Hand quilting patterns
Hand quilting designs are made of lines you can follow with a short running stitch: straight lines, gentle arcs and outlines. These 8 are the traditional ones, and each is drawn as its stitch path on one of our quilts.
By Editorial Staff
CrosshatchLines 1½" apart
GridLines 2" apart
Baptist fanLines 4" fans apart
ClamshellLines 3" shells apart
Orange peelLines 3" squares apart
EchoLines ½" apart
Stitch in the ditchLines along the seams apart
OutlineLines ¼" inside the seams apart
How much stitching each design takes
By hand, the length of the line is the work. These lengths are measured on the drawings, at the spacing shown on each design's page.
| Design | On a 12" block | On a 60" × 72" throw |
|---|---|---|
| Crosshatch | 16 ft | 160 yd |
| Grid | 12 ft | 120 yd |
| Baptist fan | 17 ft | 174 yd |
| Clamshell | 13 ft | 126 yd |
| Orange peel | 25 ft | 252 yd |
| Echo | 11 ft | 106 yd |
| Stitch in the ditch | 11 ft | 110 yd |
| Outline | 8 ft | 78 yd |
Thread, needles and marking
- Hand quilting thread is a cotton with a glazed finish so it doesn't tangle. Use it with a between, a short needle, in size 9 to 12; the smaller the needle, the smaller the stitch.
- For big-stitch quilting, a bolder look with stitches about ¼" long, use perle cotton size 8 or 12 and an embroidery needle.
- Beginners usually make 5 to 7 stitches an inch, counted on the top. Even stitches matter more than tiny ones.
- Mark designs with a hera marker, a chalk pencil, or a water-soluble pen, tested first on a scrap of the same fabric. Outline designs can be judged by eye or marked with ¼" masking tape.
The stitch itself is shown step by step in how to hand quilt.
See the quilting on your quilt
Quiltspiration draws your quilt in your own fabric, quilting included.