How to Hand Quilt for Beginners & Basic Quilting Techniques

Before you start hand stitching a quilt you will first create your quilt sandwich. Start by using a marking tool to mark your design that you will follow.

After the quilting design is marked, layer your quilt top, batting and backing together. Then baste it with quilting pins. Be sure to keep the pins out of the way of your quilt design.

Next attach it to a hoop or Q-snap frame if you are using one. Now you are ready to follow along with our hand quilting instructions.

Start by threading your needle using about an arm's length of thread. Before you start stitching, you'll want to make a simple double knot in your thread. This will help secure your thread so that it doesn't pop through the layers of fabric while you're making your stitches.

For this step, you'll need to insert your threaded needle through the back of the quilt about 1" from where you'll begin stitching your design.

To prevent your knot from showing on the front or back of your quilt, give it a little tug so that it "pops" through the backing fabric. Make sure you don't pop it through both layers so that it remains hidden between the front and back panels.

Now it's time to start sewing! Following your pattern, you'll need to hold your fabric taut. You want to make sure that you're inserting your needle at a 90-degree angle through the front of the quilt. Then, rock your needle back and forth through all the layers of your quilt until you've loaded your needle with a few stitches.

Once you've loaded your needle with stitches, it's time to pull your thread taut. Pull gently so that the stitches are nice and taut but not so tight that they start to bunch.

Continue this stitching method throughout the rest of your design until you've completed your quilt. Aim for consistent stitches rather than perfect stitches.

*Make sure to leave about 2-3" inches of slack if you're finishing your quilt or near the end of your thread.

For this final stitch, you'll want to pull your thread through the back of the quilt and then flip it so you can see where the thread comes out. Coil your thread 3 times around your needle, and then pull the needle through the coiled thread. This will create a small knot in your thread.

Insert your needle into the backing layer only, in the same place that the existing thread is coming out. Pull the needle through the backing about an inch away from where you just pulled the thread through so that the new knot "pops" back into your quilt sandwich. Clip the tail of your thread, and your knot should be perfectly hidden!