Step Four: Hand Quilting the Hexagon Quilt

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Hand Quilting - Back

I'm a little nutty for hand-quilting this long drop queen-sized quilt, but after a few months...I did it! I quilted in the ditch around the colored diamonds, so you can't actually see that work, except on the back. And I also randomly quilted a 5-pointed flower in some of the centers of the diamonds, which can be seen on the front. Especially since I did the flowers in grey thread.

Now, onto the binding!

Lessons Learned.
You need a large quilting hoop, a leather coin thimble, like twenty quilting "betweens" needles, and a mastery of the 'rocking' hand quilting motion. Hand-quilting thread is worth the extra money. Don't let the fabric be too loose in the hoop. It's okay to redo quilting that doesn't look good. Use an air/water soluble pen to ensure your shapes are somewhat symmetric. Take week-long breaks from quilting so your fingertips can heal. Hand-quilting should not be done in the ditch, unless you want to hide all your hard work!

Hand Quilting - Back
Hand Quilting - Back
Hand Quilting - Front
The Hazards of Hand Quilting

  1. How To: Hexagon Quilt Top Piecing 9/11/2010
  2. Progress Report 12/15/2010
  3. Progress Report 4/4/2012
  4. Progress Report 4/18/2012
  5. Progress Report 5/16/2012
  6. Step One: Hexagon Quilt Top Done 5/29/2013
  7. Step Two & Three: Backing & Quilt Sandwich 6/19/2013
  8. Step Four: Hand Quilting 8/28/2013
  9. Step Five: Non-Traditional Hexagon Quilt Binding Tutorial 9/18/13
  10. A Review of the Hexagon Quilt 10/2/13

3 comments:

Julie [Plums for Breakfast] said...

Wow, this is some seriously dedicated work. It looks incredibly beautiful, but I'm not sure I'd ever be able to tackle something like this. Kudos :)

Anonymous said...

I can't even believe the time and effort you've put into this quilt. You must keep it forever, and have rules about how it's to be treated after your death. Seriously beautiful...

Stephanie said...

Oh wow! This looks amazing! I've been dying to do a quilt, and hand quilt it. My mom always ties her quilts, which I love, but I haven't hand quilted in forever!