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Sewing instructor Melissa Lasseter finishes up an easy quilting project for beginners using a home sewing machine for quilting.
Some quilters love piecing, and some just adore the quilting stage.
Whether you’re working on a small or large project, quilting is essential to prevent the bunching of layers, especially if the item will be washed at some point.
For those of us that can’t afford a longarm machine, or just prefer to quilt on a domestic sewing machine, this may be a daunting task. Fear not, fierce quilter friend!
Here’s our best advice to make the quilting process go a lot smoother on your home sewing machine:
- #1: First things first – splurge for a new needle! This is a safety measure. Trust us – for the price of a needle, it’s worth it.
- #2: Change the presser foot. Try some decorative stitches, using a foot that’s designed for forward and reverse feed stitches. A walking foot is great for this, or use a darning foot for free motion quilting.
- #3: Pre-wind enough bobbins for your project. While practice is key to improving at any skill, what’s often overlooked is the quality of the time spent working on something. Don’t let a silly thing like running out of thread ruin your flow!
- #4: Mind your stitch length. A tighter (shorter) stitch will keep those layers under control.
- #5: If your sewing isn’t the straightest, blending your thread and fabric can hide even the sloppiest stitches.
- #6: Don’t underestimate the power of quilting gloves.
You may not have used the decorative stitches on your sewing machine before. Well, they are perfect for quilting! When used appropriately, they can even make an otherwise plain piece totally adorable!
Tips for larger projects:
- #7: Choose a worktable that has plenty of space to support the bulk of the weight of the quilt. A slippery tabletop will make your life a lot easier!
- #8: Start at the center to keep the weight evenly distributed. Rotate the quilt or even the machine when you’re done with one side to avoid having to move too much fabric around.
- #9: You can either roll the sides of the quilt or accordion fold them to fit in the throat of your machine. If that causes undue weightiness, good old scrunching works just fine.
- #10: Sew any diagonals first. If the pattern allows, you can even quilt in segments, then combine them to complete the piece.
- #11: Dense quilting with thin cotton thread will keep the layers neat and tight.
Small and large projects alike, the quilting stage is the most satisfying for many quilters because it is often the final step. It can give any piece that professionally finished look that we love to see and share!
What’s your favorite part of the quilting process? Answer in our comments section!
Make soft impressive quilts and sewn projects when you get this week’s FREE premium fabric pack and class bundle Click here to learn more now
Is it possible to Free Quilt a full sized Quilt? With your home – sized machine??
Really good information
This was a very helpful video.
I am new to quilting you give me a easy lesson.
I love piecing. I also truly take pleasure in hand binding the final side. It’s like a farewell to a long time friend and satisfying. I know this may seem corny to some.
As to machine quilting…I can do small projects and crib quilts with a degree of confidence. I use stencils with Pounce. Free motion…well let’s not even go there!
Cutting and piecing. Watching the top come together.
Thanks for the tips,can’t wait to start.
Piecing is my favorite but I like quilting the quilt is second.
Right now, my favorite is piecing. However, I really want to learn free motion quilting. Looking forward to learning to quilt on my Baby loc Jazz.
Very informative, especially for me where I am a beginner. I have started making simple quilts but it is a learning process.
I like the choosing pattern and then piecing.
Sounds good and easy however, I am sorry I am not a sewer and I don’t have a working sewing machine, therefore I am not interested. But will pass on info by mouth to my friends.
Very informative looking forward to more.
Free motion quilting.
these tips were very helpful to me
I love everything about quilting. I love sewing in general.
I love the quilting part. This can mb ake a bland piece look like an art piece. I am experimenting with stencils. I like quilting with transparent thread. But,it can he a headache to RIP out if you have to.
I learned some things, I’ve seeed for years but have only quilted for a few.
I never thought of decorative stitches for quilting. Which ones would I use to begin with?
I’ve just made one quilt and I don’t remember how I did it. Quilting was very long ago.
My thread keeps fraying when I stipple. Help. I have done everything I can think of. It was doing it when I used my walking foot. Please help. Been sewing for 50 years. This has me stumpted!
I love choosing the fabrics for piecing. I try to visualize the face of children as they match pieces of each fabric. I look at the quilts my Grandmother made for me and still see patches left over from clothing she made for me. I think that’s why I like vintage inspired fabrics.
I love all phases of the quilting process from getting the idea to finishing the binding. I’ve had trouble sandwiching my quilt because I don’t have a large space and can’t get down on the floor. I just ordered fusible batting yesterday and I’m looking forward to trying that.
Creating a design
Good tips for a beginner!
I am a very old frame quilter but just started quilting on my home machine. Love learning new and better ways to make quilting easier. Really enjoyed your video and 11 tips. Thanks for sharing. Looking forward to your next release.
I love the piecing. It’s rewarding to take these little pieces and create these beautiful squares. Then putting all of them together makes me feel proud.
I love it
The binding!
I love piecing but hand sewing is very relaxing. Until the thread knots up. 🤨
When making tote bags and purses, my favourite part of quilting is when you have left an opening and you pull the bag through and you know you’ve almost completed the project!
Choosing the design and fabric.
Thanks
Any ideas where a person can find a quilting frame to do old fashion hand quilting?
This is very helpful for someone like me that is a new beginner quilter
I’m just new to the quilting scene I love it love to watch all your tips they are very helpful to me thanks . I love it when I’ve finished I sit and look at it for ages.
I like quilting the shapes in the fabric. Like tractors and silos. I made a lap quilt for my husband many years ago with John Deer fabric. He still loves it.
Mine is combining all the fabrics togeather to make the top , the quilting part isn’t my faveret yet,but still working on it.
Thank you very good info
Thanks for these tips. Very helpful.
really cute thanks for the tips
I haven’t tried it yet. However, it seems easy. I plan to try it soon.
Thank you, I thought I had to see both diagonal and horizontally. Never thought of using decorative stitches.
I loved the burp cloth you made in minutes. It was so easy, I think I’ll dust off the sewing machine and make a few.
I use a straight stitch,sewing machine, that also ,does quilting
Takes longer but I get good quality quilting. My favorite part is the piecing. Most time they are my own creations, working on getting the pattern together and see the out come.
Piecing after the fabrics have been chosen.
Piecing is my favorite part.
My favorite part of the quilting process is piecing and seeing the patterns come together to form a whole . The counterintuitive part of your video is the changing of the changing of the needle. I myself, should’ve known this, but really didn’t understand it Until I was older and had been sewing for several years.
I love the pieces but want to earn the machine quilting
I just tried free motion quilting on a small quilt I made for my husbands office/ extra bedroom, I also did quilt as you go and quilted each square before putting them all together, I was so pleased with the outcome and that it was so much easier than quilting a huge quilt. I did do some stitch in the ditch quilting on the quilt when the piecing was done to hold it all together….
Thanks Marcie! I totally appreciate your love of the craft.
Yes Molly, it is! Check out the tips in the second half of the article.
I made my own quilt frame with 2×2 lumber longer than my quilt by about2 feet. I drilled holes to put I-screws through to connect long poles together wrapped long boards with strips of fabric to attach sides of quilt to and attached cords to hang it on the ceiling. I can lower the quilt up and down to hand quilt. We had one over our dining room table when I was a kid. My sisters and I sat around the quilt to hand quilt it with our mom.
I like piecing the top and watching the puzzle come together. I’m still working on machine and hand quilting. I can do small projects but still can’t get a full-size quilt moved around in the machine. My least favorite is pinning or basting the sandwich. I hate doing that. I like to sew the binding on by hand.