Fact: sewing your quilt (or a smaller project, like pillow tops and table runners) by hand provides a soft finish that really can’t be achieved by machines. Not to mention there isn’t anything that beats the zen of sewing something with needle and thread. If you’re interested in trying the craft, these tips for hand quilting — along with the right supplies — can help you get started.
What You Need
There are a few must-have supplies to help you master the art of hand quilting.
1. Needles
The size of your needle can make a big difference. Most hand-quilting pros agree that a size 10 is ideal — the eye isn’t too big or small, and the needle is strong enough to handle a quilt’s many layers.
2. Thread and Conditioner
If you’re using all-cotton fabric, it’s best to use a cotton thread. You may have to try a few different types to find one that’s both durable and easy to work with. Once you’ve got it, coat the thread with a conditioner like Thread Magic to help keep it from knotting as you stitch.
3. Quilting Hoops
There are all sorts of hoops on the market, including handheld hoops, lap hoops and standing quilt hoops. When hand quilting smaller projects, like pillow cases, you may not even need a handheld hoop. But for a project like a throw, hoops can be useful.
Pro Tip: Don’t place the quilt too tightly in the hoop, like you would when embroidering. The fabric needs to be able to move up and down as you work, so make sure there’s enough give.
How to Hand Quilt
Here are some pointers for getting started with hand quilting.
1. Cut the Thread
Your thread should be roughly 18″ — any longer and it’ll tangle; any shorter and you’ll have to switch threads frequently. Once you’ve got your length, tie a small knot at the end. Pull the needle and thread through the back of the quilt, bringing it up at the exact spot you want to start hand quilting. Give a slight tug so the knot goes through the backing fabric, but doesn’t pull all the way through. This way the knot will be hidden inside the quilt.
2. Start Stitching
Keeping your stitches small and even is the most important part of hand quilting. A good goal is six stitches per inch. As you become more skilled, you can shoot for anywhere between eight and 12 stitches per inch.
Pro Tip: Keep one hand underneath the quilt and one hand above. Your bottom hand steadies the fabric while guiding the needle all the way through to the back of the quilt and moving it back to the top. Your top hand moves the needle down into the fabric and up again.
3. Load the Stitches
As your top hand guides the needle up and down, don’t pull the thread all the way — load two or three stitches on your needle instead. Then you can pull the thread all the way through, taking care to keep the tension even. Continue in this manner until you’re done sewing that particular piece, then move onto the next one.
Learn Hand-Quilting Techniques
Award-winning quilter Andi Perejda introduces the rich tradition of hand quilting. Learn how to choose fabrics, threads and motifs for beautiful results!
Beginner, interested in all things quilt!
I want to quilt like my grandmother’s. All by hand.
My Aunt left me several blocks I would like to hand quilt as she did.
My grandmother hand quilted. Would love to learn as she passed away when I was 13.
Love quilts!
Love it
Yea
I really want to make heirloom quilts for my great-grandchildren
I love this combination of colors
So excited to learn a new craft.
Would like to learn more from this site
I hand quilt all the time I have made close to 100 quilts
Very interested I have hand quilted one quilt. It wasn’t perfect but I liked it
Would love to learn this art if have a nice day quilting
Very interested
Interesting
Returning to more hand sewing now that I have the time. I love the heirloom items from my Grandmother and my sister. My hope it to leave my legacy in stitches for others I love.
Looking forward to hand quilting a quilt, as it’s way too expensive to send it to a long arm quilter and do not want to machine quilt it. I have hand quilted one quilt many years ago and would like some professional instructions.
I am about to start hand quilting. Never tired it but always wanted too. Fingers crossed it goes well! 🙂
always wanted to quilt but never learned how
I WOULD LOVE TO GIVE HAND QUILTING A TRY
I WOULD LOVE TO GIVE HAND QUILTING A TRY
I did a little hand quilting a while ago. I have lost most of the use of my left hand but that is not my dominate hand. Will I still be able to quilt???
Hand quilting on a project, already.
I would love to learn hand quilt.
This article gives a few basic instructions but is far from an ultimate starter guide. The article doesn’t specify what thread to use which makes a huge difference to the hand quilting. The article instead implies you can use whatever thread you have handy which will not result in a product that lasts long enough to justify the time it takes to hand quilt even the smallest quilt. The picture at the top shows the trendy big stitch hand quilting but at the bottom of the “article” is a link to an heirloom hand quilting class which is a completely different style/look of hand quilting from the picture at the top. This will be confusing to people who are, in fact, beginners at this. If people have seen big stitch quilting and sign up for the class looking for instruction in how to achieve that look, they will be disappointed when they find they have signed up for a class in traditional hand quilting. The marketing department should talk to someone who knows a little about hand quilting and revise this misleading click bait.
