Step Four: Hand Quilting the Hexagon Quilt

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!

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