THE ART OF HAND QUILTING A BEGINNER’S GUIDE The basics of hand quilting, at your own pace, on your own time. WELCOME Hello, and welcome to The Art of Hand Quilting: A Beginner’s Guide by Wax and Wane Studio. Here you will learn the basics of hand quilting through a series of videos, tutorials, blog posts, and a step-by-step guide to making your own hand quilted pillow or wall hanging. This course will give you the tools and confidence to navigate the not-so-scary world of hand quilting. In this course you will … Gather your hand Assemble a quilting toolkit mini quilt top Learn to mark Learn to tie and lines for quilting hide quilter’s knots Build confidence Finish a hand in the basics of quilted pillow or hand stitching wall hanging #THEARTOFHANDQUILTING WWW.WAXANDWANESTUDIO.COM COPYRIGHT 2020 WAX AND WANE STUDIO All rights reserved. Duplication and distribution of any kind is prohibited. 2 A BIT OF BACKGROUND In 2013, I was freshly married with a lot of alone time due to my husband and I working opposite shifts. I had just finished piecing a king-sized quilt top and I had no desire to wrestle it through my machine. So, without any research or preparation, I bought some fresh needles, thread, a 20” hoop and I dove headfirst into hand quilting. I fell in love with the process - the independence, the monotony, and the meditative quality of it. It’s still my preferred way to finish a quilt. Hand quilting has become a form of self-care for me. It slows me down, it calms me down, and it allows me time to relax and reflect while still feeling productive and accomplished. The romantic utilitarian in me loves that I’m practicing an art that has been around for centuries and I hope my quilts will be used and loved for generations. Hand quilting is a way for me to feel connected with both the past and the future while also living in the moment. I think it’s so important to have a peaceful creative outlet. Whether you consider yourself creative or not; you have creativity inside of you. It’s just part of being human. Finding a way to spend time creating while also recharging is, I think, crucial to feeling balanced in the fast-paced world we live in today. Through this course I want to share the calming and rejuvenating aspect of the hand quilting process with as many people as possible. I hope you walk away from this course feeling like you found your creative outlet as well as a peaceful, productive way to decompress. Thank you, Anna #THEARTOFHANDQUILTING WWW.WAXANDWANESTUDIO.COM COPYRIGHT 2020 WAX AND WANE STUDIO All rights reserved. Duplication and distribution of any kind is prohibited. 3 HAND QUILTING TOOLKIT Just like every writer has a favorite pen, pencil, or notebook, every quilter has a favorite thread, needle, and notions. I think it’s important to try things out for yourself so that you can find the materials that feel the best for you, but it’s always nice to have a starting point to help you find what you’re looking for. Below I’ve compiled a list of the basic hand quilting necessities and my recommendations. THREAD Unlike the elegant, tiny, thin stitches that you’ll typically find on gorgeous historical quilts in your local museums, I tend toward a more obvious, chunkier stitch. I like to be able to see my “hand” in hand quilting. A chunky stitch requires a thicker thread and my current favorite is DMC’s Pearl Cotton in size 8. It’s much thicker than your typical hand quilting thread, has a lovely smooth feel and has just the right amount of sheen to make your stitches shine. While I find size 8 to be the “sweet spot” any size thread will work well for this course. NEEDLES I would say I’m still on a quest (a very meandering, unhurried quest) for my favorite hand quilting needle. Lately, I’ve been using DMC’s Embroidery, Clover’s Gold Eye Milliners, and Tulip’s Sashiko needles. Embroidery needles have long, narrow eyes for threading and are especially sharp. Milliners are long, sharp needles traditionally used for making women’s hats but are now most often used for decorative stitching. Sashiko needles are longer and thicker than most needles and have large eyes to make threading thick, cotton thread easy. I recommend getting yourself a couple of packs of needles in various sizes so that you see what is most comfortable for you. #THEARTOFHANDQUILTING WWW.WAXANDWANESTUDIO.COM COPYRIGHT 2020 WAX AND WANE STUDIO All rights reserved. Duplication and distribution of any kind is prohibited. 