Tutorial on Hand Quilting

I want to share with you what I do in hand quilting, particularly the beginning and ending with hiding the knots in the quilt.  I have done the regular things that I was taught, both as a child as well as seeing it on others blogs of just popping the knot into the quilt so it's caught in the batting in the center of the quilt sandwich. At the end, they tell you to make a knot and pop the knot inside again.  I'm all for hiding the knot inside, but since I use my quilts on my bed, there is wear and movement on the quilt and I have had those knots rear their ugly heads and even come undone after they are on the outside of the quilt.  I have also tried the method of no knots, just sewing back and forth (basically back stitching by hand). Both ways I have had problem with so I now have my own variation.

These are the things I have discovered to help keep those knots stay inside as well as having enough of the thread going through the batting so I don't see those knots again, nor have them undo.  I took lots of pictures, so I hope that helps make it clear.  It certainly makes it long.  Obviously, I'm left handed. For all ye righties out there, mirror what I'm doing.  You can do it. Please pardon my fingernails - I was helping with Scouting for Food and was showing my support.

Fig.1

Fig. 2

 



My mother taught me that because of the twist of the thread, one should always tie the knot, then cut the thread. This will help prevent unwanted knots in the thread as you quilt. I do not know if this is still the case, but I continue to do it.  I'm all for anything that will prevent having to undo knots.

Here is how I tie a knot.  Holding the end of the thread with my thumb, between my thumb and forefinger, wrap the thread around your finger until the thread crosses the first (I'm exaggerating the X in Fig.1, you don't want it to be quite so pronounced). Where your thumb is holding, now two strings, begin rolling the thread off your finger with your thumb, the threads twist like in Fig 2.

Fig. 3

Fig. 4

As soon as it rolls all the way off your index finger and you're holding it with the tip of your index finger and thumb, catch the thread above the twist between your middle finger and thumb (Fig. 3) and slide the twist in the thread back towards the end of the thread, moving your index finger when necessary and when you're sure the knot will stay on the thread. (Fig. 4)

Fig. 5

Fig. 6

I keep a knot on the spool.  When I cut myself another thread, I then tie a knot back on the spool (there is already one on the thread I will use). (Fig 5) This makes it so I don't have to remember to tie the knot first, then cut the string as my mother instructed me.  I still do it in the order I was accustomed to.  Next I thread the needle. (Fig. 6)

Fig. 7

Fig. 8

Here's where I change the rules a bit. Rather than just poking my needle in any old place near my starting location, I try to find a seam approximately half the needle's length (or more) away from where I'm going to begin. (Fig. 7). My goal is to run the quilting thread and knot between the machine sewn threads, as well as between the layers of fabric.  Why? Because when I try and pop the knot through the fabric, far too many times, it snags the fabric, even when I very carefully put the needle between the threads of the material.  So, finding a place to gently wiggle in my needle, far enough that when I "pop" the knot in, it will disappear, I begin weaving the needle up and down inside the quilt sandwich, catching seam allowances and batting to keep the knot from moving.  I then bring the needle out on the top of the quilt in the exact location I wish to begin quilting. (Fig. 8).

Fig. 9

Fig. 10

Next I pop the knot inside the quilt by gently tugging on the thread. (Fig. 9). Sometimes, the knot doesn't want to easily pop in. When this happens, I use my needle to ease open the area I want the knot to enter. Sometimes trying to "open the door wider" and sometimes "shoving from behind" with the needle.

Fig. 11

Fig. 12

This knot was very obliging in being obstinate so that I could show you more techniques.  In Fig. 10, I'm trying to open the area more to get the knot through.  In Fig. 11, I'm poking it in.  It then left a tail hanging out, so after poking it in as much as I could from the entrance hole, (Fig. 12), I then partially inserted the needle a short distance away from where the internal thread should be and with a sweeping motion of the needle, I caught the thread with the needle and pull it all the way inside, from the inside.  Shown in Fig. 13. There are better pictures of this at the end of the post (Fig. 29-31).

Fig. 13

Next you are ready to quilt. Taking a small stitch from where you started, poke the needle through the quilt enough so that you feel the point coming through the back.  Still holding on to the needle on top of the quilt, bring the needle point to the top so you've taken a stitch on the bottom side of the quilt.  Repeat.  The stitches on top and bottom should be the same size in length.

