed to quilt. I like the idea posted above for working between two tables, too.

I have tried quilting with different kinds of thimbles on different fingers and different needles to find the method that allows me to quilt the longest and have consistent stitching. Still haven't settled on the best method for me, but it may be good to switch methods to avoid hand pain.

I also use the Sharon Schamber's method of basting my quilts. It saves my back and knees and WORKS WONDERFULLY!! (Check it out online. It does take an extra day or 2 to baste the quilt if making a queen sized quilt.)
Then I quilt on my lap. When I used no hoops, I ended up with wrinkles on the back of the quilt. Now I use an 14" PVC "Quilt'N Go lap frame" from Joanne's. I am halfway done with my latest queen size and there are NO WRINKLES!! It hold the fabric as tight as I like it---you can quickly adjust tighter or looser.
YUP! This baby is heavy (wool batting) but so easy to hand quilt. And like someone mentioned, I only quilt towards myself and can turn the frame as I need to in order to quilt towards me.
I did try a floor frame (did all kinds of contortions to try to quilt it). Also tried a PVC floor frame (smaller) but my neck and shoulders ached after a while..
I would advise basting it the Sharon Schamber's method and then using This 14" frame....I LOVE IT!!!

09-26-2016, 04:22 AM

#32

maviskw

Super Member

Join Date: May 2012

Location: Central Wisconsin

Posts: 4,391

Quote:

Originally Posted by elizajo

Found the link for the Weightless Quilter: http://www.kenssewingcenter.com/weig...r-p-32861.html

I see the price is $50 higher here. I suppose the $250 price was a special for the expo. She doesn't even advertise it for hand sewing, but as you can see, you could sit where the machine is and keep the bulk of the quilt out of your way and off of you while you hand sew.