Tips for Finishing Quilts

New quilters often get frustrated when trying to select a quilting technique.

Let’s face it, quilt block patterns are very specific.  You know exactly how many squares to cut, how many triangles to stitch together and the exact size of everything.  However, once the top is pieced many new quilters feel left out in the dark as far as how to quilt their project.

That’s because the actual quilting of your project is based on personal preference.  And, many books and patterns offer no help.  Have you ever noticed that they say “Quilt as desired.”  How much help is that?

Time and Tide Quilt

Many beginners quilt their first quilt using a “stitch in the ditch” or “outline” method. This style is simple in that you just sew your quilting stitches in, or next to, the seams of your pieced blocks.

If you have made an appliqué quilt, your stitches can outline the appliqué pieces on your quilt.  While this is an easy method for hand quilting, it is much more difficult when you are machine quilting.

There are other styles of machine quilting that are easier and will make your finished quilt look beautiful.

Because sewing straight lines, especially across the seams of your quilt blocks, can be difficult for beginning machine quilters, free motion or continuous line quilting may be a more satisfying technique as you perfect your machine quilting.

If you are using your home sewing machine, simply drop the feed dogs on your machine, replace your regular presser foot with a darning foot, and stitch somewhat random designs on your quilt.  These can be squiggly designs that look like jigsaw puzzle pieces. Or you can create more identifiable designs like leaves, ocean waves or flowers.

With a little practice and a few special techniques, your machine quilting will enhance your finished quilt.  And you will finish your quilts in a shorter time frame – allowing you to make more quilts for your family and friends to enjoy!

To discover a few other finishing techniques, visit:

http://www.how-to-quilt.com/articles/2310-quilting-techniques.php

Happy Quilting!

Penny

 

Tying Quilts

me, just relaxing on a comfy stack of quilts

m. mouse, the official how-to-quilt.com lilac point siamese cat, here.

i’m still working on learning how to make capital letters on penny’s computer, with little success.

penny is busy editing some video showing a new and different way to bind a quilt using prairie points, and my furry kitty buddy, jackson, is out wandering through the wilds of our little berg of la mesa.

silly kitty. doesn’t he know that the dog down the street wants to chase him?

anyway, while everyone is off doing something else, i thought i would drop you a line about one of my favorite ways for penny to finish a quilt.

i just love the quilts with the little pieces of yarn sticking out.

you know the ones.

you take little pieces of yarn, perle cotton or ribbon and tie little knots.

i just love to play with the strings. sometimes i even chew on the ribbons and make nice little holes in them.

it makes a brand new quilt look well-loved!

anyway, penny wrote an article about different ways to tie a quilt so they don’t all look the same.

sometimes you can sew buttons where you might tie the quilt.

other times, using ribbon is fun, and you can tie nice bows or even use the ribbon to tie a button onto the quilt.

all of this is instead of either hand or machine quilting.

you can get more ideas from penny’s article here:

http://www.how-to-quilt.com/articles/2034-tying-quilts.php

happy quilting!

m. mouse

the official how-to-quilt.com lilac point siamese cat

 

Tying Quilts

This quilt is tied using embroidery thread

Sometimes tying a quilt seems like the very last resort to getting a quilt finished.

While hand quilters love the look of a skillfully hand quilted quilt, and machine quilters appreciate the beauty and complexity of fine machine quilting, tying a quilt can be equally rewarding.

When quilting daughter, Stephanie, was a baby, a friend gave me a quilt that was tied.

Since I was new to quilting, I had never seen a quilt finished that way before.

I’ll admit that initially, I was a little surprised and thought that she had “cheated.”

It didn’t take long for that to become one of Stephanie’s favorite quilts. It was a nice, cuddly flannel quilt that had flannel instead of batting.

As a quilter, I recognized that it was a perfect baby quilt. It was easy to make, the baby (and mom) loved and used it. And even after hundreds of washings, it still looked brand
new.