Fig. 14

Fig. 15

If you are just beginning, you may feel more comfortable taking only one stitch like this at a time, pulling the needle and thread through the fabric before repeating.  As you become more comfortable, you will be able to rock the needle up and down to take multiple stitches before pulling the needle and thread all the way through. (Fig. 14)

Sometimes, I have a hard time grabbing onto the needle to pull it through.  In times like these, my best friend in the whole wide world is this tool - forceps. (Fig. 15)  I have some with both a curved end and straight.  Both work fabulously.  I don't know how life existed before I got some.

Fig. 16

Fig. 17

Now to tie the knot.  I begin by bringing the needle up at the end of a stitch just a tiny smidgeon beyond where I normally would and take care to bring the needle out between the threads in the fabric. Next you are going to take a stitch, only on the top layer of fabric, starting on one side of the thread and coming out on the other.  If you were sewing from left to right (as in Fig. 16), you begin on the left of the thread and come out exactly the same distance on the other side of the thread. Pull the needle until you have a little loop at the end. (See Fig. 17).

Fig. 18

Fig. 19

Put your needle through that loop, then wrap the long end of the thread around the needle. (Fig. 18)  Pull the needle through.  Pull until you have a knot.  It will look like a tiny trident. (Fig. 19)

Fig. 20

Fig. 21

Repeat, putting the needle through the same loop, wrapping the thread around the needle in the same direction as before (Fig. 20) and pulling to tighten. (Fig. 21) The knots should be together at the base of the tines of the trident.

Fig. 22

Fig 23

Here comes the fun part.  Okay, maybe not so fun.  I hope your eyes are better than mine.  Insert the point of the needle exactly through the same hole as the middle thread. (Fig. 22) It has to be exact or the knot won't "pop" in and disappear and if you were not careful to bring the needle up between the woven threads of the cloth, it will be even harder to find your hole.  I pull the threads around to try and get the best view and use my needle to try and run right along the edge of the thread coming out the hole.  Once I'm sure I'm in the right place, I run my needle as far as I can, while at the same time weaving it up and down through the batting to help secure it. (Fig. 23)

Fig. 24

Fig. 25

Pulling on the thread, (Fig. 24) I pop the knot inside the quilt sandwich. (Fig. 25).  Because of the trident, there is just enough thread to have the knot be in the fabric and  not keep the tension on the thread where it popped in.  Let's get rid of that little tent that it looks like now in the photo.
 

Fig. 26

Fig. 27

Simple solution: Using the needle, gently pull those threads back just enough that they lay straight and look more like a regular stitch from a distance. (Fig. 26).  Sometimes I will do some extra weaving thread inside the quilt (can be done at the beginning as well as the end) so there is an ample tail inside, or so I can come in at a seam rather than the middle of a block.  Again you are carefully putting the needle down through the same hole the thread is coming out of and weaving the the needle through the batting. (Fig. 27)  As you see, I switched directions.  I like to think that this makes it less likely for the thread move around.

Fig. 28

Fig. 29

Next cut the thread close to the fabric. (Fig. 28) When I did this, because I was trying to take a picture at the same time, I ended up with a little more thread sticking out than I normally do, but not to worry.  That gives me the chance of showing you again how to pull the thread into the center with the needle. (Fig. 29, 30, 31). Observe how the needle moves and the thread disappears.

Fig. 30

Fig. 31

Fig. 32

Fig. 33

If you cut the thread close to the fabric, you only need to rub the end of the thread to make it disappear inside. (Fig. 32)   Et, voila! Karina's quilt is coming along. (Fig. 33)

Monica's Baby Quilt - Split Rail

The One That Started It All!  When I was expecting Monica, my first, I was one of the leaders for the young women, ages 16-18 at church.  I taught the lessons on Sunday and the other leader coordinated the activities during the week.  We each were there to help out the other during whatever the activity was.  So, the other leader, Mary Sue, conspired with the girls to make me a baby quilt for my new baby over the course of several weeks.  One week we went to the cloth store and chose fabrics. The next week we rotary cut the fabric into strips and began sewing the strips together. We may have done that two weeks or Mary Sue finished it up at home. Then the last week we helped tie the quilt.  It was so much fun!  This inspired me to want to try other quilts - I'll have to find the first one I made by myself and post a picture.  I still had a lot to learn.

This poor quilt was loved so much it's falling apart.  I don't know if you can see how worn the fabric is, but my daughter has been wise to put it carefully away and not keep it on her bed any longer.

As I told you about my own baby blanket (under "Sterling's Baby Quilt"), mine was in much worse shape when it was re-covered.











Below is the quilt made for her 8th birthday. The flower fabric matched her original blanket, though in the wrong colors, but I was given so much of it, and I couldn't find the fabric in the correct colors, so we went with it and matched the new color scheme as best we could.  She got to help quilt it, too.

