If you’ve ever tried hand quilting, you know that when you’re first beginning, it is very difficult to get short stitches. But many hand quilters will tell you that it is more important to get stitches the same size than to get them really short.
Either way, it takes practice – and a few techniques.
A few years ago, we had Deirdre McElroy as a guest for an Eavesdrop on a Telephone Conversation. Deirdre is a professional quilter who has made a study of hand quilting and all of the various tools and techniques you can use to create beautiful and (as she calls them) “perfect” stitches.
Not that I plan to get to “perfect” at all – I’d be happy with “good!” Knowing the techniques taught by an expert go a long way toward getting better hand quilting stitches, which may lead to some really “good” stitches some day.
As with so many other tasks, it helps to have the right tools, and once you do, the position you hold the needle and where you place your hands can make all the difference in the world in your hand quilting stitches:
http://how-to-quilt.com/articles/5009-quilting-stitches.php
Happy Quilting!
Penny
