Hand Quilting - Getting Started

How many of you hand quilt some (or all) of your small quilts?  For awhile it seemed to be somewhat of a dying art. But now I'm hearing that there's been a surge in popularity and quilters are being drawn to hand piecing and slow stitching. And I'm always happy to see quilters pick up a needle and thimble and try it. Hand quilting a small quilt is a great way to get started. While hand quilting a large quilt can take a really long time, quilting a small quilt can be done quickly and is just as rewarding. I hear people say they don't have the patience for it but I've found that the patience needed actually comes from the focus and attention paid while you're doing it. Enter the small quilt with simple stitches.

Simple stitches are perfect for hand quilting small quilts. Sometimes you don't need to do much quilting at all to give a primitive, childlike look to a piece. And they don't necessarily need to be perfect. Take a look at antique quilts and see that the stitches are almost never perfect. Some are, but I love the  ones that are not quite exact so you get a sense of the human effort that was involved. The average quilter from long ago was not always making her quilts to purposely enter them in quilt shows. 

Hand quilting doesn't have to be fancy and there are no rules that say you have to be an expert and your stitches have to be perfect before you do it. I do it for fun and relaxation and because I love the look.

I've been asked about the thread and needles I use for hand quilting. I have to stress that everyone is different. And so what works for me may not be right for you. You have to try a few things to see what works best. But here's some things that might help - 

  *   I like YLI hand quilting thread in light brown. Sometimes hard to find. Try eBay, Etsy or Red Rock Threads. Or the YLI company. Cotton thread is best. Look for one that's coated with a glaze that allows the thread to withstand the stress of being pulled stitch after stitch without shredding. 

                           

  *  There is no CORRECT needle to use for hand quilting. Because everyone is different, what is comfortable for me to use may not be right for you. The needle you use can make a huge difference. It should be one you can handle and thread easily or your quilting adventures will be disappointing and frustrating. You will need to select the needle you feel most comfortable using and should try several to see which one fits YOU. Don't give up on quilting until you try several different needle sizes and brands. I often use a different needle depending on the fabric used in the project I am quilting or how my hands are feeling that day.  

                             

*  Some quilters prefer short needles, some prefer long, thin needles. Small Between needles are always difficult for me. But that's what you hear most quilters say they use. I've been happy with this size 9 by Richard Hemming lately. Not too short. Or John James Gold 'n Glide needles. Or I'll use a longer sharp needle on other days if my hands are feeling kind of stiff or the backing fabric I'm using is starched or stiffer than usual. Clover Milliners' Gold Eye are good. Bohin is a trusted brand. So is Tulip. There are lots of different needles out there to try. check your local quilt shop if you get confused. Packages of needles are pretty cheap so get a few and try them out. Some come in packages of assorted sizes. You may have to practice to see what you're comfortable using. 

My quilting improved when I began to use a longer, thinner needle instead of the tiny needle other quilters told me I should be using. I found I could also load more stitches on the needle and my hand did not tire as rapidly. Know what? The Quilt Police won't even know what needle you're using. My advice: pick a needle that is easiest for you to use. The right needle for you is the one that will allow you to quilt without frustration or pain. Do what makes quilting enjoyable for you. 

                               

                     

*  Some fabrics are more difficult to quilt through so you may want to try a sharper needle if you have trouble. Starched blocks make hand quilting more difficult too. I try to make sure my backing fabric is soft and not too stiff. Makes it easier on my hands. John James Gold 'n Glide needles work great for me. This is a big reason I do not starch my blocks. Yes, you may get a crisper look to your piecing but it's harder to quilt through. 

                              

*  Cotton batting always works best for me. Quilters Dream Cotton "Request" is my favorite right now for an antique look in small quilts. Polyester batting is easier to quilt through but gives a "puffy" look. Flannel seems too flat for me but it's another popular option quilters recommend. If you buy the Quilters Dream cotton, careful - Quilters Dream Cotton "Select" is a little thicker so better for larger quilts.

*  I mark my quilting lines with a washable marker.  Then just stitch on the lines.

I like the Clover brand. Blue ink pens for marking light fabrics and white ink for dark fabrics. You can see the blue lines drawn in the triangles that I then stitched along. The ink from these Clover pens comes out with a cold, damp cloth rubbed across the lines. I've found that cold water is best as warm or hot water might heat set the lines and make the ink a little more difficult to remove.  Always test on a scrap first and follow instructions on the product you're using. Do NOT press with a hot iron. 

