All about Quilting
correct (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 149). This will go through all the
layers of the quilt in order to secure them
together. Here’s what else you’ll need to
stitch by hand:
sNeedles 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.
sThimble 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.
sThreads There are many, 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
a 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.
Beginner’s Guide to Quilting 73(^1) 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 if
needed. To reduce bulk, roll up the
sides of the quilt or fold them inwards
and secure with quilting clips.
(^2) Start quilting near the centre and
work outwards. Begin a line by stitching
on the spot (stitch length set to 0). Stitch
in a consistent direction where possible.
How to
machine quilt
How to
hand quilt
(^1) Thread a needle with 12-18in of
thread with a knot at the end. To start,
push the needle through the quilt top
and wadding only then bring it up to the
surface, a short distance away. Pull on
the thread to pull the knot through the
fabric into the wadding. Make a small
backstitch, take the needle back into
the wadding and bring the needle up
to the surface to start quilting.
(^2) To start a line of quilting, place your
middle finger at the back where the
needle will poke through. Push the
(^3) Follow your marked lines, stitching in
long uninterrupted lines. If possible,
start and finish quilting at the sides of a
quilt or project, to reduce the number of
thread ends you’ll need to finish off.
If you’re quilting parallel lines in a grid
pattern or crosshatch pattern, use the
width of the machine foot to space the
lines out regularly. Or use a quilting
guide to keep wider spacing neat.
(^4) 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 wadding using a
hand-sewing needle.
needle through vertically until it touches
the finger. Using a rocking motion, push
the tip of the 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.
(^3) 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 quilting difficult, so just
make one stitch at a time or use a
stabbing motion in these areas.
(^4) To finish, make a knot and run the
needle into the wadding, pop the knot
beneath the top fabric and trim.
©
Love Patchwork & Quilting
, issue 2 –
bit.ly//1gmNQGn
.
Freestyle quilt by
Judith Dahmen