Tuesday 17 June 2008

Buried Treasure

The last time I wrote about burying my threads in a quilt, a few of you emailed me wondering what I meant. So this time, I decided to illustrate using pictures.

Lately, I'm trying to take my quilting to the next level. One way is to finish off the threads securely and neatly. In the past I've always taken a snip to them with a prayer that the quilting does not unravel. This burying process is new to me and since I'm trying keep good habits, if any of you can improve upon the process, please do and let me know how!

Burying the threads is when the quilter takes the end of the thread from quilting and burys it neatly within the quilt's layers. In the picture below you see the tangled web of thread trails from a portion of quilt work on my AQLS doll quilt.

Take each thread, and tie a knot at the very base of where the thread exits the fabric. Thread the needle and sew inward near where it exited. With this stitch it is not brought through to the back, rather, having gone into the batting layer, the needle and thread returns up to an exit point away from the actual quilting. There is a little tug needed, cause remember, as the thread is knotted at the base; this knot should pop through the first fabric layer and remain anchored in the fabric--thus, making the thread trail secure within layers. The picture below shows all the threads knotted and threaded, and drawn out away from the quilting.


All that's needed now is to snip the threads.

Then I'm off to do the label so this baby can be shipped out this week!

Ciao!

1 comment:

AmyB said...

I hate knotting and burying threads, but I almost always do it anyway... I have a small trick that Carol Soderlund taught in a class: with both top and bobbin thread on the same side (doesn't matter which) tie them in a quilter's knot together (she shows wrapping two-three times around the needle, like a french knot in the air, which makes the knot 1-2" from the quilt surface), then bury. Two good things about that: it's half the threads to knot off AND it's harder for one to work loose, since each thread is tied to another thread. Works for me -- might be worth a try.

Love your quilt by the way ;)