Summer Mini Quilt Challenge: Hand Quilting

Hello Friends and Welcome Back!

For week five of the Summer Mini Quilt Challenge, my goal was to finish last week's English Paper Piecing project using hand quilting!

Hand quilting is a skill I've started learning recently. So far, all my hand quilting has been mixed with machine quilting, so I'm excited to quilt a project just by hand! As an added challenge, I wanted to give hoop quilting a try! All my past hand quilting has been done unsupported, just held in my hands, so quilting with a support is a very different experience.

Read on Friends, for some research and the completion of my mini quilt!

Hand Quilting Research

Hand quilting is the more traditional method of sewing together the layers of a quilt. After piecing the top and basting the layers, a hand running stitch is used to permanently secure the layers.

Ideally, hand quilting stitches should be small and evenly spaced. Beginners are advised to focus on taking even stitches, and to begin taking smaller stitches only after mastering spacing. Larger stitches with consistent, even spacing will look much better on the finished quilt than tiny but uneven stitches.

Hand vs. Machine Quilting

There are a few things that differentiate hand and machine quilting, both methodologically and aesthetically. Whichever method is used will be completely dependant on the maker's personal preferences.

Speed

The most obvious difference is the amount of time it takes to complete the quilting; machine sewing is a much faster method than hand sewing, and it is the same with quilting. If you want a project quilted on a tight deadline, machine quilting might be the better option.

However, the slower pace of hand quilting can be a lot more relaxing and enjoyable. A lot of people find that hand sewing and hand quilting is an almost therapeutic experience!

Line Quality

Machine sewing uses two threads, the top thread and bobbin thread, to create a solid, unbroken line on both the front and backing of the quilt. By contrast, hand quilting uses a running stitch, which creates a dashed line, and a softer effect.

You can see the difference between the two types of quilting in the photo above.

Travelling

In the context of quilting, travelling means moving from one line of quilting to another. When machine quilting, travelling is done by tracing over existing lines of quilting to get to the next area. This increases the thickness of the line, making it more visible on the quilt's surface, as seen in the photo below.

When hand quilting, travelling is done between the layers of the quilt, making it invisible from both sides. The photo above includes hand quilted travelling, but it can't be seen from the surface of the quilt.

For both hand and machine quilting, it is also possible to avoid travelling by breaking thread and starting again in the new area.

A few other differences between machine and hand quilting include; needle control, which will be based on your level of experience, and portability, since hand quilting can be carried anywhere but machine quilting can only be done indoors at a machine.

Supplies for Hand Quilting

There are a few supplies needed for hand quilting, the average sewist will probably already have most of them in their workroom.

Sewing Needle

Hand sewing needles, different from machine sewing needles, are used to hand quilt. There are lots of different sizes and types of hand sewing needles, each designed for different uses.

The needles recommended for hand quilting are commonly called betweens or quilting needles, which are a shorter type of hand sewing needle. The recommended sized for beginners is the 8, which is a little longer, but many experienced quilters seem to prefer using size 10.

Thread

It's generally recommended to quilt using thread with the same fibre content as the fabric the quilt top is pieced from, most commonly, that is 100% cotton. Use a matching thread colour to help disguise the quilting, or a contrasting colour to accent it.

Thimble

Because hand quilting requires you to manually push a needle through many layers of fabric, a thimble it highly recommended. There are many different styles of thimble made from a variety of materials to accommodate different types of sewing and individual's preferences.

Thread Conditioner

Thread conditioners are products used during hand sewing to coat and strengthen thread. Many different types of conditioners are available, including natural and specialty quilting products.

Conditioners are important when hand sewing because the thread is constantly being drawn through the fabric which can weaken it or cause fraying, pre-conditioning thread will help protect it. While it is good practice to condition thread, it isn't strictly necessary.

Quilting Support

A hoop or frame can be used to help hold the quilt taught while quilting. This is another type of tool that isn't completely necessary as you can hold the quilt using your hands, but it's good to experiment with these to see how it affects the look of the finished quilt.

There are two common types of supports; quilting frames, which are large and stands that hold all three layers of the quilt on rolls. The quilt is left in the frame until completely quilted. Quilting frames are very large, so they are not portable.

The other common support is a quilting hoop. The quilt is positioned between the inner and outer hoop, holding it taught. Hoops can be attached to legs to help hold the weight of the quilt, or held in the user's lap. The hoop is moved around the quilt as quilting is completed. Since hoops are not as large, they can travel easily, making them the most portable method of quilting.

Hand Quilting with a Hoop

Since my focus for this project was hand quilting, specifically using a hoop for support, that was the method I chose to focus my research on. I've provided a breif summary of the necessary steps, but not a full tutorial. If you're interested in a proper tutorial, check out the links at the end of the post!

When hand quilting, it is generally recommended to mark the quilting motif before basting the layers. Draw the quilting lines in pencil on light fabrics and chalk on dark, note that if applied too heavily, these marks may not wash out. If using a straight line design, quilting lines can be marked using tape after the layers have been basted.

To baste the layers of a quilt for hand quilting, thread basting is the best method. The flexibility of thread basting allows the quilt to be easily loaded into a quilting hoop.

