Step 5

Help Video: How to Hand Quilt

Now that you’ve finished the appliqué, you can get to quilting your wall hanging using the running stitch. Grab your needle (the larger of the two needles) and the embroidery floss included in your kit. The embroidery floss is made up of six threads, cut a piece of the floss like you did when threading your needle for the appliqué pieces, and then remove three of the strings. This will leave you with one strand, made up of three threads - use this for the hand quilting portion.

Tie a knot in the thread just as you did before, then bring your needle up through the wall hanging from the bottom to the top. Tug slightly on the knot until you hear a pop - this will lodge it in the batting (the middle layer), so you don't see it on the back! This is not necessarily required to do, as this is not meant to be a reversible project, but if you plan to hand quilt anything that is double sided (like a quilt!) you will want to do this so you don't see knots everywhere. 

After you come up through the top you'll make a stitch about 1/4" to the left or right of where the thread came through, going all the way through the back of the wall hanging. Then bring it back up through the top, again about 1/4" away from where you went down.

how to hand quilt

hand quilting

Now just repeat this process. When you’re done you can tie off the thread the same way you did with the appliqué, although I recommend tying it off on the back of the wall hanging!

how to hand quilt

how to hand quilt

You can freehand your design or plan it out with your fabric marker ahead of time to use as your guide!

To see some examples of quilting on your specific design, check out the placement chart included with your kit.

BONUS - My favorite embroidery stitches to embellish wall hangings!

Now for traditional hand quilting these won’t necessarily work, as they don’t look the same on both sides, buuuut I love to use them for wall hangings! Since the wall hangings are one-sided, how the back looks doesn’t matter. I love the extra texture and design these stitches provide!

The French Knot:

(Partial) Double Cross Stitch:

If you want to make it an actual “Double Cross Stitch” then you’ll just add one more diagonal line in the same manor as you make the rest!

Have any questions?