Part 3: Guiding and turning stitches

Part 3 - Guiding and Turning Stitches

When you are stitching, be conscious to travel your work in one direction or from the middle out.

In this lesson, you will need:

• Batting
• Quilt top
• Masking tape
• No 3 Cotton Darner
• Quilter's pins
• Contrasting thread
• Quilt back
• No 8 cotton pearl thread
• Snips

Masking tape to guide your stitches

1. Take a section of masking tape, and line it up with your row of stitching.
2. Take your needle and thread and tie a knot at the end.
3. Take your needle from within the quilt, going under the quilt top and under the wadding.
4. Using the masking tape as your guide, bring the stitch at least a centimetre from the edge of your quilt.
5. Pop your knot off, and trim off the thread tail.
6. Using your masking tape as a guide, do another line of stitching, going straight along with your quilt.
7. Once you get to the end of your masking tape, peel it off and then stick it back down, so you have a continuous line going across your quilt.

Changing stitch direction

1. Place a length of masking tape on the quilt top to give yourself a guide to stitch along.
2. Taking your needle and thread, tie your knot at the end and start stitching following this line. Take your needle and thread through the top layer and batting, coming up where you want your stitching to begin.
3. Pop your knot in between those layers.
4. Following the guide of your masking tape, stitch until you get to the end.