Quilting a Quilt is Next
Once Your Quilt Top is Pieced and
The Borders Have Been Added?

You are now faced with several important questions for quilting a quilt. Being realistic will decide the answer;

Do I want to try my hand at hand quilting?

Do I want to machine quilt using a regular sewing machine or a longarm quilting machine?

Do I want to try the lap quilt technique?

Do I want to tie/tack my quilt; How much time or interest do I have in quilting a quilt?

Batting Transforms Your Project

Batting provides the fluff between the layers but the quilter provides the amount of fluff needed;

The technique you choose for quilting a quilt will influence the type of batting you use;

Put as much time in selecting the right batting as you did the fabrics.

Do you want the finished quilt to look flat or fluffy?

• Flatter batting is preferred for wall hangings or draped items;

• Fluffier batting is generally used for greater dimension to highlight the quilting design;

• Fluffiest batting is reserved for tied projects like comforters.

Piecing the Backing for Quilting a Quilt

Sometimes it is best not to piece the backing. In fact this is the preferred way for me. I look for extra wide fabrics which can be purchased in widths up to 120 inches and are actually good quality as well as nice designs.

Your choice, when selecting fabric for a backing, should be at least equal to the quality of the front of the quilt. So be real selective when picking out a backing fabric.

If the backing needs to be pieced it is preferable to have two seams on either side of the center. For a full size quilt (80-inches by 95-inches) place a full length strip of 42-inch wide fabric (40-inch once you cut off the selvage) down the middle and split another like length strip for the sides.

For a queen or king size quilt place two full length strips of 42-inch wide fabric (40-inch once you cut off the selvage) on the outer sides. The joining piece down the middle will be cut wide enough to get a full 100-inches by 120-inches long. This piece will be pieced together.

If you elect not to prewash your backing be absolutely sure there will be no 'bleeding'; no margin for error here;

Choosing the Right Quilting Template
When Hand Quilting a Quilt

Quilting designs for quilting a quilt should be compatible with the style of your quilt;

Study examples in books and at quilt shows to find how others did similar projects;

Busy prints tend to suppress fancy quilting patterns so use quick and easy designs;

The more intricate and fancy the quilting pattern, the longer it will take to quilt;

How is the quilt to be used?

Wall hangings do not get heavy use so they do not require heavy quilting;

A baby quilt will be laundered frequently and be quickly outgrown;

Quilts that are going to be loved to death do not justify the many hours of hand quilting;

Large open areas on a quilt top begs for fancy quilting designs;

Maybe the quilting design comes first so why not build a quilt around the design;

Check out the stencils that your local quilt shop carries for that 'Aha!' moment.

Adapting Quilting Designs
For Machine Quilting

Most quilting templates can be adapted for machine quilting;

When machine quilting a quilt it is important that the quilting be done in continuous unbroken lines when possible;

You want to minimize the number of thread ends to bury due to starting and stopping points in the design;

Part of a design may require you to stitch over it twice to get from point A to point B. Whereas when hand quilting you simply bury the end in the batting layer to move from point A to point B;

Look for designs that can be traced without lifting your pencil from the paper for machine stitching;

First, practice drawing your design with a pencil and paper until it feels comfortable. Your brain will get use to the pattern and will help you to retain the image once you do begin quilting with the machine;

Next, take the thread out of your machine and practice stitching the design using freezer paper and your sewing machine until you feel comfortable;

Take inspiration from hand quilting designs, but understand that the machine-quilted version does not have to be identical to get the same effect as hand quilting.

Layering and Basting for Hand Quilting

Think of your quilt as a sandwich where the batting is sandwiched between the bottom and the top;

This is a good visual showing the technique for layering and preparing for basting;

The backing, also called the back, or lining, of a quilt is the third, or bottom, layer of the quilt;

The quilt top features the main design that has been pieced to achieve a definite look;

Most backings use regular yardage that has no patchwork or applique designs;

Backings generally require the fabric to be pieced in order to gain the width needed for your quilt. However, it is possible to purchase widths up to 120-inches where no piecing would be necessary;

Basting, sometimes called 'sandwiching' is the process of securing the three layers of the quilt;

While being mundane, this step is important and should be done carefully to assure that the layers of the quilt do not shift;

A good job of basting the sandwich together makes quilting fun;

You know that once you have your quilt in a basting frame you are entering the home stretch and a finished quilt will soon be ready to display, enter in a show, or give as a gift.

