How to Hand Piece or Where to Begin Basic

I hand piece everything. Straight pieces, tiny pieces, large pieces, borders, backings, blocks to other blocks. I love it. I’m faster at hand piecing than I am at machine piecing. I’m more relaxed, it moves with me, and I don’t feel the urge to carve time out of my day to go sew. I piece while standing, while sitting, while riding. I’ve even pieced on the loo while the kids took baths next too me, never while actually using it mind you because that is just gross and I’m really not THAT great at multitasking.

If you’ve truly never hand pieced a darn thing I’m going to advise you start with making a couple of nine patch blocks.

I started with nine patches when I was a little bitty girl. My mom still has them.

(Note to self find photo and put it here)

I also strongly advise you use 100% cotton quilting weight fabric to get your bearings. You do not have to purchase pre coordinating fabric or brand new fabric or fabric from a certain line or handdyed fabric or…..the list goes on.

Any preconceived notions you have about what makes a beautiful quilt are out the door here. In my opinion the only determining factor in what makes your quilt beautiful is the time and attention you give it! If you are worried your quilt will not fit in….Fake it till you make it!

“But my fabrics won’t perfectly match!” Get over it!

My strongest complaint against the quilting machine of today is the continued hyper marketing of fabric. I love new fabric as much as the next person, but your quilt is not more beautiful or more relevant with so and so’s new line.You’re not more happening because you’re making the exact same pattern 200,000 other people are, if that pattern appeals to you fabulous, if you can’t imagine not working with a couple of yards from a new line, grand, but don’t think you’ve instantly made beautiful, hip, art because your stuff is new and expensive. You’ve already missed out on what the real spirit of quilting is about.

Wow! You’ve just offended a good percentage of readers you say. Maybe but it needs to be said.

I think fabric is pumped out entirely too quickly, creating a terrible notion that quilters have to have money to play. I read somewhere quilting is the female version of golf and that statement broke my heart. It is completely possible to quilt, quilt well and quilt poor.

A good 90% of the quilters of yesteryear were broke! I am constantly surprised by blogs that feature Gee’s Bend as a source of inspiration and then continue to prostitute their creativity out to the marketers steering the quilt ship. Fabric is a material. From less than a dollar a yard to 25 it’s the same material regardless of price. It’s fine to love it, enjoy it, but if all you’re doing is buying fabric to fit in or feel good you’ve got some issues that have to do with consumerism, group mentality and not quilting. If the only reason someone will read your blog, look at your quilt, or allow you in a guild or group is the fabric you use….I’ve one word of advice….RUN! Your quilt is not any more modern, traditional, primitive or artistic based on your materials. That’s like claiming the only way to be an artist is to buy the highest grade of oil paints available.  If art were this easy and prepackaged what a world! If you’re that person that only feels a quilt is deserving if the fabrics are brand new and expensive well get away from me, because my goal is to make quilts, and I use every age, line and color of fabric under the sun.

I feel quilt kits and pre coordinating bundles rob you of an important experience as an artist……personalization, and yes if you’re willing to devote a year or two to a project you are an ARTIST! Even a traditional pattern is art. These patterns were handed down because they depicted events, places and items that were relevant to generations of women. The windmill pattern is no less meaningful and artistic today than it was the day it was drawn.

Stand up tall and proud! You’re standing with and on the shoulders of giants.

So now that I’ve waxed on and tantrumed a bit I will tell you it’s time to get started. Grab your fabrics! Grab a pen, pencil, or some form of marking device! Get your seam marker and square template! And lets get started!

This post is really an expanded version of my Traditional Quilt Recipe. I’m writing it due to interest from a few people and my own personal quest for accurately depicting my process.I am attempting to keep the traditional method of quilting alive and well for future generations. This is not designed in the belief that this is the only way to make a quilt. This is how I make a quilt. This is after all, my blog.

Lay your fabric out and mark on the WRONG side of your fabric. You will trace your square. You can make your square out of anything but note that if you use something like cardboard, over many uses, your template will wear down and change shape.

What are you using there?

These are From Marti Michell Quilting Templates. In 2009 while blogging on another blog I mentioned quilting with templates. Fast forward a few weeks and a four pack of template sets and books arrived at my door a gift from Richard Michell and company. I do not use them as they are intended to be used, they are made for use with a rotary cutter. I trace them, one by one, by hand. I cut with scissors.

I love them. I’d love them just as much if I’d bought them myself.The company does not pay me. I’ve never had contact with them since.

