World Wide Quilting Page

Question of the Week

Question for the week of March 8, 1999:

Our question this week comes from Christian

I heard of a new style of quilting - instead of small stitches with white thread you use larger stitches 1/2 inch or so, and you use black embroidery thread. I am looking for any information on this subject - how do you pull the knots through?

Gerri :
Anyway, I've also heard the "Big Stitch" technique referred to as "Quick Stitch" and "Long Stitch." One of the quilting magazines had an article on it a couple years ago. I, too, have seen it done with great results. I decided to try it on a quilt I made for my husband that was blacks and golds. I wanted a more masculine look and I was short on time. I used "Knit Crosheen," not embroidery floss, in a buttercup gold color and was very pleased with the results. It IS a different look, but I got the quicker results and more masculine look I wanted. Happy Quilting!

Barbara S - Houston, MO :
Usually #8 Perle Cotton is used for this technique called utility quilting.
Thread and insert your needle as usual, but before "popping" the knot through the quilt top, use the tip of your needle to work/stretch the fabric a bit.

Carole Dietrich :
This technique was was demonstrated on HGTV's Simply Quilts' episode 121 by Billie Lauder. She called it Big Stitch quilting. She used pearl cottom size 8 and a between needle size 5 or 6. She said to make stitches bigger on the top than the bottom. To start,knot the thread, insert the needle 1 inch from the starting point. Pull the thread through until the knot is against the quilt top. Take the tip of the needle and poke it through the quilt just to the left of the knot, then poke it to the right of the knot, but leave the needle in the quilt while you snap the knot into the layers. If you want a copy of the episode, HGTV has a website where you can order the episode for about $20.

JUDI :
I USE THIS FOR A PRIMITIVE LOOK, USING ANY COLOR PEARL COTTON THAT LOOKS GOOD WITH THE QUILT I'M DOING. GOES VERY FAST. THE DESIGN I USED IT ON LAST WAS A LARGE STAR COMPOSED OF GOLD LOG CABIN BLOCKS FLOATING ON A DEEP RED BACKGROUND AND I QUILTED STARS AT RANDOM ON THE DEEP RED WITH GOLD PEARL COTTON. IT'S FUN!!

Jamie :
I have been doing this on a couple of quilts. I use pearl cotton thread and larger needle. I make the top stitch larger than the underneath. Just pull knot through like always.

Shannon :
I've only heard it called "Utility Quilting" and I believe you hide the knots the same way you do when hand appliquing. The ladies in my group use this stitch for our "Community Outreach" program because it is quick. In old it was used to speed up the process to complete the quilt and get it on the bed. You still need to pin or thread baste.

Felicia :
I haven't tried it myself (but I plan to soon) but I have seen it done and I think it looks really neat!! The quilt I saw used white embroidery thread, one strand. It really stood out and looked wonderful!
The other quilt I saw, the quilter had used a brown thread, again I think it was one strand of DMC floss, and it also looked really good, although it appeared that her stitches were approximately 1 1/2 inches.

Anne Marie :
Look for DMC threads. The thread wound in a ball comes in different sizes and basic colors. Use a larger needle. When you need to pull a knot through put the needle tip in the fabric close to where you will pull the knot. Pull the knot the needle eases the tension of the fabric and the knot pulls just like regular hand quilting.
This gives a very primitive look. Try the ecru color!

Lori Peters :
I think what you are referring to is called "Big Stitch" quilting. It gives a more whimsical folky look to your quilts, and is much faster than normal handquilting. I've heard of lots of women using it on their flannel quilts, but I have never tried it myself, so I can't help with the knot question. I'm sure if you did a search on "Big stitch" you'd find some info on it. Good Luck!

cindy :
This effect might be black embroidery

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