Stretch the quilt in the hoop by placing down the inner hoop, laying the basted quilt on top, then easing the outer hoop into place. Use the screw to tighten the outer hoop so the quilt is taught but not stretched or warped.

To begin quilting, cut a piece of thread about 18" or the length of your forearm. Condition the thread following product directions. Tie a knot at the end you just cut and feed the needle onto the other end as shown in the diagram below.

Threading the needle like this is very important since it works with the twist of the thread, and discourages tangling and fraying. If the needle is threaded backwards, the thread may not behave cooperatively.

Begin a line of quilting by burying the knot. Working from the front of the quilt, run the tip of the needle through the quilt top, entering the batting, and out again through the quilt top, without piercing through the backing. Gently pull the thread so the knot is pulled into the batting layer.

When quilting with a hoop, the dominant hand works from the top of the quilt, with the second hand placed below the quilt to feel for the needle's tip.

Pierce through all layers of the quilt until you just feel the needle's tip with your bottom hand. Use the bottom hand to guide the tip of the needle up while simultaneously using the thimble (middle) finger to tilt the eye of the needle down. Place the thumb of the top hand ahead of where the needle tip should emerge to create tension and push the needle tip back up to the quilt top to create one stitch.

Repeat these steps taking a few stitches onto the needle, then pull the thread through so the stitches are taught.

When you reach the end of the thread, tie a knot and bury it in the batting as before.

Making the Mini

The focus of this week's prompt, hand quilting, is on finishing the English paper pieced quilt top made for last week's prompt. To read more about the making of the quilt top, check out my EPP post!

We left off last week with a completed and squared off quilt top. Looking at the pieced design, I decided on a fairly simple quilted motif, using a variety of thread colours matching the pieced top.

In the small diamond pieces, I decided to quilt an outline ⅛" away from the edge of the piece. I repeated this outline in the hexagon shapes, but wanted to add something extra in these larger pieces.

I thought a simple, six-petalled flower motif would be a good choice; the layout of the petals references the shape of the pieced stars, connecting the quilted design to the piecing.

Due to the simplicity of the quilting design, I chose not to mark my lines before basting. I cut a piece of batting approximately 1" larger on all sides than my quilt top, and a piece of backing fabric the same size.

With the top, batting, and backing layered together, I sewed a long running stitch in a grid pattern across the quilt top. I used white thread for contrast so it will be easier to remove later.

I was interested in experimenting with a quilting support for this project. I have a plastic frame, but this mini quilt is far too small to be used with it, and even quilting hoops, which are generally about 20" across, would be too large. I decided to try quilting in an embroidery hoop as an alternative.

According to my research, embroidery hoops aren't ideal for quilting because the shallow depth of the hoop isn't quite enough to accommodate the bulk of many layers of material. Even so, it was the only hoop I had in an appropriate size, and I wanted to give it a try!

I set the basted quilt into the hoop, accidentally placing the inner hoop upside down. I struggled a little with the quilt slipping in the frame and not remaining taught until realizing my mistake.

With the hoop properly in place, I was able to start quilting.

I've never quilted with a hand above and one below the work, so it felt really awkward. I tried my best to follow the method properly, but due to the small size of my hoop, I found myself constantly using the thumb of my bottom hand to keep tension on the top of the quilt.

Despite my instinct against proper technique, I kept trying, and I think I got a little better. It still feels awkward, but I plan to continue practising! In my future attempts, I'll have to quilt larger projects so I can use a proper frame or quilting hoop.

But back to this week's mini quilt; around the edges, a hoop isn't able to keep proper tension on the piece. There are a few options for dealing with this; the common one is to pin leftover binding strips to the outer edge of the quilt, then wrap them through the hoop to apply tension.

My preference was to simply quilt the edges of my project without a support. This is the way I originally began hand quilting, so it's faster and more natural for me.

With all of the quilting completed, I removed the basting threads, and added binding to finish the project! I opted for a scrappy binding that matched the colours of the scrappy stars in the piecing.

VA, English Paper Pieced and Hand Quilted Mini, 2021, 10” x 11¼”, cotton fabric, cotton thread, poly-cotton batting.

Despite the uneven stitching, I'm really happy with the way this piece turned out! I loved the slower pace of the hand work, and I'll definitely be making more projects using these methods in the future!

As a result of having some past experience, I did a little less research for the hand quilting prompt then I have in the past, but if you're interested in some more resources beyond what I've included at the end of this post, there are a few on my wholecloth quilt post to check out as well!

Continuing with the Summer Mini Quilt Challenge, next week I'll be experimenting with Improv Piecing! If you're interested in seeing my progress before next week's post is released, you can visit me on Instagram @vafibrearts!

If you're interested in trying a new quilt making technique for yourself this summer, check out the original Challenge Announcement post. It includes a variety of quilt making prompts and the full list of guidelines I'm following, but feel free to add some of your own prompts and set your own pace! If you're posting your progress to social media, be sure to use #summer2021miniquilts to tag your posts so I can find them!

I'm really looking forward to some improv experimentation next week, and I can't wait to see what I'll make!