Big Stitch Quilting

Introduction
History/context
Tools and materials
Fabrics
Threads

Techniques
Cutting, Chain piecing, Basting, Quilt designs, Quilting stitches (starting and stopping, big stitch, Mennonite tacks, Methodist knots, running cross stitch), Binding

The Projects
Quilt 1: Navy Borders, Quilt 2: Octagons, Quilt 3: Swedish Bars, Quilt 4: Fabric Stack, Quilt 5: Stepping Stones, Quilt 6: Every Last Piece, Quilt 7: Scattered Flowers, Quilt 8: Quilted Vines Mini Quilt, Quilt 9: Dolly Quilt, Gift 1: Coasters, Gift 2: Furoshiki cloths, Gift 3: Kitchen table topper, Gift 4: Sewing roll, Gift 5: Tulip Pillow, Gift 6: Knot bag, Gift 7: Zokin, Gift 8: Hot Water Bottle Cover, Gift 9: Golden pincushion, Gift 10: Lavender bags, Gift 11: Table centre

Templates
Index

About Carolyn Forster

Carolyn Forster is a best-selling author on quilting. She started making quilts when she was a teenager and went on to study Textiles at the University of Bath. Since graduating, Carolyn has taught patchwork and quilting both in the UK and the USA and has had her quilts featured in a number of books and magazines, including Fabrications, Popular Patchwork and Patchwork and Quilting. Carolyn lives in Tunbridge Wells, UK with her husband and son.

Visit Carolyn's website www.carolynforster.co.uk

British Patchwork and Quilting

A practical guide to sewing and hand quilting twenty projects using big stitch quilting. Nine quilts and eleven gifts which include coasters, a sewing roll and a pillow amongst other ideas.

Big stitch quilting, usually using thicker thread, has been utilised throughout history around the globe and Carolyn has taken inspiration from these different sources. A section on tools and equipment is followed by fabrics and wadding. Simple piecing is covered briefly with a good section on layering and basting your quilt, which is essential when hand quilting. There is a good example of a table top quilt tacking method. 

Quilt designs are kept simple, Baptist Fan is an example. A selection of different quilting stitches are demonstrated. There is a good selection on various binding options. 

Th quilts are simply pieced, excellent for using up scraps, with one quilt using applique flowers on a plain background. The gifts are a lovely selection of projects. Templates are provided to copy. 

This is a good choice for a beginner quilter as all basics are covered but has some interesting background on the different big stitch techniques which would be of interest for the more experienced. 

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Machine Knitting Monthly

Hand stitching lends a tactile quality and visual style to any item, as well as being meditative and relaxing to sew. Step by step photos and illustrations make everything easy to follow and the nine quilts and eleven gift projects including wrapping cloths, a Japanese knot bag, pillow cover and coasters.

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Customer Review

I've been sewing for years but I'm quite new to quilting so this book is most informative. I'm not good at reading instructions, I like to jump in and start a project then go back and find out why it went wrong! So I started with the pincushion on page 128 (see pic) Carolyn's method and pictures were so easy to follow. After trying a few projects I went back to check out the history of these quilts which is an interesting read in itself. I found that I already had most of what I needed in the Tools and Materials section, never heard of a Hera marker but I have something else that will do the job when necessary. The templates are a bonus, it means you can just pick a project and get on with it without much fuss and there are 20 to choose from. This book will be my companion while I perfect my 'big stitch' technique and will be a great addition to my sewing library for future quilting reference. Thank you Carolyn Forster for introducing me to this form of quilting.

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Customer Review

Big Stitch Quilting is an informative introductory book, full of lovely examples and projects to help get you started with your own big stitch work. I'm really looking forward to trying out the various techniques on my own quilts and gifts. It's accessible to both beginner and more experienced quilters, Forster takes you through basting and binding techniques as well as the quilting itself. She also offers a brief overview of historical and cultural examples of big stitch quilting techniques from around the world, such as sashiko and Great Depression era utility quilts.. There are a range of projects, from larger quilts through to doll-size quilts, Japanese-style knot bags, coasters and sewing rolls, which I feel make it very accessible to a range of abilities and for quilters who don't have time for larger hand-quilting projects. The photography of the various projects and examples is beautiful, making for a book that's also pleasant to flick through.

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Amazon Customer Review

I am a fan of Carolyn Forster's books, and this latest book did not disappoint. As with all my other Search Press craft books, the book is really well illustrated with good photographs. The projects succeed in meeting my need for something more than very basic, but not super complicated either, something I often find difficult in quilting books. Although I do machine quilt, I would like to do more hand quilting and this book provides just the inspiration I was looking for.

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Amazon Customer Review

As someone who's been quilting for 45 years, I mostly buy quilt books for ideas not techniques, so it is pretty rare that I open a book and say 'that's interesting, I didn't know how to do that!' This was one of those times. Good historical explanations of the 'big stitch' tradition (enough to silence even the fiercest of the traditional quilt police); techniques to speed up piecing, 'big' stitches that were new to me (i.e. not just running stitch), very clear explanations and good, close-up photos that really show what is being explained. An excellent book and one that is destined to be returned to time and again. But then of course it is by Carolyn Forster, I should have expected no less. I heartily recommend it.

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Sew Magazine

The perfect guide for those interested in hand quilting, Big Stitch Quilting unveils 20 pretty projects - from wrapping cloths and a Japanese knot bag to a pillow cover and coasters. You can choose from a combination of quilts and gifts, inspired by Boro, Kantha and Sashiko. This title also explores the most suitable materials, fabrics and methods to use, and also guides you through the process of assembling and finishing quilts.