168
CHAPTER PREPARING A QUILT FOR QUILTING
Mark the Quilting Pattern
Quilting stitches together the layers of a quilt (top, batting, and back) and adds a design element.
Unless a quilting design is very simple, you typically mark the quilting lines (quilting pattern) on
your quilt top prior to basting the layers. Aer marking the quilting pattern, you quilt the top on your
machine or by hand, by simply following the lines. There are a variety of methods you can use to
mark your quilt pattern. (Do not mark your top if you’re hiring a longarmer to quilt it.)
You can try out dierent quilting patterns by tracing them on cellophane
with a dry-erase marker and placing the cellophane on your quilt to see
how the pattern looks.
Use a Stencil
A stencil allows you to trace a quilting pattern onto
your top using a pounce pad, stencil marking spray,
or removable marking pencil/pen. Purchase quilting
stencils at any quilt shop. You can also trace a quilting
design you’ve found in a magazine or the internet
onto tulle using a permanent marker, and then trans-
fer it to your quilt top by pinning the tulle to your
quilt, and tracing the lines with a removable marking
pencil/pen.
Mark a quilt using any removable method, including chalk, tape, or air- or
water-soluble pens. Always test your marking method on scrap fabric from your
quilt top to make sure it will come o.
169
MARK THE QUILTING PATTERN
Use Tape or a Hera Marker
Print or trace designs onto Golden Threads or Quilt
& Tear quilting paper, vellum tracing paper, or tissue
paper. Pin paper to the quilt and quilt over the lines,
stitching through the paper and the quilt. Remove the
paper by running your fingernail over the quilting and
gently pulling.
Follow Pattern on Backing Fabric
Mark simple straight quilting lines with painter’s tape
or a Hera marker aer basting the top. To use tape,
place it on the quilt top and quilt along one or both
sides of the tape. For hand quilting, mark straight lines
with a Hera marker by dragging it over the top. The
tautness of the top in the quilting hoop allows the
Hera marker to leave a temporary crease (line) you can
quilt along.
Create a Reusable Shape to
Quilt Around
Copy Quilting Designs onto
Quilting Paper
To use a repeated shape for your quilt pattern (such
as a heart or a butterfly), trace the shape onto the non-
shiny side of freezer paper, or the nonadhesive side of
Press ‘N Seal or Con-Tact® paper. Press or iron (in the
case of freezer paper) the shape onto the basted quilt
top and quilt around it. Press or iron the shape in
another spot, and use a simple curving or curling quilt-
ing stitch to connect the shapes.
If the fabric you use for your backing has an inter-
esting pattern, such as curlicues, paisleys, leaves, or
flowers, you can use that pattern to quilt your top.
Instead of quilting from the front, quilt from the back
by following the design of the backing fabric with
your stitches. This way, the pattern on the backing is
replicated in the quilting on the top.
..................Content has been hidden....................
You can't read the all page of ebook, please click here login for view all page.