LUDLOW QUILT AND SEW
Stipple Quilting
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Quilting Quilts - How to stipple quilt
Stipple quilting is a great introduction to free motion machine quilting. It can also highlight a particular part of your quilt: if you stipple quilt all round the part you want to highlight, it can make the part that you haven't stippled stand out by comparison.
Broadly, stipple quilting means stitching a random design of curves all over the quilt. Because there is no set design, it's an easy introduction to the principles of free motion machine quilting.
Before you begin your stipple quilting, drop the dog feet on your machine and try stipple quilting (without thread in the machine) a series of curves and loops on a piece of paper. This will get you used to moving the fabric freely. Without the dog feet holding your fabric in place, you can stitch in any direction without having to turn your fabric.
Then progress to a 3 layered patch of fabric, wadding, fabric and again just practise moving the fabric freely as you stipple quilt. Check that the tension is right - it may need adjusting for the extra thickness.Your tension needs adjusting if the bottom thread shows on the top of the fabric or the top thread shows on the back of the fabric. I find that the auto tension on my machine does not work correctly when quilting quilts and I have to adjust the tension manually while using my practice quilt square. Keep adjusting and quilting a little further on your practice quilt square until you are satisfied with the look of the quilt stitches both on top and bottom.
For ages I tried not to use gloves for machine quilting because I thought that they would be uncomfortable, but they really are essential. With your hands framing the piece of fabric that you are machine quilting, you need the gloves to stop the fabric slipping against your fingers while you stipple quilt. Shop around to find a pair of gloves that you will find comfortable.
Experiment with different curves and loops. The size of the quilting stitches is dependant on the speed with which you move the fabric, so the more you practise the more you will be able to move the fabric at an even speed as you stipple quilt.
This shows the back of the stipple quilted cushion cover (click on stippled cushion for details) where the fabric was a sea pattern so I used a side to side quilting pattern to look like ripples rather than a curved stipple quilting pattern.
For this quilt block I wanted to stipple quilt a more gentle all over pattern so I used a figure of 8.
Practise, practise and practise some more. The more stipple quilting you do, the more your hands will get used to moving the fabric evenly and the more even your stipple quilting will look.
rose@ludlowquiltandsew.co.uk
www.ludlowquiltandsew.co.uk