4 HAND QUILTING TOOLKIT continued … HERA MARKER My not-so-secret weapon to keeping my quilted lines straight is a hera marker. A hera marker is a small, plastic hand tool with a thin, slightly sharp edge (like the dull side of a butter knife) that is used to temporarily crease your fabric. It is not sharp enough to cut through fabric, but it is thin enough to make a crisp line to draw out your quilting plans. I use this as an alternative to fabric pens or pencils because it does not involve putting any kind of ink or pigment on the fabric. Coupled with a quilting ruler, I use a hera marker to create straight lines on my quilt sandwich to follow while I stitch. QUILTING HOOP While I did use a hoop for my first hand quilting project - that king- sized wedding quilt - I never used it again. Maybe it’s because I haven’t made a quilt that large since then, but I find it easier to just go without a hoop. However, I know a majority of hand quilters do like to use hoops. Quilting hoops, which are much thicker and sturdier than embroidery hoops, will help keep your basted quilt taught and smooth while you focus on your stitches. THIMBLE If you do fall in love hand quilting the way I did there’s a chance you’ll find yourself with some sore fingertips! The best way to avoid this is to use a thimble. I go without a thimble as much as possible because I find them cumbersome, but when I do need one I like to use the smallest, sleekest option possible which is why I use the tiny leather pad stickies. There are lots of different types of thimbles out there and the best thing to do is to try out as many as possible to see what works best for you and your style of stitching. #THEARTOFHANDQUILTING WWW.WAXANDWANESTUDIO.COM COPYRIGHT 2020 WAX AND WANE STUDIO All rights reserved. Duplication and distribution of any kind is prohibited. 5 HAND QUILTING TOOLKIT continued … To sum up, you will need the following items to start your hand quilting journey in addition to the usual quilting supplies needed to assemble and baste a quilt top: Your Shopping List … Hand quilting thread (start with Size 8 Pearl Cotton thread) Hand quilting needles (a long Embroidery or Milliners needle) Something to mark your fabric (such as a hera marker or the dull side of a butter knife) Quilting hoop (optional) Thimble (optional) #THEARTOFHANDQUILTING WWW.WAXANDWANESTUDIO.COM COPYRIGHT 2020 WAX AND WANE STUDIO All rights reserved. Duplication and distribution of any kind is prohibited. 6 MAKE A MINI QUILT TOP Now that you’ve gathered your supplies it’s time to make your hand quilting sampler quilt top. Click the button below to download a pattern for my newest mini quilt design, Spine. This is a simple, modern quilt that’s great for both the beginner and the advanced quilter. The completed size is approximately 14” X 28” and, after your hand quilting adventure, you can finish it as a wall hanging or a lumbar pillow. DOWNLOAD SPINE MINI QUILT PATTERN Mini quilts are a great excuse to dive into your scrap stash or pull out some fat quarters and charm packs you’ve been hoarding. Don’t be afraid to get creative and use more fabrics and colors than are required. #THEARTOFHANDQUILTING WWW.WAXANDWANESTUDIO.COM COPYRIGHT 2020 WAX AND WANE STUDIO All rights reserved. Duplication and distribution of any kind is prohibited. 7 MARKING LINES After making your quilt sandwich, grab your hera marker and your quilting ruler. Use the Quilting Map in the Spine pattern to mark the quilting path. Marking these lines now will help you to keep your stitches straight and even. If you’ve never used a hera marker before check out the short video tutorial for help. HOW TO MARK LINES FOR QUILTING VIDEO TUTORIAL PLAN Before you dive in come up with a quilting plan. Whether it’s drawing lines on paper or just a vague idea in your mind, don’t skip this step. For this course use the Quilting Map included in the Spine pattern. USE A RULER While I’m sure free-wheeling with a hera marker can be great in some cases, this is not one of those times. To get clear, crisp lines you need to use a quilting ruler. Keep the lines looking square by using the quilt top seams as guides. USE PRESSURE When wielding your hera marker to use a bit of pressure to leave a mark that will stay for a few weeks. Also, use several back-and-forth motions, while applying the pressure. #THEARTOFHANDQUILTING WWW.WAXANDWANESTUDIO.COM COPYRIGHT 2020 WAX AND WANE STUDIO All rights reserved.