There's also a product called Tiger Tape that comes on a roll. You set it on the places you wish to quilt instead of marking a line. Then stitch along the tape which has lines and markings to follow to help your stitches come out straight and evenly spaced. Even now I will sometimes place masking tape across a block and follow along the edge with my stiches so I get a straight line. 

I really enjoyed hand quilting parts of my Schoolgirl Sampler. Simple stitches worked well for this one. Take it one block at  time . . . . 

If you've tried and given up, Remember, it may not be YOU - it could be the needle, fabric or batting you're using. 

I would love to say I hand quilt all of my quilts but, like many of you, who has the time?? So I do my best and enjoy putting in some simple stitches on my small quilts. Nothing fancy, just enough to give the quilt a little bit of dimension. Hand quilting should be a pleasant, relaxing venture. And it may take awhile to find your rhythm so try different tools to see what makes it most comfortable. Practice! Here's an idea - When I first started quilting I practiced on pre-printed fabric panels. I layered them with batting and backing and just followed the lines on the design. That way I didn't feel like I was ruining a nice quilt I'd pieced if I made a mistake or my stitches were a little wonky. 

I'm far from being an expert on hand quilting, but think about some of my suggestions or ask around at your local shop or guild. Look up some hand quilting videos on YouTube. And then, go ahead, mark your quilt and get started! Hand quilting is fun. It's well worth the effort. But you won't really know until you try.          

                                                                        -Kathy

Try This Easy Quilting Design

I fell in love with Orange Peels when I made this quilt for my book Remembering Adelia. That was a long time ago but I honestly think many of the quilts we make with reproduction fabrics stand up to the test of time, don't you? I will never get tired of them, no matter how old they are. Certain patterns are just timeless.

                                

This was such a fun quilt to make and really good practice for hand applique with the simple shapes. Here's an entertaining link if you're interested in the history of this pattern. Some historians say it dates back to the American Revolution. 

I used that peel pattern as a quilting design on the Pink Patches quilt in my book, The Civil War Sewing Circle. 

You can easily make a template in a peel shape for your quilting design and mark the top with a washable marker. You might even find a peel stencil. Instead of using a stencil or making my own from template plastic, here's what I did:

I marked the center of the block and then traced around a small bowl with a water soluble marking pen to make a half circle on one side. (Experiment with a bowl or plate that has the right arc that fits your block.) Then I turned the quilt and used the bowl again to trace intersecting half circles around each side of the block. Better than a template because you can do it easily with any size block, large or small - just find the right bowl with a nice arc. Here's a sample square:

Then turn the block and mark on the other two sides with  half circles the same way.

The half circles intersect and you get this peel design when you mark each side of the block with an arc.

Then, just quilt on the lines and dampen or wash the quilt gently to remove all traces of the marking pen. It was easy to do this on a small quilt and it turned out very nice, I think. I'm not sure I'd try it on a larger quilt unless I had a lot of time. You can also mark circles between the blocks to get the same Orange Peel design but doing it this way gave me a little more control as I was working on each block. I especially like the way it looks on the plain blocks where the stitches stand out a little more.

Oh, and if you haven't tried it yet, my favorite quilting thread is YLI quilting thread. Not sure if it's still available in this color but I'm very partial to the light brown as it gives a nice antique look when stitched on both light and dark fabrics. 

Next week I'll try to reprise my tips on hand quilting for those of you just starting out. 

Enjoy your weekend!  I'm already thinking of fall . . . . Still much too hot here in Chicagoland. 

Summertime Quilts

Checking in LATE for July. I haven't posted in awhile but here's my excuse: it always takes me so long to take and upload photos and then think of something clever to write. I get busy with family stuff and gardening and then I get lazy. And all I want to do is pick up a good book and stay inside when it's as hot as it's been here in Chicagoland. 

It seems like July is always red, white and blue month for many quilters. I do love the look of quilts made with red, white and blue fabrics plus stars. And I am always on the lookout for some pretty prints that combine both red and blue. Especially those with a reproduction theme.

Here's a little tour of some of my favorite July quilts.

                         Martha Washington Stars quilt.                  

Civil War Stars

Little Heart Flag quilt. 

        Dolley Madison Star quilts 

Patriotic Stars Row Quilt using blocks from the Schoolgirl Sampler book. (Quilt made by Sue Bennett so not really mine per se but I love it so much and it's in my book so it's sort of mine. Right, Sue? LOL) 

Earlier in the month in my Facebook group we had a Patriotic Pincushion Parade for July 4. First time in a really long time. It's always fun to see what everyone comes up with.

