Baptist fan quilting
Rows of fans, each five arcs, here 4" across, worked so each arc starts on the baseline and sweeps over until it meets the fan before it. It was the everyday all-over design of Southern hand quilters, stitched in rows without regard to the piecing.
By Editorial Staff
How to stitch baptist fan
- Mark the fans with a stencil, or with a string and pencil from each fan's center. On a longarm it is one of the most common pantographs.
- Quilt each fan from the outside arc in, stitching along the baseline between arcs.
- Work in rows across the quilt, each row nesting into the arcs of the row below.
Home machine, longarm or by hand
| Level | How | |
|---|---|---|
| Home machine | Intermediate | Free-motion foot, marked |
| Longarm | Beginner | Pantograph or computerized |
| By hand | Suits hand quilting | How to hand quilt |
Thread for baptist fan
Hand quilting thread for a traditional quilt; 40 weight by machine.
| Size | Quilt | Stitching | Top thread | Bobbin thread |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crib | 45" × 60" | 109 yd | 149 yd | 149 yd |
| Throw | 60" × 72" | 174 yd | 239 yd | 239 yd |
| Twin | 70" × 90" | 253 yd | 349 yd | 349 yd |
| Full | 84" × 96" | 324 yd | 446 yd | 446 yd |
| Queen | 90" × 108" | 391 yd | 538 yd | 538 yd |
| King | 108" × 108" | 469 yd | 645 yd | 645 yd |
Stitching is measured on the drawing above at 4" fans. A lockstitch takes about 1¼" of top thread and 1¼" of bobbin thread for each inch it sews; we add 10% for starts and tails. To check your own machine, sew 12", then measure what came off each spool.
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