BellaOnline Forums Hobbies and Crafts Quilting Hand Stitching a Quilt

Has anyone hand stitched a quilt from start to finish? I was wondering if you could tell how you started? How long it took? Or any other interseting or important facts.

As in sewed the patches by hand and then quilted by hand? If so, yes.

I've actually hand sewed four quilts in terms of sewing the patches, which I like. I tended to do it front of the TV, which I find boring, but meant I could be with the family.

In the days before all the security was needed for flights, I took a quilt traveling with me. It was something relaxing to do in the airport and lots of people stopped to chat. No can do now of course.

But I do NOT like the quilting. I've only quilted one of my patchworks. Still dithering about the others.

The time taken has been years, but that's only because I tend to put things away for a Very Long Time and then resurrect them.

Yes, I did a 9 patch once totally by hand and at the end of it wondered why I had been so determined not to use my sewing machine? Just to say I'd done it?

As far as how long it took, I worked on it in my spare time during the winter months and then took it to my mother and grandmother's quilting group to quilt it. Quilting it took a fraction of the time that it took me to sew the blocks together!

I have no real interesting or important facts regarding the quilt to share other than I would rather make more quilts using a sewing machine than be able to say that ONE quilt was completely made by hand! I think that you can still have an heirloom quilt using a sewing machine to connect the pieces; it 's the hand-quilting that's important to me.

Thanks for the question bookwormer. I'm guessing that you might prefer to be reading than quilting! I have only ever hand quilted one "heirloom" quilt, and even then didn't finish it on my own. After I'd got about 1/3rd the way through I realised I'm never going to live long enough to finish all the quilts in my head, but I pushed on and completed about 2/3rds of it. I finally gave up this year when I developed arthritis in two of my fingers on my right hand. It hurt a lot to push the needle through. So it's presently with a lovely lady who is going to finsih it off for me.

This quilt I made for my daughters 21st, and she's just turned 29!! Sound familiar?

Cheerio for now

Wow, what a great question! I've been wanting to try making a quilt by hand for ages, but everyone made it seem so... difficult. But our grandmothers and great-grandmothers didn't have electric help, right?

Maybe you could do a crib sized blanket...then it wouldn't seem like it took so long. I am doing my first hand quilting (it looks terrible!!) on a crib sized blanket I machine pieced for my youngest grandaughter who is 4. It seems like it is taking forever! I could not imagine hand piecing it!

I have two hand-stitch quilts I work on in the winter months. Like Mona, I cannot sit and watch TV without doing something - so I hand-stitch quilt patches.

One quilt is a floral motif on 9 inch squares, off white muslin. The motif petal pieces are tiny print calicos, blue and pink. The center is a circle of pink and blue flowers (tiny print calico) on a white background.

I first put down the circle in the center of the square. For each petal (six in all), I hand press the edges then applique them to the center circle. It has taken me about 7 winters and I am almost finished with the patches. Then I will cut border strips to sew to the patches - then sew them all together and outline the top with the same border.

OR - I might get enthusiastic and make more petals to go around the entire quilt edge by sewing two petals together (right sides together, sew, and turn right side out).

The other quilt is a log cabin design on 9 inch squares. This is really fun to work with.

Oh! I also have a Victorian Crazy quilt to finish this winter. It is mainly scraps of velvet with some calicos here and there. The top is finished -- I just have to put a backing on.

I switch a lot as to which quilt I work on because I get easily bored by doing the same things over and over. Hopefully, I will get at least two quilts finished this winter. Then I have to start on a Buffalo quilt. I drew the design on graph paper. That will be all applique and hand stitched.

Thank you to everyone who responded! I think that I will start with something small and work my way up. I have been embroidering for about 2 years so I don't think that I will have a problem with the stitching itself just the amount. If anyone has tips for starting to quilt for the first time please let be know! Bookwormer

Hi, I'm new to this all together, this site that is. But to give you just a little help in making your first Quilt, you would do good to start out with some nice place mats or Valance for your kitchen window or a baby Quilt, for Hand Quilting is not for every one but I think you would enjoy the over all feeling of seeing your handy work displayed for all to see. I made my first quilt by hand,the top and quilted by hand with the help of my Teacher "My GrannyJack" when I was nine in 1963 and I still hand quilt mine today tho I do use a machine for sewing the tops. So lets see, you will need a good thimble, needles for quilting that fit your fingers well, a good seat for there is nothing like being relaxed while you create, a hand held Quilting hoop (for you will be starting small) about 14" would be about right. Now for the stitches a good quilter would make 5 to 6 stitches per inch, (for the great ones it would be 8 to 10 per inch) but do what makes you feel good and take your time for time is all we have and enjoy your self also get a good pair of sissors for cutting material (only) As far as starting out with a design, pick up some 100% cotton material that you like about 1/4 yards of five colors, cut them up in 5,6, or 7 inch blocks lay them out on your bed in four patch and place them the way they look good to you, or cut ten inch blocks (which is called dimes) and go to town, now remember if doing place mats use 5 inch blocks, if starting with a Baby Quilt or a Valance for a window use the 10 inch, the work will go faster and you will be done in no time, almost forgot do your hand Quilting with Thread made for quilting. Use regular thread on your machine to make your top. That's about all I could tell you for now don't want to feel over whelm about getting your feet wet. I do about four to five Quilts a year mostly for the family. Pick up a Quilting book at the store or at a fabric shop you would be surprized at how much you can learn. I hope this will help you to make your first Hand Made Quilt Project, never give up, if it takes you months you will be very Happy with what you do. Later

Bookworm, you will have to let us know how the project is coming along. I agree with the other ladies - start small. I was fortunate to be able to take a hand piecing and quilting class from a wonderful quilter in the local quilt guild. She taught classes at the community college. Our first course was piecing a sampler top the size of a crib quilt. There are several books, two I can think of right now, that I love. They step you through the hand piecing and quilting. I, like everyone else, have several projects in various stages. But you do hand quilting for the relaxation, it's portable, has meaning, and just the love of it -- you get addicted :) Let me know if I can help in anyway. And, relax and enjoy your project!