A quilting design does not have to be drawn onto the quilt at all. In this episode she shows how she makes her own quilting templates, the kind that bend and flex so you can stitch smoothly around them, and it is a wonderfully resourceful way to add character to your hand quilting.
Here is why this one is worth watching:
- Templates you make yourself. The templates are cut from plain cotton. The shape is drawn on the wrong side and cut just inside the line, so no ink survives the cut, and the template can be used again on quilt after quilt.
- Flexible enough to stitch around. The template is pinned straight onto the layered quilt and stitched around by hand. Because it lifts off and goes down again elsewhere, several copies can be laid out and moved about until the placement looks right, before a single stitch is taken.
- Lovely for big stitch hand quilting. She uses them alongside her hand quilting, and they suit that slow, tactile big stitch look beautifully, giving your stitches a clear line to follow.
Do you make your own quilting templates, or reach for ready made stencils? I would love to hear how you transfer a design onto your quilts in the comments.
