The time and patience invested in a hand-quilted quilt is something that can be appreciated and enjoyed by anyone who views it. If you want to make a project really special and you enjoy hand work, hand quilting is the method for you.

To begin learning how to hand quilt I would suggest starting with something small-a wall hanging or baby quilt-so you don’t get overwhelmed or discouraged. Hand quilting is a great way to experiment if you have recently begun quilting as it is easy to unpick if you make a mistake or if you just decide to change your mind. A small hand quilted project is also portable and can be easily taken anywhere you might choose to work on it.

Hand-quilting precisely takes practice. It is not easy to sew accurate spaces between each stitch and do them identically. Ideally, the smaller the stitch the better; however, evenness and consistency of the stitches are more important than stitch size. Hand-sewn stitches which are the same length on both the front and back of the quilt make any quilt a keepsake and increases it’s value.

Hand quilting is a fun way to sew the old fashioned way, and really doesn’t have to be perfect to be beautiful. You can choose to trace designs onto your quilt top and hand quilt over the designs, follow the actual pattern of your quilt top, or quilt in any sort of random pattern that suits you. Regardless of what you choose, those to whom you gift a hand-quilted quilt will hopefully appreciate the additional work that goes into such a special gift.