Top Five Tips: Hand Quilting

I think hand quilting is a lot like all forms of hand sewing; people either do it often or avoid doing it as much as they can. I used to be second of those groups. I “didn’t like hand quilting” not because of the look of it but because I didn’t enjoy the process. It was never perfect and that stressed me out, plus I seemed to be surrounded by quilters who said hand quilting was relaxing and it felt like the opposite to me. I tried all sorts of tools to help but I still didn’t enjoy it so I gave up. When I eventually came back to hand quilting and fell in love with it, it was largely because I had changed my mindset. I was no longing striving for perfection and instead was quilting in a way that suited me and my style. So I guess this is a little bonus tip for you before we dive into the actual tips…take on board tips and advice from other quilters but don’t let any negativity in from yourself or others.

If, like me, you need a mindset change before you tackle hand quilting then I’d do that first, then come back to check out my top five tips to help improve your hand quilting…

Tip One

Get good lighting. With hand quilting you’re likely to be looking at your project more closely than on a sewing machine. Good lighting will mean you can see smaller features much better but it will also help to reduce eye strain. I like to use a small sewing lamp when I’m hand quilting so I can get more direct (and brighter) light right onto my project.

Tip Two

Choose the right marking tool. There’s so much choice when it comes to marking tools it can be difficult to work out what is best to use for your specific needs. And of course, a lot of the decision is down to personal preference too. As often as possible, I like to use marking tools that don’t leave any sort of coloured line, especially if I’m marking lines on the front of a project, like you do when hand quilting. My favourite marking tool is the Hera Marker by Clover. It leaves an indentation rather than a drawn line which means there are no worries about it washing out. I also find this groove easier to follow with my hand quilting stitches than a fine, drawn line. Hera Markers work best when used with a quilting ruler.

Tip Four

Experiment with different types of needle. Traditional quilting needles are very short so can be a bit fiddly to use but they are the best choice if you want to get tiny, fine hand quilting stitches. As I like to use heavier thread (like Aurifil 12wt) and prefer a chunkier looking stitches, I need a needle with a larger eye so I prefer to use a fine embroidery needle.

Use a strong but fine needle. I also like to use a long needle too, like a milliners needle. I use a strong needle for the same reason as needing strong thread…I snapped a lot of needles before I switched to ones made of steel or titanium. And a fine needle is really important because you are sewing so close to the edge of your turned fabric and only catching a tiny amount of it in your stitches. Using a thicker needle will make it harder to catch only a tiny amount of fabric and it will also create a bigger hole in your fabric.