How to do big stitch hand quilting with pearl cotton

Big stitch is a great alternative to fine hand quilting for beginner quilters or for those who like the look of hand quilting, but don’t want to take the time to create heirloom-quality hand quilting.

The technique uses pearl cotton or tatting thread and a size 5 between needle to make a stitch that is a quarter of an inch long on the top of the quilt and just a little bite of a stitch on the bottom. It is a lot easier to master than fine hand quilting and it is really easy to control the position of the needle than with free motion quilting on a sewing machine.

This was one of the first quilting techniques I learned as a quilter and it was my solution to finding a way to finish my quilts at home without having to send it off to a longarmer. Granted I am still working on one of those first quilts, but it isn’t because the technique is hard. It is because I like handwork, but it isn’t always my favorite thing to do.

I hope you enjoy this quilting tutorial. If you try it, I’d love to see your projects. Share photos on my Facebook page.