I wanted to start the new year off mastering something new. I had tried big stitch once before and was not happy with my results, so I whipped up a little top made entirely of vintage feedsack scraps for a practice piece. I used Barb Vedder's (Fun With Barb) Baptist Fan stencil which was so easy to mark. This is the first time I had marked an entire top before sandwiching it. I am a lazy quilter and do not baste for hand quilting except for around the edges to keep the batting from getting in my way. I simply start in the middle and work my way out to the edge. I tried my normal quilting thread for the first arch, but it was a bit thin looking so I switched to #8 pearl cotton. When teaching hand quilting, I like to tell my students not to worry about size as your stitches will get smaller with practice. Guess that rings true for the big stitch too because I started out with nice big stitches and they got smaller and smaller! 😂 So in conclusion, the jury is still out, but either way I need more practice!!
Love your Stitch in time piece--so vintage and colorful. the windmill and flowers in vases fabrics are just lovely...
ReplyDeleteI know just what you mean about stitch length--and my hand stitches are by no means ever even--but I think it shows "your own hand" in the final work and I love that...
hugs, Julierose
I'm hearing the same thing from a lot of quilters. I am determined to get it right before I abandon the technique. LOL
Deletei think for anyone who has struggled and achieved to become a good quilter that big stitch is enigmatic...
ReplyDeleteYou always say the sweetest things! I'm determined to do at least one more!
DeleteI love the big stitch for quilting and my stitch size is not very uniform but it gets the job done. I use a 12wt thread for hand quilting
ReplyDeleteI'm going to try it until I get it right for sure! LO
DeleteWhat a fun project. I really like big stitch because I can get things quilted much faster. My stitches are big when I first sit down to stitch and slowly get to a smaller size that I like. I use size 8 and 12 pearl cotton.
ReplyDeleteSame with me. I just need more practice for sure.
DeleteIsn't it nice to try something new? I know what you mean about big stitch quilting... starting large, and (too-easily) getting smaller. For what it's worth, I never use a hoop when big stitch quilting. Might going hoop-less make a difference in the size of your stitches?
ReplyDeleteI will try that next time. Thanks for the suggestion. I'll try anything to get it right!
DeleteOh, Wendy, I wish you well on your journey with big-stitch quilting. I hope you have more success than I did. I have tried on several small quilts to use Big-stitch, and I finally gave up. No matter what size cotton thread I used, I would start with a nice big stitch and before I knew it I was down to the smallest stitches I could make with the size thread I was using. Muscle memory that has been ingrained since Mom taught me to hand quilt with her tiny stitches 55 years ago just doesn't want to budge. I have decided to accept failure in this instance and admire what other people can do with it. :)
ReplyDeleteI agree. I just have to learn a bit more patience. LOL
DeleteI agree about not using a hoop - and I will also say, there isn't necessarily a right or wrong way with "big stitch" - it's like handwriting - just find "your" rhythm!
ReplyDeleteThanks Cynthia! I think my problem is (as always) lack of patience!
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