Put Some Love in it: Hand Quilting

For hundreds of years, women have been creating masterpieces of fabric and thread. They have sat for hours carefully stitching piece after beloved piece of fabric. These women created something beautiful and timeless, they have created handmade quilts.

History by Hand

Modern day women prefer to buy comforters at a linen store and skip the tedious task of making something themselves. This wasn’t an option for historical 18th and 19th century women. Women from those times had to hand make everything; soap, clothes, food, bed linens, quilts, everything. Sometimes she even had to make the fabric herself.

Hand quilting wasn’t just something that the historical woman could do as she chose. It was a skill that was taught, from mother to daughter. It was passed down from generation to generation, much like the quilts themselves.

Quilts serve, and still serve as timeless history books filled with family heritage and traditions. Hand quilting wasn’t just a way to pass the time, or stay warm. It was also a way to tell a story.

Hand Quilting 101

Your hand quilting stitch will improve with the more hand quilting you do. Practice makes perfect is the best way to look at hand quilting. The more you practice, the more success you will have.

Making even, consistent stitches is more important than having a certain amount of stitches per inch. Most hand quilting is done by using a hoop, much like embroidery. Here is something you can do to practice your hand quilting stitch.

Cut a square of fabric and a thin piece of batting large enough to fit into a hoop. After cutting out the fabric and batting, draw 5 lines (as straight as possible) across the top of the fabric. Put the fabric into the hoop, and then tighten the hoop using the tension control. The fabric should be tight, there shouldn’t be any give when you push down on the middle of the fabric.

Once you have completed the step above gather the necessary supplies:
needle (#8 with a #9 eye), thread (cotton or poly-covered cotton), thimble, and a pair of scissors. If the listed needle is too large or too small, feel free to practice with different sizes, and find one that works for you. Your thread should be dark in color; this will make it much easier to see on your practice runs.

Hand quilting should be done in a comfortable chair with the hoop in your lap. Make sure there is plenty of light, because squinting makes it hard to see clearly.  Once you have begun remember, just go a stitch at a time. Once you get really good, you can increase your speed.

Mastering hand quilting doesn’t have to be a chore. You can really enjoy it if you do it properly. Have fun, and remember that even if the quilt doesn’t come out just right it is still a part of history.