THAT PERFECT QUILT STITCH

Grasp the needle between thumb and forefinger in the right hand. With thimble on middle finger of the right hand ready to guide the needle, position the needle upright (perpendicular to) on the fabric. With the thimble positioned at the eye end of the needle, begin to push the needle through the fabric WITH THE THIMBLE. As soon as the tip of the needle touches your left hand below the quilt, immediately begin to arc the needle eye down toward the quilt top and push that left hand middle finger UP forming a little hill for the needle tip to come up through. When the needle tip appears through the top, immediately swing the needle, still keeping the thimble in contact with the eye end, into an upright position as before. Then down it goes, straight down into the fabric again.

If you can, get two or three stitches on the needle, now push the needle through by placing your right hand thumb on the quilt and use it to force the needle through the little hills of the stitches guided and pushed by the thimble finger.

The length of the stitch is determined by how far the needle tip is pushed below the quilt, and how much of the needle tip appears on the surface of the quilt before it again descends into the beginning of the next stitch. The thickness of the batting and the fabric of the quilt and backing also determine the length of the stitch. At first it seems very clumsy and awkward to manage all those movements with several fingers, the needle and the thimble, but the rocking movement becomes easier with practice until it is rhythmic and pleasing.

A good quilting stitch is straight down and straight up through all 3 layers of the quilt. End the thread by taking a tiny stitch backward, bring it up under the last stitch, down again in an invisible stitch under that stitch, and back out through the top fabric about an inch away. Pull tightly and clip the thread even with the fabric.

An experienced quilter takes about 8 to 12 stitches per inch. Your goal is EVEN stitches, so work toward that before you concentrate on the smallness of your stitch.

Happy hand quilting!

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