Prepare the quilt sandwich and mark the
quilt top with the pattern you want to
quilt. If the quilt is large, support it with an
extra table on the left-hand side of
your sewing machine, if needed.
To reduce bulk, roll up the sides
of the quilt or fold them
inwards and secure with
quilting clips.Start quilting near the centre of
the quilt and work outwards. Begin
a line by stitching on the spot (stitch
length set to 0). Stitch in a consistent
direction where possible.Thread a needle with 12–18in of thread
and tie a knot at the end. Push the
needle through the quilt top and batting
then bring it up to the surface. Pull the
knot through the fabric into the
batting. Make a small
backstitch, take the needle
back into the batting and
bring the needle up to the
surface to start quilting.To start a line of quilting, place your
middle finger at the back where the
n e e d l e w i l l p o ke t h r o u g h. P u s h t h e
needle through vertically until it touches
the finger, then push the tip of the needleF o l l o w y o u r m a r ke d l i n e s , s t i t c h i n g i n l o n g
lines. If possible, start and finish quilting at
the sides of a quilt or project, to reduce the
number of thread ends. If you’re
quilting parallel lines in a grid or
crosshatch pattern, use the width
of the machine foot or a quilting
guide to space the lines out
regularly.Finish the quilting by stitching on
the spot. Some quilters just trim the thread
ends off before moving onto the binding;
others prefer to push the thread ends in the
batting using a hand-sewing needle.back up. Swing the point of the needle over
the fabric, forwards and then back as
vertically as possible into the fabric. Repeat
this to several stitches on the needle.Pull the needle through the quilt
layers so the stitches sit neatly.
Continue in this way, keeping the
stitches a similar size and spacing.
The seam junctions may make
q u i l t i n g d i f f i c u l t , s o j u s t m a ke o n e
stitch at a time in these areas.To finish, make a knot and run the needle
into the batting, pop the knot beneath
the top fabric and trim.It’s worth taking the time to set up the
machine correctly in order to get the best
results. Make up a small quilt sandwich
from the same materials and use it to
check threads, stitch length and tension.
Use a new needle for each new project
and check it’s in the right (central)
position. Attach the correct foot to your
machine – usually this will be a walking or
even-feed foot, or a darning foot for
free-motion stitching. Load the thread
into the machine and select a stitch
length of about 10–12 per inch. Check the
tension to make sure the stitches look
good from the front and back. If they are
looping up at the back, the tension is too
loose. If the bottom thread is showing on
the top, the tension is too tight.
Hand quilting
Hand quilting is great for sewing
beginners and can be very sociable as
you can take it anywhere. You’ll need to
be able to sew a simple running stitch
(see page 151). This will go through all
three layers of the quilt in order to
secure them together.
Here’s what else you’ll need in order
to stitch by hand:
- Needles: For hand quilting, ‘betweens’
are best (also called quilting needles).
They’re short, strong and better suited to
making several stitches through all the
layers of a quilt. They come in various
sizes – start with a size 7 or 8. - Thimble: The needle needs to be
pushed into the work vertically, so to
protect your digits, wear a thimble on
the middle finger of each hand. - Threads: There are many threads you
can use for hand quilting. Your local fabric
shop or favourite website will have lots to
choose from. Pick a thread that
complements your fabric. Try cotton
thread for cotton fabrics or one that
contrasts so the stitches stand out – for
example, shiny rayon thread on linen
fabric. Different threads produce different
effects. If you want your stitches to blend
in, choose a 100% cotton thread in a
neutral colour or a nearly invisible nylon
monofilament. For a decorative effect
choose embroidery threads, variegated
threads, crochet cottons or metallic
threads. If you want to try ‘big stitch
quilting’ (this is a type of hand quilting
with longer, bolder stitches), use a thicker
thread, such as a perle cotton, with a
quilting needle that has a larger eye to
feed the thread through.
When quilting by hand, the stitches
can be worked on your lap or with the
help of an embroidery hoop or quilting
frame (a wooden stand).
These are normally rather
large so you may find it easier
to start off without one, but
give one a try if you get
hooked and find yourself
always with a project
on the go. You usually
start at the centre of
your project and
work outwards.Machine quilt
Hand quilt