vanessa

Thank you. I have seen people with a worn out, falling apart bible. I believe it is true too. :)

Oklahoma Suzie

I would say 7 is all I could do.

vanessa

I am so excited about all of your good advice. I am happy to know about batik backing. I love batiks but will never use as backing after reading this advice. I appreciate any advice you can give. I am a newbie at hand quilting! Keep the advice coming!

isewman

From Don/isewman.I must be doing something a little different.. I will tell you, I think it will depend on the size of a hand quilt,. needle that is used.. I use a jeana kimball foxglove cottage needle, from her shop, and it's a size 11/between-quilting needle, and a john James needle, size 11. It's a small needle(1 7/8") long.. Anyhow I'm going to say, I get 5-8 stitches, give or take.. I strive to have very small stitches. Don/isewman

newestnana

To everyone: How do you count the stitches? Is a down and up counted as one stitch?

I suspect that's not the case...i.e., each time your needle pierces the top fabric (either on the way down or on the way back up) it counts as one stitch. So with 8 stitches per inch you'd "see" four dashes on the top (with about 1/8 inch between each)?

Having said that...I'm sure I'm not good enough to get 8 stitches per inch...but I keep trying to get smaller and more even.

sewjoyce

I love to hand quilt and just try to keep the stitches even. I've been known to leave a trail of blood on the back :lol: :lol:

Mabel from Kansas

All the quilting I do is hand quilting. I get around 10/inch depending on the batting. I also have to 'feel" the needle go thro so no thimble on the underneath finger. You do need to develope the thicker skin from continued pricking it. I use the stab stitch also to get thro thicker areas, like seam lines. If you can get a rocking motion and take a couple of stiches on the needle at a time it helps. And I do like smaller needles, 12's are best but hard to thread. Always pleases me to hear of people learning to hand quilt.

theresse

Thank you for this thread. I have decided to do hanquilting but didn't know where to ask. This is my shyness that is kicking in, preventing me from asking the board. I have yet to do any, but allready have severhand Qting fraims. I have a lot of UFO to learn on. Theresse

shaverg

I always just counted on the top. I get at least 8-10 on the top. If I did both in would be 16-20. Surely it is top stitches only?

grandma Janice

I have been quilting for 20+ years and always by hand. I would practice and practice to get the very tiny stitches and just when I began to achieve about 10 to the inch, arthritis started to affect my hands. now I just try to keep them even. I can't use a thimble or anything else on my under side hand,. I too need to feel it or I don't know if I am getting through. after a while you develope a callous on several fingers and it's a breeze.