~Among Brenda's Quilts~


Tips for Quilters

Links:

We are all beginners at some things, even the most expert of quilters.

These are my tips for beginners, including caveats, warnings, what to look for, what not to do, what to get, who to talk with, etc. Here you'll find how to thread needles, with diagrams. Links to handquilting, machine quilting, etc. I hope to put together a FAQ. Send your questions to Brenda.



Don't quit or you won't be a quilter

Hand Quilting

The goal of hand quilting is to produce even stitches over your quilt. By even I mean that the stitches are the same length and the same distance apart. There are lots of great books showing hand-quilting methods. If you are good with instructional books this is a great way to learn. If not join a class or get an experienced hand quilter to demonstrate the stitch. Remember it will take practise before you will become comfortable with this stitch. Be prepared to be challenged but if you persevere you will succeed. Don’t quit or you won’t be a quilter.

When you start to hand quilt it is important to begin on a plain coloured fabric, which has been marked with your quilting design. Do not make the mistake of choosing a print fabric to begin with. Use a marking tool that does not rub off to mark your quilting pattern. It’s best to start off with straight lines and then gradually go to curves.

If you are going to use a quilting hoop or PVC plastic quilting frame make sure that the widest part of the hoop is not longer than the distance between your wrist and elbow. If it is it’s too big.

If you are interested in examining others quilting here is a chart to let you know how proficient the quilter was.

My stitches fall in the 8 per inch slot. I still have some room for improvement too!


Marking Tools for Hand Quilting

The most important thing to remember is that any mark you make on your quilt top needs to be removable. Be sure to check the label of the quilt marker before you use it. Never iron over any of your marks or this may permanently set the mark onto your fabric. You will find that a single marker will not do the job for all fabrics. Naturally a light coloured marker will show up on dark fabrics and a dark marker will show on light fabrics. Practically nothing will show up on a busy multi coloured print.

Some quilters avoid the blue washable markers claiming that over time the residue of the product will eat a hole in your fabric or leave a brown mark. I have never seen any proof of this claim but be aware of it. Don’t use the purple fading markers unless you plan to have that quilting done within a few hours, the marks will fade that quickly. If you use a lead pencil the marks will not come out.


Basting Your Quilt Top

Lets say you have decided to hand quilt your quilt top. You have a couple of options for basting the layers together. The quickest is to take the backing, batt and quilt top to a machine quilter. The machine quilter will baste the three layers together for you so that you can start your handwork. You could hand baste your own quilt but be aware that this is a tedious process. Using safety pins to pin baste is also an option.

If you choose to hand baste or safety pin baste you will need to create proper tension on the three layers. To do this I lay my backing wrong side up on a clean hard surface. I use my hardwood floor. Using masking tape I tape first one side down to the floor, then the opposite side then the other two sides. The goal is not to stretch the fabric but just to make sure it is taunt on the floor as it is taped. There should be no wrinkles in the fabric. Next smooth your batting on top. If you have purchased a batt in a bag and it is not laying flat pop it into your dryer for a few minutes with a damp washcloth to flatten it out. Then smooth the top right side up on the batt. If you are pinning with safety pins you will need to pin every 4”. Pin along the two centre lines first in a cross formation. Start in the centre and work your way to the edges. Then fill in the empty quarters of the quilt starting in the middle and working your way out to the edges. The very edge of the quilt will require a safety pin every 2”. If you have decided to hand baste follow the same directions but use large stitches instead of pins.

After this is process is complete untape the quilt and proceed with your hand quilting.

A Note About Safety Pins: Buy the best quality safety pins. Your quilt will be a long time in the making and you don’t want to have rust marks appear under poor quality pins. Cheaper pins often have very poor points and can be very frustrating to use. I buy my safety pins at the local dry cleaners. They sell them in huge boxes. They are cheaper to buy like this and the nickel-plating on them will not rust.


Needles and Thimbles

Use needles called "Between" needles for hand quilting. A good size for beginners is a #8. Buy #10’s later when you have become comfortable with the quilting stitch.

Between needles are shorter than “Sharps” and work much better for hand quilting.

As a beginning quilter you will likely end up buying a few different thimbles before you light on the one that is best for you.

The thimble is worn on the middle finger of your right hand (if you are right handed). I like to use a rocking stitch when I quilt and like a metal thimble with an indented top and a ridge that runs around the top of the finger. This helps keep the needle in place as the thimble guides the needle for each stitch.


What Is A Fat Quarter?

As a new quilter you may be confused with the amount of fabric contained in a “Fat Quarter”

IN CANADA HERE'S WHAT YOU GET

When you buy a quarter meter of fabric off the bolt you get a piece that measures about 25cm x 112 cm. A Fat Quarter is cut differently. Imagine you have a full meter of fabric; you fold and cut it into quarters. Each of these quarter sections is a fat quarter. Therefore a Fat Quarter measures 50cm x 56cm. (about 20 x 22”)

IN THE USA HERE’S WHAT YOU GET

(Who said everything’s bigger in Texas!) Since fabric is measured in yards in the States your fat quarter is smaller. The yard is 36” long compared to the 39” meter. Therefore the American Fat Quarter is 18 x 22”. A good reason to buy in Canada Eh?


Can’t See As Well As You Once Did?

Are you squinting harder to see less these days? Is threading a needle only a sunny morning activity? Chances are you already wear glasses and are thinking of going to the optometrist to have your eyes checked right? Here’s a great tip from quilter extraordinaire Rosemary Makhan. Buy yourself a pair of those cheap magnifying glasses from your local discount store or pharmacy and slip them on the end of your nose with your regular glasses in place. You will look like a jeweller at work but you see as well as him too.