- For practice, cut two pieces of unbleached muslin and one of thin batting
large enough to fit in a hoop. Mark the right side of one piece of muslin with four or
five straight lines spaced about 1" apart. Place the batting between the two layers
of muslin.
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- Place these layers on top of the inside ring of the hoop. Because of the
size of the squares used in a practice piece, it isn't necessary to baste the layers to
secure them as you would a quilting project. Place the outer ring of the hoop (the one
with the wing nut or tension control) on top and ease the ring down to fit, keeping the
layers smooth and free of pleats or puckers around the hoop.
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- Tighten the hoop using the wing nut or other tension control. The layers should be taut
but not stretched tight in the hoop.
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- Assemble other necessary supplies - a needle, thread, thimble and scissors. Most
quilters like to use "betweens." These short needles come in sizes #8 to #12,
with #12 being the finest and shortest. It also usually has the smallest eye. Start with
#9 or #10. You can always try another size later, as you learn what tools are most
comfortable for you. You may also wish to add a needle threader to your supplies.
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- Use cotton or poly-covered cotton thread designated as quilting thread. For your
practice piece, you may wish to use a dark, contrasting thread to see your stitches
easily. Thread the needle by inserting the end of the thread through the eye while the
thread is still on the spool. This helps prevent fraying, which makes threading difficult.
Cut a 17" length of thread and make a small knot in the end that you cut from the
spool.
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- Sit in a comfortable chair with the hoop held in your non-quilting hand and supported in
your lap. Place a well-fitting thimble on the middle finger of your quilting hand. When
you let your hand hang down at your side and move it slightly, the thimble should remain
on the finger but not feel constricting.
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| Start with one stitch at a time |
- Insert the threaded needle through the top layer and into the batting about 1/2"
away from one of the marked practice lines. Slip the needle through the batting until the
tip reaches the beginning of the marked line. Guide the needle up through the muslin at
this point. Pull the needle and thread until the knot lies on top of the muslin at the
insertion point.
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- Tug the needle to force the knot through the muslin so that it becomes buried in the
batting. This is called "popping" the knot. You may find that using the
thumbnail of your non-quilting hand to apply some pressure on the fabric near the knot
helps it pop through more easily.
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- Place your underneath hand beneath the layers where you'll begin quilting. Position the
needle about 1/8" from the starting point so that it is perpendicular to the muslin,
placing the thimble at the eye-end of the needle and using the dimples in the thimble to
"grip" and balance the needle. Hold the needle gently between your thumb and
forefinger. Then insert the tip of the needle straight down through all layers, until you
can just feel the tip with your underneath hand (usually on the pad of your index or
middle finger).
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- When you feel the tip, release the needle and use the thimble to rock the eye of the
needle down so the needle lies parallel to the marked line and the tip of the needle moves
up.
- At the same time, press down on the layers with the thumb of your quilting hand slightly
ahead of the insertion point and press up slightly on the layers with the underneath
finger. This will create a "hill" in the fabric layers.
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- Put pressure on the eye-end of the needle with the thimble to guide the needle tip up
through all three layers on the marked line and at the top of the hill.
- Keeping pressure on the needle with the thimble, use the thumb of your quilting hand to
push the hill and work the needle through the layers far enough so that you can grip it
between the thumb and forefinger of the quilting hand.
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- Remove the thimble from the needle, releasing pressure, and move the thumb and
forefinger to the shank of the needle. Use them to pull the needle and thread through.
- Tug slightly to secure the stitch and cause it to lie down into the fibers of the
muslin. However, don't pull so tight that the thread gets buried. This creates too much
tension on the thread and can give the quilting an undesirable puckered look.
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| Increase your speed |
| Once you have mastered the steps for making one stitch at a
time, you're ready to take three to four stitches on the needle at a time to increase your
speed. |
- Follow the steps previously outlined, except do not push the hill to work the needle
through the fabric layers far enough to grip it between the thumb and forefinger of the
quilting hand. Instead, leave just the tip exposed at the top of the hill. With the
thimble still on the eye-end of the needle, rock the thimble straight up so that the
needle is perpendicular to the quilt layers again. Guide the needle tip down through the
three layers until you can feel it with the underneath hand, as before.
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- When you feel the tip, use the thimble to rock the needle down so it again lies parallel
to the marked line. At the same time, press down on the layers with the quilting hand and
up with the underneath finger to make a hill as before.
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- Use the thimble to put pressure on the eye end of the needle and guide the tip up
through all three layers on the marked line at the top of the hill. Leaving the tip
exposed, rock the needle down and make a third stitch in the same manner.
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- After the third stitch, keep pressure on the needle with the thimble and use the thumb
of your quilting hand to push the hill, working the needle through the layers far enough
to grip it as before.
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- Remove the thimble from the needle, releasing pressure, and use the thumb and forefinger
to pull the needle and thread through. Tug slightly to secure the three stitches.
- Continue taking three or four stitches at a time, inserting the needle about 1/8"
ahead of the last three stitches.
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- When there are about 5" of thread left, you're ready to end off. Make a small know
close to the last hole the needle came through. Do this using your favorite method or by
forming the thread into a loop and bringing the needle through it. Use your fingers to
keep the know close to the hole (1/4" or less away) while putting the thread through.
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- Insert the needle back into the hole and direct it away from the line of quilting,
sliding it through the batting for about 1/2". Bring the needle through to the quilt
top and tug the thread to bury the knot in the batting.
- Once you've stitched along the marked straight lines, mark some curved ones for further
practice.
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