How to Quilt Feather Stencils
The feather stencil pattern is a popular and traditional pattern for bed, lap and wall quilts, and is still a much-used quilting pattern in the Amish and Mennonite communities. This pattern is usually used around a quilt's border, but you can place it anywhere on a quilt. The stencil can also be used in less traditional ways, such as on quilted jackets or handbags.
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- Quilting needle
- Quilting thread
- Thimble
- Quilting hoop or frame
- Quilt top or item to be quilted
- Tailor's chalk
- Stencil of feather quilting pattern
- Iron
- Ironing board
Instructions
-
-
1
Lay out your quilt top or other item you want to stitch a quilting pattern onto. Make sure it is free from wrinkles. Iron out wrinkles, if necessary.
-
2
Place your stencil onto the piece you want to quilt and adjust the placement until the lines of the feather pattern line up where you want them to be. Hold the stencil down and trace the lines of your stencil with the tailor's chalk. Make sure that you can see the chalk marks on the fabric revealed through the stencil.
-
-
3
Complete transferring the lines onto the cloth, then gently lift up your stencil. Confirm that the lines are legible and are placed where you want them to be. If you need to reposition the stencil, gently brush away the lines with your fingers. Reposition your stencil, weight it down, and reapply the tailor's chalk. Continue this process on each section of cloth until all the lines you want to quilt are properly marked.
-
4
Place your item in a quilting hoop or frame with the right side facing you. Stretch out the fabric until it is taut, and secure the outer piece of the hoop or frame to hold the cloth in place.
-
5
Thread your needle with a strand of quilting thread approximately 3 feet in length. Tie a small knot in the thread about 4 inches from the end. Hold the needle in your hand and pierce the piece from the bottom. Gently pull the needle until the knot at the end has passed through the bottom of the piece but has not exited through the top surface of your piece.
-
6
Begin to place small quilting stitches in the line you have drawn with tailor's chalk. Make sure all of your stitches are as small and even as possible. Quilt along the lines until they are covered with your quilting stitches. When you have 6 inches left on your thread, pull the needle so that the thread is exiting the top of the quilt. Tie a small knot one-half of an inch above the point where the thread exits the quilt. Pierce the top, pushing the needle at an angle through the quilt sandwich so that the knot enters the surface of the quilt's top layer, but doesn't exit the bottom layer. Clip the thread. Repeat with a new piece of thread until all of the lines drawn on the surface have been quilted. Turn the piece over so that the wrong side is showing. Clip any exposed threads as close to the surface of the wrong side as possible.
-
1