You can build your own basting frame: If you have spent hours crawling around on a hard floor or doing the back breaking stretching over a table this simple and inexpensive basting frame is a jewel!

Hand Quilting the Quilt

You've finished the top, marked a design using your template, pieced the back to avoid a center seam, picked a batting especially for your project, based the three layers, and assembled your supplies. Now you're ready to quilt.

A quilting hoop is necessary to hold the basted quilt and free up both hands to work together to make perfect stitches.

The size and gauge of a quilting needle directly affects the size of the quilting stitch.

Both ends of the quilting needle are equally as sharp which makes wearing a thimble a must. This will require you to learn to use a thimble. But there are a few alternatives to choose from so you may have to experiment a bit to get the one that works for you.

Because the needle is the only thing that is not flexible you must learn to bend the fabric around the point of the needle.

The needle must pierce all three layers in a straight up and down position and then with the thimble finger, rock the needle into the horizontal position.

Place your thumb just ahead of where you expect the needle point to appear. Stop pushing once the needle point appears so as not to prick your thumb. This will take practice.

With the thimble finger, rock the needle back into the vertical position and repeat this process. At first you will only be able to load one or two stitches but this also will improve with practice.

Machine Quilting a Quilt

My design is too big! My design is too small! My design is just right! The overall size of a motif is to allow 1/4 to 1-inch between the quilt design and the seam allowance in the block;

It is important to maintain size ratio between the quilting and the size of the block when quilting a quilt;

The easiest way to change the size of a printed pattern is to enlarge or reduce it on a photocopy machine;

Continuous-line designs are a speedy way when machine quilting a quilt;

Repeated starting and stopping takes more effort as well as time and can be noticeable and distracting;

Try to avoid the need of Stitching over a previous stitched line when designing your quilt;

How do you know if a design can be stitched continuously or not?

Designs with lots of lines going in different directions cannot easily be adapted, but patterns for enclosed shapes, such as hearts and flowers, often can be modified;

Analyze your hand quilting templates and patterns for possibilities in converting into continuous-line designs when quilting a quilt.

When Quilting a Quilt
Try Hand-Tied Folk Art Style

Tying is a fast and easy way to secure the quilt layers;

Tying is an excellent way for quilting a quilt for a small baby quilt;

Tying is best when working with thick batting for comforters;

Tying is not recommended for cotton or silk batting; reserve these for close quilting;

For ties, use pearl cotton, lightweight yarn, floss, narrow ribbon, or buttons (use buttons only for adult quilts);

Machine bar tacking is also acceptable when tying a quilt;

Charm tacks are small, decorative shapes that are stitched around in place of bar tacking or tying;

Look through children's books for small illustrations to inspire your own designs.

Using the Lap Quilting Technique
When Quilting a Quilt

This quilt is an early form of lap quilting. When you view it up close you realize that it was quilted one block at a time and then pieced using the 'on point' concept.

The quilt is being displayed by Alice, my sister, and the quilt was made by our Grandma Dyer some 75 years ago.

Lap quilting is the technique of joining a pieced top, batting and backing together in small, block-sized sections;

The small block-sized sections are then connected to form the entire quilt;

You can built an entire quilt by adding sections gradually working at your own pace;

When a large quilt seems overwhelming, try using this technique to create a hand bag for yourself or a baby quilt to give as a gift.

See How Batting Transforms Your Project
Adding the Quilt Backing
Machine Quilting Designs for Beginner Quilters
Floating a Quilt Makes Quilting Easy
Quilting Tips for Using Darning Foot and Walking Foot
Choosing the Perfect Quilting Design
Hand Quilting is Perfect for Small Projects
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