Need a few hints on hand quilting

Hi all

I did my backing, sandwiched and basted my Weaver Fever pattern quilt
yesterday. My kitchen floor is the only area big enough so once I got going
I had to finish. It only took me 9 hours!!

I started on the hand quilting this evening. I used to do a lot of
embroidery so the hand quilting started off rather well. I'm having trouble
on burying the knot though. It's either too small or too big. Any
suggestions for me? Since this is my first quilt at hand quilting, the
batting is thin so I need a medium size knot. I can't seem to find a happy
medium.

Also, the eye of that needle is soooo small. It took me a while to find a
needle threader. Couldn't get it threaded otherwise.

I'm not sure about how much to quilt. The batting is quite thin so what's a
good guide on how far apart the stitching lines can be?

Ann.........happy the quilt is coming along great

There's a quilter's knot, very well described in the Fons & Porter book
"Quilter's Complete Guide". I do better looking at pictures, but if this
description helps: Thread the needle and cut off a suitable length (about
18"). Holding the needle between your right thumb and index finger, lay the
long end of the thread over the needle and grab that too. Don't let go. Wind
the thread around the needle 3 times and squinch your thumb and finger up a
bit so you're also grabbing the wrapped area. Hold firmly and pull the
threaded needle through. You'll end up with a tidy medium-size knot. If it
still seems too big, wrap only 2 times.

When I bury the knot, I make an effort to poke the needle down between the
woven threads, through a bit of batting, and bring it up through the middle
of a thread. Then a sharp tug ought to sink the knot.

If you have some long lines to do, there's an alternate method: no knot. Cut
your thread twice as long as usual. Start in the middle of the line of
quilting. Pull the thread halfway through, and hold on to the long tail
until you get a few stitches started. When you finish off the 1st half,
thread the needle with the other end and quilt the other way.

Can't tell you how dense your quilting should be. The batting package will
give maximum distance between quilting lines, but the final choice depends
on what will enhance your design. Personally, I like lots of quilting for
most things.
Roberta in D
"Ann" wrote in message
...
Hi all

I did my backing, sandwiched and basted my Weaver Fever pattern quilt
yesterday. My kitchen floor is the only area big enough so once I got
going
I had to finish. It only took me 9 hours!!

I started on the hand quilting this evening. I used to do a lot of
embroidery so the hand quilting started off rather well. I'm having
trouble
on burying the knot though. It's either too small or too big. Any
suggestions for me? Since this is my first quilt at hand quilting, the
batting is thin so I need a medium size knot. I can't seem to find a
happy
medium.

Also, the eye of that needle is soooo small. It took me a while to find a
needle threader. Couldn't get it threaded otherwise.

I'm not sure about how much to quilt. The batting is quite thin so what's
a
good guide on how far apart the stitching lines can be?

Ann.........happy the quilt is coming along great

When my knot won't go through - I enlarge the hole the the needle made, work
the know through, and then, with my fingernails, rough up the hole 'til it's
back to normal.

Do you still have the package the batting came in? What's it called? The
Hancocks of Paducah free catalog has a center section that lists all of the
battings they carry and how far apart you can safely quilt them. I gave my
catalog away, (what was I thinking?) but I'm sure you could get someone here
to look it up in theirs or you could go to www.hancocks-paducah and ask for
one.

--
Lady Cynthia, Royal Musicmaker

http://photos.yahoo.com/cbet_99
http://www.one-eleven.net/~music/
Remember, once you get over the hill,
you'll begin to pick up speed.

"Ann" wrote in message
...
Hi all

I did my backing, sandwiched and basted my Weaver Fever pattern quilt
yesterday. My kitchen floor is the only area big enough so once I got
going
I had to finish. It only took me 9 hours!!

I started on the hand quilting this evening. I used to do a lot of
embroidery so the hand quilting started off rather well. I'm having
trouble
on burying the knot though. It's either too small or too big. Any
suggestions for me? Since this is my first quilt at hand quilting, the
batting is thin so I need a medium size knot. I can't seem to find a
happy
medium.

Also, the eye of that needle is soooo small. It took me a while to find a
needle threader. Couldn't get it threaded otherwise.

I'm not sure about how much to quilt. The batting is quite thin so what's
a
good guide on how far apart the stitching lines can be?

Ann.........happy the quilt is coming along great