Try Your Hand at Hand Quilting

I’m interested in hand quilting—do you have any info on this? My grandmother taught me how to quilt. We would cut out scrap fabric from a pattern she had cut from a cereal box. We would cut one piece at a time, hand sewing them together. We hand quilted in a frame in her TV room for hours. I’d love to pick it up again.

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How wonderful! I made my first quilt the same way, also instructed by my grandmother. Only we would tie our quilts rather than hand quilt them. I actually learned to hand quilt by book. My favorite book was called That Perfect Stitch by Roxanne McElroy. She had a company that also sold amazing metal thimbles. She has since passed away but her family still sells needles and thimbles.

I also suggest picking up some hand quilting books by Alex Anderson—she is one of modern quilting’s most amazing hand quilters.

In the meantime, here are a couple of videos on hand quilting that can give you a good place to start:

  • Basic Hand Quilting Techniques
  • Hand Quilting Techniques and Ideas
  • Heather


    Do you have a quilting question you’d like answered by an expert? Email your question to editor@nationalquilterscircle.com or reach out to us on Facebook.

    Please note: questions may be edited for clarity and relevance.

    Reply to Monta Reina
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    13 Responses to “Try Your Hand at Hand Quilting”

    1. Kathleen Mccarty

      Tips on How to attach Fabric to a Grace Hand quilting frame. Will Grace EZ3 fit a King size quilt?

      Reply
      • Customer Service

        Hello Kathleen,

        Thank you for contacting us.
        Unfortunately I do not know the answer to this question- however, I would recommend that you reach out to Grace Co. directly for questions about their frames:
        https://www.graceframe.com/en/machine-frames
        If you have any other concerns, please contact us at 1-855-706-3538, or chat with us on our site.

        We greatly appreciate your business!
        Sincerely,
        Lindsay
        National Quilters Circle Video Membership

        Reply
    2. Sharon Salsberry

      how to figure amount of fabric for 200″ of 2 1/2″ wide, bias cut binding

      Reply
      • Customer Service

        Hello Sharon,

        Great question! The ‘Ask an Expert’ section is currently for members of our online community. By becoming a member, you will have access to our expert’s knowledge in quilting. With your membership you will also receive discounts on products and hours of Premium video content.

        If you are interested in becoming a member to National Quilters Circle, please click on the special offer below:

        https://go.nationalquilterscircle.com/C24324

        Here is the formula form the internet, I hope it helps:

        Figure out how much fabric you need with this formula:
        Width of fabric divided by width of one piece equals the number of pieces that fit into width (rounded down to the whole number).
        Total number of pieces divided by number of pieces that fit into width equals number of rows you need.

        If you have any other concerns, please contact us at 1-855-706-3538, or chat with us on our site.

        We greatly appreciate your business!

        Sincerely,

        Joan
        National Quilters Circle Video Membership

        Reply
    3. Jackie turnbull

      hand quilting a t-shirt quilt. i put the pattern on the back and then quilt that way. but the T-shirt has all the designs on the front. should i just go around the blocks or use the pattern to quilt.i was wondering if it would take away from the front. i quilt with white thread.

      Reply
      • Customer Service

        Hello Jackie,

        Thank you for contacting us. Great question! The ‘Ask an Expert’ section is currently for members of our online community. By becoming a member, you will have access to our expert’s knowledge in Quilting. With your membership you will also receive discounts on products and hours of Premium video content.

        If you are interested in becoming a member to National Quilters Circle, please click on the special offer below:

        https://go.nationalquilterscircle.com/C22263

        If you have any further questions, please chat, email, or contact Customer Service at 1-855-706-3538.

        We greatly appreciate your business!

        Sincerely,

        Joan
        National Quilters Circle Video Membership

        Reply
      • Customer Service

        Dear Lee Ann,
        Thank you for contacting us.

        The ‘Ask an Expert’ section is currently for members to our online community. We do have a promotional offer if you are interested. This would include access to expert advice (like this), plus discounts, hours of Premium videos, etc. Please feel free to take a look. You can email us right back with your question if you decide to become a member and you will have a response within 1-2 business days from our experts!

        Please follow the steps below to receive the annual membership at the introductory rate:
        1. Click on the email link:https://go.nationalquilterscircle.com/c18061
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        6. Finish by clicking Complete Order.

        If you have any further questions, please contact Customer Service at 1-855-706-3536, at your earliest convenience, or chat with us on our site.

        We greatly appreciate your business!

        Sincerely,

        Joan
        National Quilters Circle Video Membership

        Reply
    4. Monta Reina

      What hand quilting frame do you suggest. I live in small quarters. Was looking at the Grace E23 No Baste Quilting Frame. 27 in – craft, 59 in – crib and 91 in for queen quilts. Looks like it folds up nicely. However, do not know how much room it takes up when open and ready for use. What do you think and do you have any other preferences? Want something that will not fall apart or fall over when in use. Thank you for your assistance. Very much appreciated.

      Reply
      • Customer Service

        Hello Monta,

        I personally do not use a frame for hand quilting. I would recommend finding a store that sells them so you can see what they look like when they are open for use (as opposed to seeing them online- which can be deceiving as far as size). I would also recommend reading reviews on the frames you are leaning towards and seeing what others who have used them think of them.

        Cheers,

        Ashley
        National Quilters Circle Video Membership

        Reply
    5. wanda baird

      I would like to know where and how I could perchase the two videos that are listed above

      Reply
      • Customer Service

        Hello Wanda,

        If you click on the video titles you will be taken to the video. There is the option to purchase them as a download under the video.

        Thanks,
        Becky NQC Video Membership

        Reply