Donovan's Baby Quilt - Maple Leaves

When I was expecting Donovan, one of my sisters and I decided to make 12 wall hanging quilts each - one for each month.  Neither of us were very experienced with quilt top piecing, but excited to learn.  Our quilts were virtually identical, though there were some fabrics that differed - probably only 2.  Anyway, after making the 12 quilt tops, I felt ready to tackle a baby blanket for Donovan and try something more complicated than Monica's split rail.  Yet, at the same time, I knew my limitations. The Maple Leaf seemed a great way to go.  It's virtually a 9-patch, though some of the squares are made up by triangles.  I could do this. . . and I did.  I was very pleased with the result. One thing that distressed me later was that the fabrics used for the maple leaves did not wear well.  You can see areas where there are holes that look like someone cut the fabric (in the pink and gold). Those just randomly appeared, right along the thread lines.  The fabrics were not cheap either.  I learned that not all fabrics are created equal.  And price does not necessarily mean quality.

When I decided to do large quilts to match the baby blanket, (see Sterling's Baby Quilt entry) the fabrics I had used were no longer available, though I found as close to the originals as I could.  The colors of green and blue I was left to use was a disappointment.  They're nice, and I like them.  I just preferred the brightness of the baby blanket better.  When I quilted the large one, I stitched, not in the ditch, but about a quarter inch from the edge of the leaf.

Sterling's Baby Quilt - Birds in the Air

Found out very recently that this quilt pattern was called "Birds in the Air."  I never would have guessed. I always thought it looked like fish, and have also heard Christmas trees and arrow heads which all seem more plausible than birds, but I guess that's the privilege of being the first to name something. Anyway, this is a combination of the fish pattern (sorry, it still looks like fish to me) from one quilt and the bright, vivid rainbow colors on a black background from another.

This quilt was the best for teaching colors.  Since I made this one when I was still expecting Sterling, my 18 month old, Donovan impressed his Parents As Teachers lady with his grasp of all the colors.  I attribute it to not only my son's intelligence, but this blanket as well, for exposing him to the colors in such a obvious way.

I promised I would explain with Sterling's quilt about the idea for having a large quilt that matches the baby blanket.  When I was in the planning stages of Sterling's quilt, thoughts of my own baby blanket and what it meant to me came forcibly to my mind.  I loved my baby blanket to shreds - literally, so that my mother said we needed to throw it away.  I protested so vehemently that she said that if I wanted to keep it, we'd have to recover it.  This, I agreed to.  The exact colors of gingham green and plain pink back were not available which is what I really wanted, but since I couldn't have that, I chose some pastel purple gingham in two sizes of squares to cover it with.  If you hold it up to the light, you can see the tattered remains of my beloved blanket.

Brought to my mind was a time in college when I was feeling particularly lonely and depressed, where I just wanted to snuggle up in my bed with my baby blanket and teddy bear, yet, I was in college and such behavior would have been unacceptable in my mind.  And then an epiphany struck! No one would think much of snuggling under your blanket - a regular sized blanket.  If I made a big quilt, to match their special blanket, that they could then take to college, when they were big, they would have something that would remind them constantly of the love they felt at home and could feel our embrace as they snuggled under it.

So, I planned, not only the baby blanket, but a large blanket as well.  I first thought that they would get the big quilt as a going away present when they went off to college, but then, reasoned I, that there would be no sentimentality attached to the large one, even if it matched. Then came the thought that for their 8th birthday, a special birthday for us since in our faith, that is the age of accountability and therefore old enough to decide to get baptized, they would get the large quilt then. They would also be old enough not to drag it around the house as they did their baby blanket.  And so it began.

Unfortunately, I did not have the fabrics from the two oldest's quilts, so those I did the best I could to match.

Fiona's Baby Quilt - Pinwheel Variation

Though the years as I became more and more interested in quilting, when I happened upon a quilt or quilt pattern that I liked, I would cut it out of the magazine and glue it into the back of my quilt book, or, if I saw it somewhere where I couldn't cut it out, I would draw the pattern into the back cover of my book, thus keeping them all in the same place.  This pattern I saw and cut out of a magazine or advertisement for quilt books and figured out how to make it.  You see, I'm far too cheap to buy something I can figure out myself, thus sometimes learning things through the school of hard knocks rather than someone else's experiences.  Either that, or I enjoy the challenge of figuring it all out myself.  Yeah, let's go with that.

