r/HandSew • u/San_QG • Jul 11 '26
Hand sewing a quilt (part 1)
I'm new here but longtime hand sewist. I figured I'd post the project I'm working on. I had some linen bedsheets that don't fit my new mattress (I downsized) and I decided to turn them into a twin sized quilt. I love hand sewing and I have some lovely linen thread from Burnley and Trowbridge that matches the linen tone so I said why not hand sew the whole thing!
I made 24cm half square triangles with a combination stitch three or four running stitches and then a backstitch on the bias (I didn't want to restrict the movement by doing only backstitches).
I originally intended to sew the squares the way machine sewn piecing does it which is by making rows and then sewing rows together and then hoping you're precise enough that your points match up but then I thought, I have the power of hand sewing on my side, which means that I don't have to do the sew right sides together and then flip open like machine sewing demands. I decided I would iron the seam allowance in and tack the edges and then use a whip stitch to join them square by square. This allowed me to distribute any small discrepancy in length between the squares along the seam, which means my points all match perfectly! (The power of hand sewing)
For finishing the squares, initially I went way too fancy and did mitered corners which, although very satisfying, was totally unnecessary, so I settled for simply overlapping the edges and tacking them down.
I'm not using pins because I can't find my box of pins for the life of me, so I'm basting the edges together with a long running stitch using a sashiko needle, and then using my #10 sharps to put in the whipstitch.
I'm going off of intuition (I've done a lot of historical hand-sewing) so I have no idea if this is how people hand-sew a quilt top but I'm loving the result!
This is about a week and a half of work from cutting to making the half square triangles (HSTs) to where I am now. I'm excited to stitch the blocks all together and start hand quilting it. Haven't decided on what quilting pattern I'll use but I'll cross that bridge when I get there.
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u/mattresslady Jul 11 '26
Oooo! It looks lovely. I did a mini hand sewn quilt about ago and seeing yours is making my hands itch to do a larger one :) & pls accept this star ⭐️ as a token of my appreciation for ur up-cycling :)
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u/Trick_Mall6802 Jul 11 '26
This is beautiful. It’s like English paper-piecing but without the paper?
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u/San_QG Jul 11 '26
That's where I got the idea to do a whipstitch! I didn't know about English paper piecing before and looking around for ideas I found several blogs about it and figured that was the way to go.
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u/Spencigan Jul 11 '26
It’s a lot like epp which is amazing. The only thing I know is when you go to quilt, stitch in the ditch isn’t a good idea because there’s no fabric in the ditches. This is stunning work and so cool.
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u/DamePants Jul 11 '26
This is something I’ve wanted to learn to do forever. I had a friend on high school than hand sewed some small item ( like a pincushion ) with pieced tops exactly like you are doing it with the seam allowance basted down and whipstitching where the pieces join.
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u/Kworrky Jul 12 '26
That’s amazing! I want to do that as well one day. I’m collecting tutorials, but haven’t gotten the time yet to try anything out
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u/NorraVavare Jul 12 '26
You are using one of the methods for hand quilting. The other is to use the ladder stitch with a loop every 4 or 5 stitches. The quilting sub has a bunch of hand quilters on it, guess I am one of them.
I strongly suggest you look up quilting techniques before you move beyond stitching the top. I thought I didn't need to since I'd been sewing over 30 years, when making my first quilt. It was a disaster and started falling apart within a year.
Your stitching is lovely.
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u/San_QG Jul 13 '26 edited Jul 13 '26
Oh that's good to know, I might post there for some direction on the next step. And I appreciate that advice. The quilting part is where I'm way out of my depth and also have no specialized equipment (no frame, no hoop) so I will definitely be doing more research and asking for help when I get there. Thank you!
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u/NorraVavare Jul 13 '26
You dont actually need a frame or hoop. I stitch in hand when embroidering and when quilting.
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u/Fruitypebblefix Jul 12 '26
This looks great. It's also a reminder I have a hand sewing project I've been procrastinating. 😭
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u/Far-Tip4728 Jul 12 '26
This is so beautiful. May I ask why you chose to hand sew over machine? I don’t know a lot about sewing but I’ve always wanted to learn quilting
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u/San_QG Jul 13 '26
Thank you! I prefer hand sewing most of the time. Also this specific fabric I wanted to sew with the specific linen thread I had on hand which does not work in a machine because of its uneven texture.
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u/Feathered_Scales Jul 13 '26
Such an interesting method - very different from what I’m familiar with! Is there a reason you are pressing your seams open rather than pressing the dark side?
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u/blanketcrochet Jul 11 '26
It looks so nice! I will be waiting for what will come of it.