Pebble quilting
Pebbles are circles of different sizes packed together, each one stitched round about twice so you can travel to the next. It is dense, slow and very flat, which makes it a favorite for backgrounds behind appliqué or feathers.
By Editorial Staff
How to stitch pebbles
- Drop or cover the feed dogs and fit a free-motion (darning) foot. Run the machine at a steady medium speed and move the quilt smoothly with both hands; the speed of your hands sets the stitch length, and 10 to 12 stitches an inch is the usual aim.
- Stitch a circle, then go round it again to reach the point where the next pebble starts. Let the second pass sit just inside or on top of the first.
- Nestle each new pebble against the ones before it, mixing large and small so the gaps fill. Work in a narrow band and keep the pebbles touching.
Home machine, longarm or by hand
| Level | How | |
|---|---|---|
| Home machine | Advanced | Free-motion foot |
| Longarm | Intermediate | Freehand |
| By hand | Better by machine | Too dense or too long a line to stitch by hand |
Thread for pebbles
A fine 50 or 60 weight thread keeps the doubled lines from looking heavy. Pebbles use about twice as much thread as stippling the same area.
| Size | Quilt | Stitching | Top thread | Bobbin thread |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crib | 45" × 60" | 262 yd | 360 yd | 360 yd |
| Throw | 60" × 72" | 419 yd | 577 yd | 577 yd |
| Twin | 70" × 90" | 611 yd | 841 yd | 841 yd |
| Full | 84" × 96" | 783 yd | 1,076 yd | 1,076 yd |
| Queen | 90" × 108" | 943 yd | 1,297 yd | 1,297 yd |
| King | 108" × 108" | 1,132 yd | 1,557 yd | 1,557 yd |
Stitching is measured on the drawing above at circles up to 1¾". 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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