Big stitch hand quilting uses a simple running stitch and a heavier
To this day, it's still my favourite way to quilt! Hand quilting is a “manual” way to quilt - AKA, not using a sewing machine. It involves sewing together three layers (backing, batting and quilt top) using a hand sewn running stitch. These stitches look like dashes, which gives the quilt a really soft look.
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.
The trick for uniform stitches is all in the rocking motion of your needle to grab as many stitches as possible and then running the needle through the quilt.
I suggest the running stitch. This stitch is the most popular hand quilting stitch, and for good reason. It not only holds the layers of your quilt securely, but it also has a beautiful, modern feel because running stitch quilting is usually done in straight lines.
Horizontal or Vertical Quilting
This is the simplest of all quilting stitches. You decide, based on your patchwork design, whether horizontal or vertical lines will look better on the quilt. Mark your lines using removable pen and quilting ruler. Stitch along these lines.
For straight stitching, it is advised to set your machine's stitch length to 2.5 to 3.0 or about 8-12 stitches per inch. This range works quite well for a majority of machine quilting but there are always exceptions when you make a rule. For threads with sparkle or shine, use a longer stitch length.
Balanced Tension for Machine Quilting
In balanced machine quilting tension, the top thread and the bobbin thread meet in the middle of the batting. You should not see the top thread on the back of the quilt, nor should you notice the bobbin thread when looking at the top of the quilt.
– Always use a good cotton thread, that matches the binding not the backing of the quilt. If the thread matches both, great – but it's more important that the thread match the binding. – Use a single thread, not a double thread.
The backstitch is one of the strongest, most adaptable, and permanent hand stitches. It's also a bulk-free knot replacement for the beginnings and endings of hand-sewn seams. It's called a backstitch because the needle goes into the fabric behind the thread of the previous stitch.
If your are quilting alone, working by hand can be incredibly time consuming, and perhaps even lonely if you have your project set up in an out-of-the-way room. If you're buying something hand-quilted, the expert work of those Amish seamstresses is incredibly expensive.
Whether you are quilting top to bottom, left to right, or along the diagonal, always start at the same end and finish at the other end, sewing in the same direction each time. If you zig zag your way across the quilt top, you will create visible drag lines as the fabric is pulled back and forth and back again.
There are several grip-enhancing options available for purchase. You can buy a little rubber "grab-it" disc at your local quilt shop. I've used them, and they work quite well. You can also get a "rubber thumb" from an office supply store.
A few of the fibres of the fabric that get swallowed up in that dip. A scant 1/4″ compensates for the loss of some fabric in the folds of a seam, so that the dimensions of your block remain true. A teensy bit of fabric gets lost in the seam.
Usually the reason for uneven stitch lengths is to do with poor travel of the work through the machine. This can be for a variety of reasons: The work is under tension and not lightly bunched so it will not feed evenly.
Running stitch A running stitch is the most basic in-and-out even stitch. It is used for gathering, hand darning and fine seaming and tucking. Secure the thread either with a knot or a backstitch. Bring the needle up through the fabric.