Contents
Types Of Quilting Stitches
Hand Quilting Stitches
The first option is whether you want to quilt by hand or by machine. Hand quilting takes a lot longer than machine quilting, but it has its benefits.
It has a unique appearance that can never be duplicated by a machine. It’s transportable. On a chilly day, you may sit in the sun and quilt, or you can quilt in front of the television while chatting with friends or fellow quilters.
Types Of Hand Quilting
There are 3 main types of hand quilting stitches:
- Tying
- Sashiko
- Conventional
Tying
This isn’t really a quilting stitch, but it is a unique manner of combining the quilt’s layers.
You’ll need a thick thread for this, like cotton perle embroidery thread. The goal is to make your ‘ties’ noticeable.
Make stitches through all three layers of the quilt with a long thread, leaving large loops in between. Continue until you’ve made a stitch in each spot where a tie is desired. Cut between the stitches, then use a quilter’s knot to connect the loops together. Trim your threads at the ends.
Sashiko
Only by hand is this possible. It is based on the Japanese Sashiko embroidery method. Traditionally, this method was done with white thread on a blue backdrop, but you can use any colors you like.
Because you want your stitches to work as an embellishment in this scenario, you’ll need a thick thread once more. Simple flowing stitches in a contrasting thread make up this design. You may sew straight lines across your quilt or use your running threads to create lovely shapes and patterns.
Conventional
To minimize breakages in your sewing, choose a strong thread, such as quilting thread, while hand quilting. To keep the quilt sandwich flat, I like to place it in a frame or a big quilting hoop. Some quilters, on the other hand, dislike this approach and prefer to hold their cloth in their hands. The goal is to make straight, equal stitches.
Machine Quilting Stitches
Machine quilting can be done with any of the following types of quilting stitches:
- Horizontal or vertical quilting
- Stitch in the ditch
- Free form quilting
- Stipple quilting
- Outline quilting
- Echo quilting
- Template quilting.
Horizontal Or Vertical Quilting
The most basic of all quilting stitches is this one. You pick whether horizontal or vertical lines will appear best on the quilt depending on your patchwork design.
Using a detachable pen and a quilting ruler, draw your lines. Stitch in the same direction as the lines.
A ‘walking foot’ for your sewing machine comes in handy here, as it prevents tucks and puckers from appearing along this lengthy line of stitching. If you don’t have this foot, make sure your quilt is thoroughly baste!
Stitch In The Ditch
Stitch in the ditch refers to quilting stitches that are sewn along the seam lines of the patchwork that makes up your quilt. The stitches will sink into the ‘ditch’ or little depression created where the materials meet if you are attentive and accurate enough. This approach compresses the batting along the seam lines and generates puffiness in between, but it does not show off your actual stitching. On the reverse of the quilt, it is more obvious.
Free Form Quilting
To execute this, you’ll need a sewing machine with lower feed dogs and a ‘darning foot,’ also known as a free motion foot.
You have entire control over your fabric once you’ve set this up; the machine no longer directs it for you. You may move the fabric in any way you like to make a design. Your stitch length is determined by your rate of movement.
You may either use a disposable marker to draw designs on your quilt top or move in random swirls and circles to create a beautiful pattern. Loops are the simplest to make entirely by hand!
Stipple Quilting
This is also a free form quilting technique in which you remove your machine’s feed dogs and use a darning foot. You next use your stitches to create a meandering, jigsaw puzzle-like design on your cloth.
Your stitching lines should not cross or connect in any way. It’s a simple way to cover big sections of cloth, but you should absolutely practice before trying it on your quilt!
Outline Quilting
When using this type of quilting, you will stitch around the edges of your patchwork or appliqué shapes. It’s normally done with a regular sewing foot or a walking foot, although it may also be done freestyle, as described above. It draws attention to the shapes in your quilt, which is very useful for appliqué quilts. Hand quilting is also an option for outline quilting.
Echo Quilting
It’s a lot like outline quilting. Stitch along the outline of the shape you want to emphasize first, then stitch another line in the same shape a specific distance away from the first. Continue adding lines that are the same distance apart and in the same form until you’ve covered the entire area with stitches. The free form style of stitching makes it easier to construct flowing curves.
Template Quilting
You may stitch specified shapes and patterns onto your quilt without the uncertainty of free form quilting by using a template or stencil. You can also buy stippling templates!
The templates are constructed of hard acrylic, and you stitch by pressing your darning foot against the template’s hard sides while following the contour of the template.
Others use their templates as a stencil, tracing the forms with a disposable marker and sewing along the lines.
You may purchase template plastic sheets and create your own stencils. You place the plastic over the desired design, trace it, cut out the plastic form, and then trace around it with a removable marker. After that, you sew along the lines you’ve drawn. These stencils will not be sturdy enough to stitch directly off the stencil with your sewing foot pressed against them.
Finally, you may buy specific quilting paper to use as templates. Trace your pattern onto this paper, lay it on top of the fabric, and stitch straight through the paper. You rip the paper away after you’re through.
Conclusion
Your quilt’s ultimate appearance will be determined by the quilting stitches and procedures you use. They have a big say in how that treasured masterpiece looks in the end! Make a little quilt sandwich out of scraps and experiment several approaches. You may then choose whatever quilting stitches you are most comfortable with and which you like.
