How to Hand-Quilt Using a Square Quilting Frame
A hand-made quilt can be much more than a simple blanket. Because of the time and effort involved, a hand-made quilt can become a family heirloom or a work of art. A square quilting frame is tool that keeps the knitting fabric flat and taut while you stitch. Hand-quilting while using a square quilting frame isn't difficult, but it does require patience and practice.
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- Quilt top
- Batting
- Quilt bottom
- Quilting thread
- Quilting needle
- Square quilting frame
Instructions
-
-
1
Layer the fabric inside the frame according to the instructions included with your quilting frame. Typically, the bottom layer is the quilt back, right-side down, followed by the batting, and then the quilt top, right side up.
-
2
Thread the needle and tie a knot at the end of the thread. Hide the knot inside the quilt by pushing the needle through the top layer only, then exiting the fabric in the spot where you want to begin your first stitch. Pull the thread slack all the way out so that the knot is resting on the surface of the top layer. Tug until the knot goes through the top layer and is hidden inside the quilt.
-
-
3
Stitch from the center of the frame outward. Push the needle through all three layers of the quilt at a vertical angle. Angle the needle back upward as vertically as you can and push the needle back out of the quilt.
-
4
Stop stitching roughly 2 inches from the edge of the quilting frame. Move your frame to another section of the quilt so that the place where you stopped stitching is now near the center of the frame. Repeat this process until you need to re-thread your needle.
-
5
Finish your stitch with a finishing knot, tied into your thread about 1/4 inch above the quilt top. Push the needle through the top and then back out the top about an inch away. Pull the needle until the knot pops through the top layer and cut off the thread close to the top layer.
-
6
Re-thread the needle and hide the knot from the underside of the quilt. Push the needle through the quilt bottom, the batting layer, and the quilt top so that the needle is in position to continue the quilting stitch where you left off.
-
1
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
