I learnt this trick for the centres from Willyne Hammerstein when I attended her class at the Australasian Quilt
Convention (AQC) in Melbourne in 2018.
This is Willyne Hammerstein's Moncarapacho quilt that was on display at AQC. Willyne hand pieced it all and hand quilted it too. This is hand piecing at its finest!
Even if you've studied my videos really closely, I'd still encourage you to attend a class with a hand piecing tutor if you can. I've attended 3 hand piecing classes, and I've learnt new tips from each of the tutors. There's nothing like sitting with an expert for a few hours or days.
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| The Lady Wigram quilt I hand pieced from the Bella Ruby pattern by Treehouse Textiles |
There's one remaining area of hand piecing that I might cover yet - curved hand piecing. Most of us loathe curved piecing on the sewing machine, so I will show you how easy it can be when it's done by hand.
If you missed my earlier links to my hand piecing videos, here they are:
Hand Piecing 101 shows quilters how to hand piece. It also explains why we hand piece, the options for transferring the stitching lines onto fabric, and the needles, pins and threads required.
Hand Piecing 102 shows how to make hand piecing templates from template plastic. It explains how to get straight edges on templates, which pens and scissors to use, and how to use the Simple Seam Wheel.
It's so encouraging to hear that many of you are giving hand piecing a go after watching my videos. Thank you!
Another wonderful tutorial Wendy. Thank you so much for taking the time to make them and share your tips and experience. Although I have done hand sewing in the past I still learned much and would recommend them to anyone who wants to try hand stitching and those who already hand stitch. There is always something new to learn.
ReplyDeleteHello wendy thank you very much for this tutorial, it is very well explained, I would like to know where my daughter could buy that short pins and also the brand and the thickness of the plastic templates, so I ask you to buy them there and bring them to me , she comes to Argentina at the end of the month, thank you very much a kiss for you
ReplyDeleteGreat suggestion to take multiple classes on the same subject, cause there are so many ways to do a technique, and one never knows which one will 'click'.
ReplyDeleteI hope this will help some others to learn the joy of hand piecing - you just need to look at your time differently - it doesn't really take "so much time" I have hand pieced quilts while on the road in a month or two and it is relaxing
ReplyDeleteBrilliant, Wendy!!! WOW! So much to consider and think about, but seems to be so much more precise than sewing those stars with a machine!!! Thank you again for a ver informative video!!!!
ReplyDeleteI do as little hand work as possible - arthritis - but your tips for making the block lie flat can be translated to machine sewn blocks as well. Thank you for a great tutorial. Can you use your tailor's knot when securing the binding as well? If so, I really need to learn how to do that!!
ReplyDeleteThanks again for another tutorial. I had a try of hand piecing after watching your first video and quickly realised that it's not a quick process.
ReplyDeleteMy family is portuguese and actually from this region which has inspired Willyne's work. How wonderful to learn this :)
Oh thank you for sharing your video. The Moncarapacho quilt is spectacular what a beauty! I agree hand piecing is so much easier on the hands than EPP and faster if you ask me! Thanks so much for sharing your tips and skills
ReplyDeleteI’m enjoying these videos so much, Wendy, thank you. I suppose you’ll have to stop some time as you’ll run out of subject matter, but I don’t want you to! Clear and easy to follow explanations, no waffling, love them.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your tips - especially showing going around the circle, to make the centre secure. Also showing the pressing tips was of great interest.
ReplyDeleteI naively assumed that Moncarapacho was done with English paper piecing. Your method seems faster because of the running stitch. Are there times when you would consider one over the other?
ReplyDeleteHello. Each of these quilts can be done by either method - hand piecing or English Paper Piecing. They are both ways of hand sewing small pieces in intricate designs. I only moved to hand piecing because I could tell that English Paper Piecing big quilts was getting tough on my hands. Anything that can be English Paper Pieced could also be hand pieced. It’s just a matter of personal preference. If there were no commercially cut paper pieces available, I would choose to hand piece because it’s more accurate than cutting your own papers in my mind. I hope that helps.
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