What size weight type of thread should be used for hand quilting + how much do u need
This will be wonderful and I have always wanted to hand quilt.
People under estimate the beauty of neat hand quilting and I would like to read more
Would love to learn more to do better hand quilting
Would love to learn
Need simple start. Would like to have some instruction by articles,m not zoom or computer
The article is lacking an important part, which is how to ‘rock’ the needle. Rocking the needle takes practice and is an essential part of quilting by hand.
I learned more from the comments than the actual article, but the article was necessary to prompt the comments. Thank you.
sounds interesting
Can’t wait to try, hopefully their is a video
Ok would to learn how to hand quilt
Would like to try
Very rewarding in the end..
Very rewarding at the end..
I’d love to learn to quilt
Queria participar
Nothing more relaxing than a few hours of hand sewing
Pattern suggestions?
My mother did not quilt, but all of my children’s mothers-in-law are quilters! I would love to learn!
Would love to learn the art of quilting
Yes yes please?
Hand sewing is very calming and I would love to learn techniques for hand quilting!
As a beginner I am excited receive any and all help.
Would love to learn to quilt.
Always wanted to learn how to quilt.
Should you start hand quilting in the middle of the project?
It really helps to start in the middle because it is easier to keep the quilt smooth and even.
Me encanta coser a mano. Sus clases suenan muy interesantes.
Free classes
Thank you! I am very tired of all the machine quilting. We need websites with instruction and encouragement of hand quilting!
Good linstructions
Beeswax is good for conditioning thread too. It is friendly to the environment as well
I read your info found it helpful love to sew not into quilting yet
šivanje za začetnike
Excellent, love to sew by hand. Will try soon as have just started to sew.
What kind of stitches to use?
I work to learn more about the art of hand quilting
I want to learn more about the art of hand quilting.
I’m sorry to say this article fell short of delivering the “ultimate starter guide” by a long shot! No discussion about the types of needles, types of thread uses, weight of thread that is best..big stitch hand versus traditional small stitch hand quilting.. the use of thimbles and anti slip grips for your fingers…. I can go on and on
I would love to hear more
Refresh quilting skills
So excited to learn hand quilting. I have done quilting on a machine but I feel this is more personal. Thank you
Thanks for starting this project and looking forward to the next step
Loved your tutorial❣️One quick inquiry; I have a tremor disorder, but used to hand Piece & Quilt for a number of years; do you feel I’ll still be able to do this again?
Ask your doctor for a referral to an occupational therapist. Figuring this stuff out is what they do!
And then what? The article ends before describing the whole process. When you get to the end of that first 18″ piece of thread, what do you do? How do you end it securely?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DXN5Ger_jo
Isn’t “quilting” the actuall process of joining together of three layers (top, backing, stuffing)? For true beginners or literal thinkers, of which I am both, perhaps you might modify your instructions to change “Fact: sewing your quilt…” to “Fact: stitching your quilt” or at least mention that the actual design, cutting and attaching of the pieces to each other can be done by hand but is sturdier if done by machine.
I always wondered about that niggle in back my head since young starting that it really isn’t a quilt until its layered n stitched or tied together as a sandwich…then it has become a quilt, anything less is a UFO or just a sewn quilt top not yet a quilt. And as I got older in comes the designer… the pieces, N the quilter/Longarmer can be all different people then who’s the ‘quilter’ when it ends up in the ultimate hands of the owner.
I, If i let someone Longarmer my quilt would be adding that fact below my name on the label n the designers name if not my creation. Is that correct thinking? From someone who gets stuck on literal stuff too sometimes
Not everyone is a quilter. I love to piece the quilt top but will only do small quilting projects since I do not feel compelled to buy an expensive longarm quilting machine. Just can’t justify that expense just now. I do not feel deminished as a “quilter/pieced” because someone else machine quilts my work.
I would like to learn more about the art of hand quilting since my grandmother and her sisters use to sit in the living room of her home around her quilting frame and quilt for hours.
There is piecing and then quilting the top, batting, and backing together. =)
I’ve done stitching of all kinds, but not hand-stitching of a quilt that I can remember that didn’t look hand-stitched. This looks awfully fun to try.
Excited to learn hand quilting..
Really want to learn.
Excited to give it a try as a first timer, thank you.
Do you just use one strand of thread to hand quilt or 2?
Typical hand sewing is always double threaded. Alabama Chanin gives very detailed guidelines about this , very transferable to quilts.
@claire sewing and quilting in Patchwork is NEVER double threaded. Sewing is with cotton Thread, weight 50, and quilting with special quilting trhread, or when you do bigstitch-quilting with perle cotton (the Sarah Fielke-way) or Aurifill 12 weight
I can’t wait until I make my frist quilt
Dixie, while hand sewing is often done with a double thread, hand quilting is NOT. You should always use actual quilting thread which is stronger than normal thread.