Cheaters Hand Quilting

Have FUN Creating “Cheaters Hand Quilting” on Your
This is an easy beginner project to reinforce what you have already learned:
The technique being taught in this project may be used on any quilt
to create perfectly spaced hand stitching!
• Transferring designs from the USB to the Quilt Magician (QM)
• Creating a folder and copying design from the USB into the folder created
• Adding a quilting design from the Quilt Magician library to the stitched design
• Using the Move, Scale and Pattern Box functions
• Sewing the quilting designs using water soluble thread
• Hand-quilt using the needle penetrations as guidelines for even hand-quilting
stitches!
Note: Don’t forget what you have already learned about the care of your machine. Cleaning and oiling are an
important part of machine maintenance. If you need a refresher, check the instruction manual that came with the
machine or watch the videos on the tinlizzie18.com website. Have the QM Users Manual handy to reference if you
have any on how to do something in the Quilt Magician questions or watch the videos on the tinlizzie18.com website .
• Begin with an easy shape and white fabric to learn the
technique; it is easier to see the stitching when
beginning with white fabric.
• Any color or pattern of fabric may be used once the
technique is learned.
• This technique creates needle penetration holes to
follow for hand stitching.
• The water soluble thread is dissolved after the
handstitching is done.
• Perfectly spaced hand-stitching remains!
• Use the additional designs provided to create a “Table
Runner” and “Octagon Placemat”, too! These items
make great gifts and are easy to create using this
technique.
Materials:
• Fabric: two -1 yard pieces white 100% cotton 45” wide fabric for
top and backing
• Cotton batting (to sandwich between the top and backing
fabrics)
• Water soluble thread (for top and bobbin)
• Hand quilting thread-any variety, including embroidery floss
• Hand quilting needles to accommodate the chosen threads
• Potholder digital file (provided)
• 1 yard bias binding for each Potholder created.
This is the file: Potholder
• The dimensions are 8” x 8”
Water Soluble Thread is perfect for this technique!
• This thread will be used for both the top and
bobbin in this project.
• After the hand quilting is done, the thread will
be dissolved away with water.
• Remember, water soluble thread is not
permanent!
• Available online or through the local fabric
store—several brands available.
• Stitches just like regular thread.
Basic steps for the project:
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Read through all the instructions before beginning.
Transfer the designs to the USB jump drive.
Save the folder to the QM.
Set the quilt area.
Add the Potholder pattern.
Choose a design which will be easy to hand-quilt and add inside the
Potholder.
Move and Scale the design to fit within the Potholder design.
Stitch the entire design with the water soluble thread, changing the
stitch length for each design.
Repeat more across the width of the fabric, leaving about an inch space
between each one by using the Pattern Box function.
Remove the fabric from the frame and cut apart the potholders.
Hand-quilt each design.
Bind the Potholder.
Use water to remove the water soluble thread.
To begin:
• Load the frame with the top and backing fabrics, sandwiching the batting
between.
• Wind the bobbin with water soluble thread and then thread the machine.
Insert the USB stick into the computer. Locate
the project file “Hand Stitching Project”; copy
and paste the entire file to the USB stick.
Place the USB stick into the port on the Quilt
Magician (QM).
Locate the files on the USB stick.
Create a new folder called “hand
stitch” on the QM.
Copy the files to the QM.
Set the quilt area.
Select Add Pattern under the Home icon.
Find the Potholder file. Tap Select
Pattern.
Now a QM design will be added
inside the Potholder design.
Look at the designs in the Quilt Magician .pdf file – print it out for a
ready reference. Choose quick-to-sew designs that aren’t too intricate
for this project, or use the ones suggested.
To add a design to stitch within the Potholder, under the Home icon choose
Add Pattern, and open up the Panto folder and choose sunshinel.qcc. Tap
Select Pattern to add the file.
The design as it is will be too large
for the Potholder so it must be
resized.
Under the Edit icon, choose Next to
select the sunshine design file. When
the file is selected, a green box will
be seen around the design.
To resize the design, choose Scale.
Be sure the lock is on to scale the design
proportionally. Use the slider bars or +/- keys
to make the design smaller so it will fit within
the Potholder.
Move the design into position by
tapping Move.
Use the arrows to move and center the design
into position within the Potholder design.
Continue to resize and move the design as
needed until the sunshine design fits within the
Potholder.
Change the SPI (stitches per inch)
Tap the SPI icon.
For this design choose 14 SPI, then
tap OK. This means there will be
shorter stitches for hand-quilting.
Check the design one last time.
Start the machine to stitch the
Potholder and sunshine design.
The machine will move to the
starting position.
Pull up the bobbin thread and create
lock stitches.
The Potholder design will stitch first.
The sunshine design will stitch next.
The water soluble thread stitches
just like regular thread.
Adjust the tension if needed, though.
