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quilt with a running stitch. Shorter hand quilting stitches are
deemed to be better. Not to worry - even though your stitches
may start out fairly long, with practice and the right needles,
thread and thimble, your stitches will get shorter.
To prepare your quilt, the backing, batting and top must be
layered and secured. Securing the layers can be done by hand
basting with extremely long stitches, by pinning with safety
pins, or now many quilters are using plastic tabs like stores
use to attach price tags to clothes.
Hand basting takes somewhat longer to do than the other methods,
and if you are hand quilting, all of the methods are comparable.
With nickel plated safety pins, the risk of the pins rusting in
the quilt has been eliminated. With any of these methods, the
layers should be secured at least every 6." Once you have
quilted in a particular area, the basting can be removed. I
usually remove it along the way, before I quilt in a particular
area.
You will need good thread, preferably 100% cotton hand quilting
thread. Quilting thread is stronger, and often has a wax-type
coating to make the stitches go through the fabric easier. Small
needles make small stitches. I know this is hard to believe, and
when I first looked at quilting needles, I was amazed. Quilting
Appliques - Is it Embroidery or is it Quilting? ap·pli·qué n. Sewing one material onto another as a means of decoration or ornamentation.
While ancient in origin, currently appliques can refer to any type of pattern transfer or application of decoration used in a wide range of mediums. Historically the term applique applied to material-to-material techniques. One of the earliest known pieces was a sail composed of gazelle leather and constructed by both patchwork and applique for the temple of King Sahure in the Fourth Dynasty (2575-2465 B.C.).
Embroidery appliques are generally seen as trim or image designs as opposed to embroidery lik ..
needles are called "Betweens" and most quilters use size 9, 10
or 12. The smaller needles have the higher numbers. Not all
brands are the same size, either, so you may want to look at the
actual needle rather than just the size marked on the package.
Good, sharp scissors are a must for clipping threads close to
the fabric of the quilt without cutting the fabric. Generally I
use embroidery scissors, since they are smaller than other
sewing scissors.
A good, protective thimble is probably a must for keeping your
finger whole. There are many different styles of thimbles -
ranging from metal, fully enclosed thimbles, to metal thimbles
with a hole on the tip to allow your finger to breathe; and
leather thimbles, both sized and adjustable. A leather thimble
usually has a metal piece to add further protection. The kind of
thimble you use is completely personal preference.
And you will want a good hand quilt frame or hoop. For larger
quilts, especially if there will be several quilters working at
the same time, a quilt frame is ideal. I use a small (well 12"
in diameter or square) hand quilting hoop so I can turn the
quilt around as I sew. The hoop serves to stretch the layers
equally so your quilt will not have any major puckers when it is
Quilting Fabric Through The Ages Quilting fabrics date back thousands of years and examples can be found in Japan, China, Korea, India, England, Scotland, Ireland, Scandinavia and Europe. The oldest example of quilting fabric is thought to have been found near the border between Mongolia and Siberia in a Scythian chieftains tomb and is thought to be as old a AD200. Many of the intricate spirals and cross-hatching techniques are still used by quilters today when practicing the art of wholecloth quilting.
Another ancient form of quilting was shoes being made from quilted fabrics. Usually the shoes were made from quilted felt ..
complete.
Happy Quilting!
Penny Halgren
http://www.How-to-Quilt.com - Inspiration and Education for
Beginning Quilters
http://www.Rag-Quilt-Instructions.com - Fast, Fun and Funky
Quilts
©2005, Penny Halgren
About the author:
Penny is a quilter of more than 24 years who hosts
http://www.How-to-Quilt.com, Inspiration and Education for
Beginning Quilters, and seeks to interest new quilters and
provide them with the resources necessary to create beautiful
quilts.
Penny HalgrenHand Quilting
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