Tying A Quilt

 

Tying can be a very simple way to to quilt. This quilt was made four years ago, and has been used each night in winter. It was tied using DMC embroidery cotton, at the corner of each white square. The sides of the squares are 15cm long. 

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To make your own tied quilt, iron the top of the quilt, and the backing, and make the quilt sandwich. This can be done with an iron-on batting, or by pinning, or tacking the layers together. 

Many threads and wools can be used for tying. Choose a strong one that fits in well with your quilt, My preference is to use DMC embroidery cotton. It comes in a large range of colours, and it's strong.

The type of batting will inform your decision as to how close you need to tie the quilt. A loose batting will require more, and a firmer one will require less.  A good rule of thumb is to have your ties about 10cm apart, but with some battings, this can be increased quite a bit.  Take a moment and plan out where you want to place your ties.

I can't stress how important it is to have a good, sharp needle. My muscles ached until I started using a sharp needle. The eye of the needle should be large enough to fit the thread through, but small enough not to leave a hole in the quilt. The sharper the needle, the easier it is to push it through the layers of fabric and batting. If it is proving difficult, grab a pair of pliers, and use the pliers to pull the needle through.

Insert your needle into the quilt and pull it all the way through. Move over a few mm, and bring it back through to the top of the quilt. You can then tie it, or you can go back into the first hole, and come out the second. Then tie the thread.  Snip the thread, leaving the ends about 1-1.5cm long.  Move to the next area you wish to tie.

There are several ways to tie the knots. All three in the image below will work. My favourite is the Surgeon's Knot. The extra twists make it feel more secure.