A blog friend read how much I loved them and sent me another four pack of template sets. I have the majority of their sets now and I’m not tired of them, although I do occasionally draft my own patterns, or create my own templates from patterns in older magazines that provided full sized template pattern pieces.

I digress. The point is you need a durable square to trace.This is the one I’m using.

My seam allowance is included within the template piece so I am tracing almost right next to the other square. Continue to trace as many squares as you desire.

After you have traced your squares you will mark your seams. This is a seam marker, when I was little me and Nakia used my mama’s as a magic wand and conductor’s baton. Her seams marker is forever bowed because of this, but she refuses to buy another.

You will use your seam maker to mark seams. Going to either the interior or exterior of your traced line depending on how you marked your template. My seam is included within my template piece so I will go to the interior of my traced line and mark all sides.

After I’ve done this with all my pieces I will cut them out with scissors, cutting the exterior line.

Feel free to visit and read my page titled Traditional Quilt Recipe if you want to know more about scissors or materials to make templates.

After you have cut your pieces you will mark the other material or material for the rest of your pieces. I started with two materials for my nine patch, but you can use as many or as little as you want. Heck, make a nine patch of all muslin if it suits you.

Once marked and cut your pieces will look like this in your layout.

And they will look like this on the back.

You will pick up the first two pieces in your block and put them Right side to Right side. You will want your seam lines lined up on both sides of your pieces.

When you start it will look like this. Thread your needle, knot, and begin. Starting at the far right side of your square. You will go in and come back up. You will use what is known as a running stitch. It is much easier and faster if you get used to doing a basic running stitch without jabbing hunt and peck style down the entire square, flipping repeatedly or turning your pieces over again and again, but if it is more comfortable for you in the beginning to hunt and peck, by all means do it, because it’s better than not trying at all.

That said you’ll need to get comfortable with a running stitch and proper technique is what these little nine patches are all about.

You will back stitch immediately after making your first stitch. Literally going backward and restitching over the area you just stitched, further securing your knot. I’ve read in numerous books disagreements over whether one should knot, backstitch or both. Really I don’t care. The point is to secure your starting place and not just sew and sew over one little minute portion of fabric. Don’t go hog wild and back stitch four or five times. Some people do this and trust me you’ve not helped your quilt. In the reality of a quilts life what holds a quilt together is the quilting and not the piecing. However if you’ve got gigantic gaps in your piecing those are often impossible to correct by even the most experienced quilter. So conversely don’t see this as a piecing marathon. Take your time, do it right.

Do your best to make an evenly spaced running stitch down your seam line, back stitching at the end of your piece. Cut your thread.

When finished you should have two pieces joined together without bunching or gaps in your fabric. If you’ve got problems here NOW is the time to correct them.

Two, properly pieced, squares will open to reveal this on the backside.

After piecing your first two pieces together you will add another piece to the other side of what is your middle square within the layout of the block. It’s important that you pay attention to even the most basic construction layouts within quilting as it will help you later on when you begin to piece more difficult patterns. You will divide your blocks into rows and then sew rows to rows to avoid awkward piecing situations.

In some patterns these situations are unavoidable and you will find yourself piecing a curve or a set in seam. I’ll post in the next few days on these two situations.

I really hope between these posts and the Traditional Quilt Recipe page, as well as my providing you with my email and a whole host of other resources available that you give hand piecing a chance.

As noted on my page there are many ways to piece a quilt, but this happens to be the way my mama was taught and the way she taught me. I plan on reviewing these posts and my page and doing my best to update and keep these directions as smooth, forthright and helpful as possible.

If you’ve visited specifically to learn my technique and any part is confusing please ask questions. It’s very easy as someone who has been doing this for awhile to overlook a tip that may be helpful or necessary.

After piecing your first row you’ll set it aside and begin row two, doing the same thing you just did for the first row. Once all three rows are together you will sew row one to row two and then that segment of block to row three.

Block after all the pieces have been sewn into rows.

When you begin piecing the little row of squares the another you will start exactly as you did when you were simply piecing a square to a square.

Help! you say. You’re at the end of a piece yet still have more row to go. Don’t panic. Back stitch and……

Slide your needle right on through the seam. You’re going to go through those two layers and begin at the start of the next square like nothing happened.

Once your rows are sewn together the backside will look like this and……

If you’ve sewn both rows together your block will look like this.

You have just hand pieced your very first Nine Patch Block, the exact way (mainly) women did it a long, long time ago.

Welcome to the (sister) hood.

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