In between working on my Roseville blocks (and a few other quilts in progress), I am hand-quilting  Amy and Bruce’s wedding quilt.  They will be getting married on September 1 (of this year!) so I better get stitching!

I find hand-quilting (like all hand work) very relaxing.  I tell myself that I will just sit and quilt  for a few minutes, but before I know it, a few hours have slipped by!  Of course, having the right tools makes a huge difference.  Just remember, what works for one quilter may not work for all quilters!  So…take the time to try different brands of needles, thread, scissors and batting. Find those tools that work for you.

Here are a few tools that work for me:

John James Size 10 Big Eye Quilting needles.  They are smooth and very sharp.  And the big eye is a bonus for easy threading!

A hoop to hold the quilt layers tight.  I have always used a  hoop to support the quilt while I am stitching the three layers together.  I have even quilted a king-sized quilt using a hoop.  The secret is to have lots of basting!!

Gingher scissors.  I treated myself to a pair of Gingher scissors for my last birthday!  They curve upward at the end so that I will not snip (another!) hole in a quilt!

Various thimbles.  “Various” because every time I sit down to quilt, the thimble I used last time  just doesn’t feel right!

Hand-quilting thread.  I like Dual Duty Plus because it is a cotton/polyester blend and it glides through the layers really well.  I also like YLI hand-quilting thread.

100% wool quilt batt.  I am using “Legacy” 100% wool.  Quilting through a wool batt is like quilting through butter.  It is an absolute dream to work with!

A decent light source.  Although there is no substitute for natural sunlight, there may be times when it is not that readily available.  I always keep my Ott light handy for times when I need just a bit more light.

Time.  No matter how busy I am, I can always find time to quilt!!

HAND-QUILTING TOOLS