I'm hoping to blog a little more often in the coming months. Maybe even try another little sew along in September. So bookmark my blog if you can and check back. We'll see what happens. You can visit my Etsy shop for patterns for some of these quilts and pins. It's not too late to make a RWB quilt or pin for July!

                                                                                                                     Kathy

Monthly Challenge Quilts

Those of you who joined in my KT Monthly Quilt challenge late last year or earlier this year - we're resuming the challenges in my Facebook group. We took a little detour to do the Civil War Mini quilt during April. But there are lots of quilters in my FB group who want to continue to challenge themselves to make one of my quilts each month. So we'll do that on a monthly basis as long as there's some interest.

Here's how it works: Each month, pick a quilt from one of patterns in my books (or check out my Etsy shop) and work on it a little bit each week for the next month. No pressure, just fun.

Join me on May to start or finish another of these little quilts. Or maybe a large one? I'll be happy to give you a nudge each week to keep going and get it finished. I might even finish something myself!

It's so much fun to make simple little things . . . . Check out some quilts you may like to make by visiting my Instagram page or previous blog posts. And see Kathleen Tracy Quilts on Facebook groups for more details.

Civil War Mini Row Quilt - Finishing Up

It took me a few days to go through most of my Civil War/reproduction fabrics to select the borders but I think I chose the right ones for this quilt. 

Set your blocks in five rows of four blocks and add a one-inch sashing in between (cut 1 1/2" strips). The borders should be cut 2 1/2" wide.  

You'll find the complete finishing directions in the Facebook group files and also up on my website. Take your time and find some border fabrics that match the colors in your quilt top. Remember that it's a busy quilt with very scrappy blocks so maybe try to find a border that isn't too busy and doesn't compete with those blocks. Don't hesitate to set it aside and come back to it if nothing speaks to you right away. It will all work out. If you don't care for the mismatched borders like mine, select your own setting. Add corner squares or maybe you don't even need to have a border on it. Lots of antique quilts were made without borders. Good luck! I had a lot of fun with this one so thanks for participating. It's been so much fun to see your enthusiasm and your beautiful blocks in the Facebook group.  We'll have to do it again someday.

Civil War Mini Quilt - Block #5

 Here's Block # 5 for my Civil War Mini Quilt sew along - Churn Dash

 You'll find the instructions in my Facebook group files or on my website. Click on the top tab for the Sew Along page.  

Sew the four blocks into a row. We'll be making a mini row quilt with 5 rows of these tiny blocks. These little ones take some patience but if you slow down, cut accurately and then sew with a scant 1/4" seam you should have no trouble. 

This is the last block for the quilt. I need to finish my top and so I'll give you the finishing directions for the entire quilt on Monday, March 31. Hope you had fun with these tiny blocks and combing through all of your Civil War scraps! I sure did. Thanks for participating. 

Have a good weekend! 

Civil War Mini Quilt Sew Along - Block #4

 Here's Block # 4 for my Civil War Mini Quilt sew along - Friendship Star

 You'll find the instructions in my Facebook group files or on my website. Click on the top tab for the Sew Along page.  

Aren't they cute? And they're a lot of fun to make. Despite the tiny half-square triangles, LOL. But after the block I gave you a couple of weeks ago you should be used to them. Just take your time and cut accurately. If you have problems with your blocks coming up short, try sewing a scant 1/4" seam and then when you cut your pieces, place your ruler marking on top of the fabric like so: 

If I'm cutting 1 1/2" strips then the ruler marking for 1 1/2" (dashed line) should be placed on top of the fabric on the left side. If the dashed line is off the fabric and on the mat then your strip will be short of the required measurement. 

Some people in the FB group were not aware of this and using their cutting mat instead of a ruler to measure the pieces. The mat markings can be inconsistent so a ruler is a better option. I always like to use a non-slip ruler. This one in the photo  is the Olfa Frosted. With these tiny blocks, accuracy is important and you don't want to chance that your fabric will slide around as you cut. 

Also, make sure you choose fabrics with enough contrast between your HSTs and the background so the pieces don't all blend into the background. And, you'll want to use a darker fabric for the star points to make them shine!

Sew the blocks into a row. We'll be making a mini row quilt with 5 rows of these tiny blocks. 

Block #5 (the last block) will be posted on Friday, March 28 along with finishing directions.  

Have a good weekend!