What could be better than that?

Many tied quilts are simply tied in the corners between the blocks, leaving the blocks as open space.

Other quilts are tied in the center of each block with either yarn or perle cotton.

The best ties are washable, won’t unravel, will stay tied, and are strong enough to hold together when they are tied.

Even with those considerations, why not add a little flair? Using embroidery floss or cording might be a possibility. And instead of using yarn or perle cotton, try a ribbon.

http://how-to-quilt.com/articles/9501-tying-quilts.php

Where you place the ties on your quilt can be interesting, too. Just as quilters stitch their quilting to make a design, your ties can add to the design of your quilt.

Have fun with every aspect of your quilt – from sewing the blocks together to quilting the top – whether you hand quilt, machine quilt or tie your quilt, finish it so someone you love can enjoy using it.

To get some other ideas for tying quilts, visit:

how to tie a quilt

Happy Quilting!

Penny Halgren
www.How-to-Quilt.com

P.S. Just because it’s tied, doesn’t mean it has to be boring!

http://how-to-quilt.com/articles/9501-tying-quilts.php

 

Tying Quilts Creatively

Everyone agrees that tying a quilt is much faster and generally easier than either machine or hand quilting.

Basically anyone who can hold a needle can tie a quilt and get a sense of accomplishment. When members of a church make a prayer quilt, everyone in the congregation is invited to tie a knot in the quilt – men, women, and children – with or without any sewing ability. Yarn, perle cotton or embroidery thread tied in a simple knot is perfect for that kind of quilt. Often, the quilters in the group put the ties in and the congregation simply ties the knots.

Other types of quilts also lend themselves to simple tying, and would be ruined by any other kind of quilting. Anyone who has seen a moderately heavily quilted quilt understands that the quilting tends to reduce the puffiness in a quilt.

If you want a puffy, fluffy quilt, using thick batting will give you that look. And tying the quilt will keep the layers together while maintaining the puffiness you want. Hand or machine quilting this type of quilt would significantly reduce the puffiness, and completely change the look of your quilt.

But, tying a quilt doesn’t need to be boring!

Many tied quilts are simply tied in the corners between the blocks, leaving the blocks as open space. Other quilts are tied in the center of each block with either yarn or perle cotton.

The best ties are washable, won’t unravel, will stay tied, and are strong enough to hold together when they are tied. Even with those considerations, why not add a little flair? Using embroidery floss or cording might be a possibility. And instead of using yarn or perle cotton, try a ribbon.

And what about adding something interesting in the tie? Sew a cute shaped button – say a train or fire truck – onto your quilt, and then tie the knot on the back of the quilt. Simply pull your thread from the back of the quilt, attach the button, and knot the thread, just as you would sew a button on a shirt.

Another possibility is a bow. Instead of just knotting your quilt tie, finish it off with a bow. Add a large button under the bow for an even more interesting look. As added safety against the bow coming untied, double knot it.

And speaking of trains, trucks and other things with wheels, make double-sided circles of fabric and sew them on to your quilt as wheels of your vehicle, attaching them just in the center. You might even add a button on top, and make the fabric circle wheel able to spin around.

If you have a lattice on your quilt top, maybe you could lay down a narrow ribbon and tie it in place with ribbon ties every few inches along the way. If this quilt will be washed, you might want to secure the ribbon strips with other stitching as well.

Where you place the ties on your quilt can be interesting, too. Just as quilters stitch their quilting to make a design, your ties can add to the design of your quilt.

If your quilt has an ocean flavor, your ties can be like birds in the sky or whiskers on a seal. A basket quilt might have bows along the handles of the baskets. And your Sunbonnet Sue might have ribbons on her hat.

Have fun with every aspect of your quilt – from sewing the blocks together to quilting the top – whether you hand quilt, machine quilt or tie your quilt, finish it so someone you love can enjoy using it.

Happy Quilting!

Penny Halgren

TheQuiltingCoach