The first Potholder is completed.
Now two more will be added to the
right of this first one.
The same basic steps of:
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Add Potholder design.
Add quilting design.
Resize and Move the design to center it in the Potholder.
Adjust the SPI.
Stitch.
Will be done for the next two Potholders.
Because the quilt area is already defined, we’ll use the Add
Pattern Box function to add a new area to insert the next
Potholder.
Under the Home icon, locate Pattern
Box and Add Pattern Box.
Prompts will be given; follow the
display prompts and move the
machine to the positions indicated.
Begin the new pattern box about 1”
to the right of the first design
stitched. Tap the +.
Move the machine to the right to
create a baseline. The line must be
longer than the 8” of the Potholder
width. Tap the +.
Continue moving the machine and tapping + to set the points for the Pattern
Box. When finished, tap the
.
A second Pattern Box has been
created.
Follow the same steps that were used
for the first Potholder to add the
Potholder design to the Pattern Box.
Under the Pantos file, add the
Shadowed Flower.qcc pattern to the
inside of the Potholder.
Move and Scale the design to fit
within the Potholder design.
Change the SPI to 8 (longer stitches
for the hand quilting).
Start the machine and stitch the
second Potholder and Shadowed
Flower design.
The second Potholder is finished.
Repeat the steps to create a third Potholder:
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Add Pattern Box (creates PB: 3 of 3)
Add Potholder design.
Add Open Meander design under the Pantos file.
Scale and Move the design to fit the Potholder.
Change the SPI to 10.
Stitch the design.
Add Pattern Box (creates PB: 3 of 3).
Add Potholder design.
Add Open Meander design under
the Pantos file
Scale and Move the design to fit the
Potholder.
Change the SPI to 10.
Stitch the design.
Remove the fabrics from the frame.
Generally cut apart the Potholders.
They are now ready for hand stitching.
Note: because the thread is water soluble, be sure hands
remain dry during the handstitching process.
To hand stitch:
• Thread the needle with the desired thread; use no more than 18” of thread so it
doesn’t tangle easily.
• Make a quilter’s knot and bury the knot behind the batting and the bottom fabric.
• Use the holes of the needle penetrations to move the needle in and out of the
water soluble stitching.
• When the thread runs out, bury the end of the thread between the batting and
backing fabric, rethread the needle and repeat the steps until the interior design
has been hand quilted.
• Repeat for all the Potholders.
Any variety of threads may be used for the
hand quilting. For this project the following
threads were used:
Open Meander: Rose colored machine
embroidery thread.
Sunshine: Pink quilting cotton.
Shadowed Flower: Blue variegated 6-strand
floss.
Always test the threads with the SPI before
beginning the hand quilting. Thicker threads
are best used with longer stitch lengths, and
thinner threads with shorter stitch lengths.
Move the needle in and out of the needle penetrations to create the
hand quilting, following the design as stitched.
Later, after the water soluble thread is dissolved,
all that will remain is the hand stitching.
Split the embroidery floss into 3-strand sections, then use three
strands for the hand quilting. This works well when there are longer
stitch lengths (8 SPI).
Variegated
embroidery floss.
With more SPI (14), use a thinner thread like this quilting cotton.
To complete each Potholder:
• Cut the fabrics and batting just outside of the Potholder outline.
• Cut 2 ¼” binding strips (join them together if needed), and sew
the binding to the outside edge of the Potholder, adding a loop
for hanging either at the corner or top edge of the Potholder if
you’d like.
• Repeat for all the Potholders.
• Cut the fabrics and batting just
outside of the Potholder
outline.
• Cut 2 ¼” binding strips (join
them together if needed),
Sew the binding to the outside edge of the
Potholder, adding a loop for hanging either
at the corner or top edge of the Potholder
if you’d like.
Leave a 7” tail for the loop. Fold in the edges and
pin.
Turn the binding to the right side and pin in place.
Begin stitching at the tail (7” for loop).
Sew all around the Potholder removing the pins
as you sew. Tuck the tail of the loop under the
binding and sew the loop in place.
There are several ways to remove the water soluble thread:
• Put all the Potholders in the washing machine and
wash and dry them.
• Spritz the water soluble thread with water; or
• Dab the water soluble stitches with a small dampened
clean white cloth or new cosmetic sponge.
Just dab the cloth or
sponge in water and dab
over the hand stitching.
Before
After
After
Before
Before
After
Two additional files are provided for you to experiment and play with:
“Octagon Placemat” and “Table Runner”
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Learn the technique
Load either file on the QM and save it
Add a design from the QM
Adjust the stitch length
Stitch the entire design using water soluble thread
Hand-quilt using the new technique learned
Finish the project with binding
“Octagon Placemat”
“Table Runner”
Have FUN Creating “Cheaters Hand Quilting” on Your
Please check back often for new projects
added to the TinLizzie18 website