Here is Fiona's baby blanket.  My sister, Emerald, found the fabric for the large squares - the one that all the other fabrics had to match.  It seemed perfect and I immediately found the two dark fabrics that would be perfect.  A trip to another store unearthed the light blue, but that lavender eluded me for quite some time, to the point where I thought I would have to start over again.  Finally finding all the fabrics, I discovered that the green that I would later use in Karina's quilt with less than perfect satisfaction for me, really made the other colors pop in Fiona's quilt.  To have a little fun, I used two different colors of yarn to tie her quilt.  I liked the green in the corners, except in the center of the pinwheel.  For that I used a lavender yarn with much satisfaction.  I even tied it in a new way where there's a bow tied on the top of the blanket, and a tie on the back.

Below is Fiona's large quilt, hand quilted very simply on the diagonal, which is very much my style.  Her's in a quilt I continue to look on with much satisfaction.  It's always good to get those colors just so.  You'll be looking at it a lot longer than that dress that will go out of fashion in a few years.  Of all my girls, I think that it was good that I got her quilt just right.  She's probably the most likely to follow in my footsteps of sewing/quilting or at least something that will use her artistic eye.

Karina's Baby Quilt - Nine Patch Arrows

I'm not even sure the exact name for this nine-patch pattern, but it's one I saw many long years ago, drew a little tiny picture of the patch in the back of my one and only quilting book (one that is still my favorite and my go-to book) and chose as Karina's quilt.  The one thing that I wish I would have done differently, was to use either the red or the purple as the back and binding.  The green was a fine color, but having that be the binding brings the green out in the quilt, and not only did I like the purple color better, knowing Karina now as I do, she would have preferred purple or red.  So why, if I liked the purple better did I go with the green anyway? Price.  The purple was the most expensive of the fabrics and the green was the cheapest.  Unfortunately, money was an issue and I let that be my guide.  Little did I know that the long term result would be forever wishing I had done it differently. SIGH!  I've learned that some things are worth the added expense to make it right.

Here is Karina's large quilt, not yet quilted, but it's time to get it up on the frame as her 8th birthday is approaching.  Yes, you can see how the white squares on point don't line up perfectly. I've learned a bit more about dealing with bias sewing for quilts and how that affects squaring the blocks before sewing them.  But hey, you live and learn.

Gideon's Baby Quilt - Attic Window

 Gideon's baby blanket, done in the attic window pattern. It has the tiger print in an X which on the large quilt is repeated over and over which ends up looking like a series of X's and O's.  Lots of hugs and kisses for this little guy, who gives great hugs and wet, juicy kisses.

This is the large quilt folded in quarters that I obviously have not put together since Gideon is not yet 8.  The zebra print is the border and the bottom, giraffe print is the back and binding. Guess what his dad got him as his special stuffed animal.  A tiger.  Are you surprised that tigers are his favorite animal?

Porter's Baby Quilt - Log Cabin

Each of my children have a pieced, tied, baby blanket that I made for them.  I'm going to post each of them here in the next few days starting with the youngest.  That way when someone scrolls through my blog in a few weeks, they will be able to start at the oldest and see down through the youngest, in the order they were made.  Porter's is a Log Cabin quilt pattern in blues from almost black to almost white.  I always tie my baby's quilts because I remember loving to roll the ties of my own baby blanket between my fingers, and don't want to deprive them of that tactile experience.

When they turn 8, a milestone birthday in our home, they receive a large quilt of the same style and fabrics to put on their bed - I'll explain how I came up with that idea with Sterling's Quilt in a few days. By that point they can leave it on the bed and not drag it around the house. That quilt, I hand quilt - my personal preference.  Porter is not yet 8 so this is the folded quilt top with the backing fabric and binding shown at the top of the photo.  I'll quilt it when we get nearer his 8th birthday.

 There are a couple interesting things about his quilt that I'll share with you.  There were two colors I struggled to find that matched perfectly.  First off, the almost white fabric I could not find any that were light enough. One day when looking, I saw the wrong side of a scrap of fabric that my sister had and thought that would be perfect.  I then went to the store where she had purchased it, but the first bolt of fabric in that color was too dark.  Finally I found another bolt of the same fabric where the wrong side was the perfect color.  The other color I struggled with was the darker medium blue that touches the central block.  It was almost identical in color to the lighter medium color on the other side of the central square.  The solution was to buy a fabric marker and color each piece - a bit of a pain, but worth it in the end.  I love the flow of colors, and although traditionally a log cabin has a red or yellow center, I opted not to because I really wanted the flow of color to be continuous.