How To Do Hand Quilting For Beginners, is a step by step tutorial that will help you to do the hand quilting on your new quilt, giving it the traditional quilting, look and texture, any beginner can do!
What Is Hand Quilting?
Hand Quilting is the method of stitching together the three layers of a quilt, (batting between two layers of fabric) as you work on making quilting patterns on the quilt, it requires the use of a quilting needle and a thread for quilting. It can be done with small stitches like on traditional quilts, or you can make long stitches.
Why To Do Hand Quilting?
In times when everything is done fast, working on the hand quilting will take longer to finish a quilt, but it will give it not only the traditional look to the quilt, but also a nice texture.
There are beautiful examples of quilting made by machine, but if you want to work on your quilt in the tradition way, you need to work on the hand quilting, it is worth every stitch you make on your quilt!
What You Need To Do Hand Quilting
When working on the hand quilting on your new quilt, there are a few must have supplies.
- Needles – Using the right size of needle will help you to work better on this step of making a quilt. Most pros will recommend using a quilting needle size # 10, the eye is big enough and needle is strong enough to help you to make a perfect hand stitching on your quilt.
- Quilting Thread – When I started to make quilts, the teacher recommended to use only polyester 100 % thread, but today you can find excellent quality of cotton thread for quilting, you can purchase quilting thread from your favorite brand.
- Quilting Hoops – I only recommend using them if you’re ready to work with them.
- Scissors – A good sharp pair of scissors will be a great help to trim all the thread you will be using.
- Thimble – A must have, it will help you to work on the hand quilting by protecting the finger that push the needle.
Video
Hand Quilting Tutorial
When you’re new to hand quilting, it will be better if you start on a small quilt. All steps will be same for small or big quilts.
1 – Thread your needle – Thread should be 18 ” long, longer thread tends to tangle and it will be harder for you to work on the quilting. Any shorter, and it will require you to work on the start and ending of each thread often. Tie a small knot at the end of the thread.
2 – Start Quilting – Place the needle close to the point where you want to start quilting, on the right side of the quilt, pull out the needle on the right stop where you will start the quilting, once the knot gets on the fabric, give a slight tug to help the knot to get into the batting fabric, (don’t pull all the way through, in case you do, start all over again), by doing this step the knot will be hidden inside the quilt.
3 – Load the Stitches – When working on the hand quilting, don’t pull all the thread out as your hand guides needle up and down, load two or three stitches on your needle instead, then you can pull out your needle, keep working this way and pay attention to keep even the tension every time you pull out the needle.
4 – Securing Thread To End – When thread is getting shorter, make a back stitch and wind thread twice on your needle close to the quilt top, holding the thread wraps, run the needle tip through the quilt top and batting layers only, rock the needle tip back up, bringing the needle up 1/2 to 1″ away from the stitching.
Tug gently on the thread, to pop the knot through the quilt top and embed it in the batting. Clip the thread close to the quilt top
What Quilting Pattern To Follow On The Floral Quilt?
I like to work on the hand quilting by working on the big areas on each block by making rows of hand quilting, you can follow this pattern or you can pick to work on any other classic quilting pattern.
Get Your Quilt Ready For Next Step
On the next step, we will work to finish this quilt, as a rule, I like to finish the hand quilting by making a basting stitching on the edge of the top, this way my quilt will be ready to work on the bias.
How Long Does It Take To Make The Hand Quilting?
There’s no a rule on how long will it take you to finish the hand quilting on your new quilt, it will depend on the quilt size and the pattern you are making.
As a tip to a new quilter, I can say it’s better to work on a small size quilt as a beginner to finish it in a few days or hours, when you know all the work that is involved in making a quilt, then you can decide to make a regular size quilt.
How To Do Hand Quilting For Beginners Closing Thoughts
I hope you have enjoyed as mush as I did working on the Floral Quilt, this has been a FREE Quilting course to share with you some different techniques to make applique flowers, I’m sure if you make this small quilt, you will learn how to make a new quilt from the beginning to the end. On the next lesson we’ll be working on finishing the quilt with a self-bias, an easy technique to give the final stitches to any quilt.
I hope you like this tutorial and you make the quilt, I would love to hear from you, you can leave a comment below.
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Happy Hand Quilting!