How to quilt a Quilt?

 Quilts can be quilted by hand, by machine.  Embroidery machines can also be used to quilt a Quilt. After blocking the quilt, by stitching in the ditch, along all the blocks, one can use quilting designs on a Embroidery Machine to help, to add detail to a quilt.


Here is how:

Step 1. Use some dress makers chalk, mark a line next to the last design, this helps when positioning the fabric, to create a continuous line of quilting, when stitching out the quilting design.

 This line is very important when aligning the quilt in the hoop.

Step 2.  Place bottom hoop on a large bubble wrap envelope, same as one use for shipping parcels.          Next layer the quilt on top.

 Once in place, snap the top hoop in place.

 Step 3.  Attach hoop to Embroidery Machine, making sure design is aligned with the chalk line.

Step 4. Stitch the design.

To stitch a design in the centre of a block, draw an X from corner to corner, to find the central point to match with the embroidery design,  hoop quilt and stitch.

For pieced blocks, a design with a flower works really well, especially where points of blocks meet with lots of fabric bulk is present.   

Corners are far easier, as one can position the design easier, by just adjusting the hoop, until the correct position is achieved.

The stitched out design on the corner.

The back of the quilt.

 The Back of the quilt, before adding stipple quilting to fill larger areas with quilting.

Stipple quilting added.

 

The completed quilt.

The binding sewn on to the quilt.

This quilt is a Queen size quilt, the thread used for the quilting, both on top and in the bobbin, is Marathon 40 weight Rayon thread.  It stays soft even after countless washing and is strong thread.  It is my go to thread for machine quilting.  It was one of those accidental discoveries, trying different threads for quilting, doing freemotion machine embroidery, introduced me to this thread.  It works really well for applique.