Quilting

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Giveaway: Big Stitch Quilting Needles

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Bit Stitch Quilting Needle PackI scored big at my local quilt shop Saturday when I found this needle pack. Called Big Stitch, Pepper Cory designed these especially for quilters to create utility stitches. Utility stitches are a longer length than conventional stitches and use thicker threads so they can be easily seen on the surface.

An Amazon reviewer said they are so sharp, you don’t need a thimble to go through a quilt sandwich (top, batting, and backing). Impressive. I had no idea these existed, so I want to get the word out. To celebrate this incredible find, I’m giving away a Big Stitch needle pack to a lucky Craft Gossip reader.

How to enter: Leave a comment on this post and tell me your best or worst experience while hand quilting. Mine is when I forgot I’d taken my thimble off and took a stitch with a Between and it pierced my finger. Ouch.

Contest ends: 02/13/2016 at 10:00 PM CST, US Time Zone

Who can enter: Only contiguous U.S. due to shipping costs

Good luck!

Comments

  1. I’m still in the process of completing my 1st quilt. Without the help of a lot of friends, I’d still be at the beginning. These sound perfect!

  2. My worst hand quilting experience was with marking, not stitching. I use a chalk wheel with pink chalk on cream fabric, and it left a stain. Luckily, I was marking just a little ahead of my quilting, and discovered the problem before I’d gone too far. I managed to scrub most of it out, but will never use colored chalk again.

  4. Worst experience…doing so much sewing I actually poked a hole in my finger! Didn’t notice until I started seeing blood on my work. Best experience…actually finishing a small piece to be placed in my dad’s casket. He was my biggest fan and miss him.

  5. I’m still working on my first hand-quilted quilt. From my limited experience, the worst is my inability to get the stitches as straight as I’d like (yet I know this will change with more practice and the recipient will never look as close as I do). My best experience is that I love the texture and look of the hand quilting (even with my uneven stitches)!

  6. My worst experience…trying to finish big stitch quilting a wool quilt for a quilt show. My finger was raw when I was finished…needed to tape it up so it wouldn’t bleed. But the quilt got finished…:o)
    Thanks for the chance to win these needles! Would love to try them out!
    P

  10. Working with white material and took a sip of hot chocolate which spilled and stained the piece that I was 95% done with.

  11. My worst experience was in a quilting class where the instructor “forgot” the order of steps, and everyone had to go back and start over again! I can barely live with my own mistakes:(

    from VT the land of languid flakes,
    the Vermonster

  12. I really got excited when I saw this prize, because the one thing I’d really like to do is make my first hand-made quilt!! To me, machine quilts are pretty, but I think that hand-made are really the way that quilts should be made. I own a frame and have plenty of patterns to give me ideas, but these needles would make the job a lot easier!! Thank you so much for this giveaway!!

  13. Hand quilting my younger sister’s king sized wedding quilt left me with a ‘tattoo’ on my right hand middle finger, even with a leather thimble, that was there for MONTHS!!

  14. Worst – twin sister teaching me how to hand quilt and I used embroidery hoop held in lap. Yup, stitch my shirt tail to back of quilt. We are identical mirror twins, opposites…she’s exceptionslly good at hand quilting and I’m ok :-). And thats ok !

  15. My best experience hand quilting was when I realized it didn’t have to be perfect. I now get a lot more done and it looks fine.

  16. Worst thing happening is when finished all my hand quilting and then having to remove my basting stitches and accidentally cutting a hole in the finished quilt. Omg.

  22. I want to get back into hand stitches; this would be a good fit as I’m also learning to quilt.

  24. I am just re-learning how to quilt from over 20 years ago. I really, really want to improve my hand-quilting skills and these would be so very helpful. I’m anxious to complete my first project, starting with a mini-wall quilt.

  26. Looking back on my first hand quilted baby quilt almost 40 years ago, that was my first experience with hand quilting. It looks like big quilting is now even though i didn’t mean it that way. Boy did I have a lot to learn! Would love these needles!

  27. Quilted my daughter’s baby quilt without a thimble, over 37 years ago, dumb thing to do, my finger tips were a mess! Now, I don’t do a lot of hand quilting, because I never seem to have time!

  28. I have not tried hand quilting yet. I’ve only made two quilts and my sister will be machine quilting them – one for charity & one for a contest. I am now working on a hexagon quilt which I plan to hand quilt when it’s completed.

  29. My worst…meeting a friend at a church hand quilting bee. ..they were experts, I was not. They were very kind but I’m sure they couldn’t wait to rip out my stitches…oh my.

  31. Oh, my worst quilting…hmm…I’m still working on my first full sized quilt and I need to quit procrastinating and just do it! Lol I would love to have the needles because I only hand quilt. Thanks! vickise at gmail dot com

  33. I was hand quilting my first baby quilt for my daughter when I was about 8 1/2 months pregnant, and yes, I stitched it directly to my dress and slip but that wasn’t the worst…she kicked me, I jumped and managed to not only stab myself with that oh-so-sharp needle, but I also dropped my shears from what little lap I had and they literally stabbed straight into my foot! Nine stitches in my foot closed up the hole! I have never rested my shears on my lap since!

  34. I quilted a flannel quilt with heavy pearl cotton once. I loved the look, but trying to pull that cotton through two layers of flannel and a layer of batting was slow and exhausting. Next time I would use finer thread. Thanks for the chance to win these great needles! I love the look of big stitch quilting.

  35. I have trouble using a thimble so I get sore fingers a lot. I would love to try this needle.
    Thanks for the chance to win.

  36. My worst was bleeding on a quilt while binding when I didn’t even know I had been “injured” — I hate bleeding on quilts!!!

  38. I haven’t hand quilted but have hand pieced a queen size quilt. Breaking the eye of a needle is the worse, I experienced.

  39. My best experience with hand quilting was when I gave myself permission to use embroidery stitches to quilt with instead of just straight stitches. I had so much fun quilting that quilt and still do it today! Taking bigger stitches is also a big bonus. Thank You for the opportunity to win these. Have a fantastic creative day!

  40. The problem I have is I can’t find a thimble large enough for my finger. But I did fix the problem with a finger guard that I taped to my finger. It worked well enoughbut I needto learn how to sew a stright line. No onehas said anythingabout it but I know it is there. Thanks fora chance.

  41. I ‘ve never seen these before. while quilting with a leather thimble the needle went all the way through it and stabbed my finger..

  42. Have only hand quilted a small wall quilt..did ok..slow, and not real straight stitches…and stuck my finger many times too. lol These needles sound Awesome! Thanks for chance to win! 🙂

  43. I guess my stitches don’t always look so great and once I was really happy with a quilt and a friend told me you’ll get better someday. We’re still friends.

  44. My worst experience is also my first quilt or should I say blocks. They are done and quilted but when I went to join them it said hand stitch and I know they will come apart at the first washing.

  45. After 6 failed pregnancies, when I got pregnant with #7, my doctor ordered complete bed rest. That meant not getting out of bed or off the couch unless I needed to use the bathroom. I even ate in a horizontal recliner chair! Needless to say, I hand quilted and made hand sewn clothes throughout the entire pregnancy. When my son finally arrived, he had the most outstanding wardrobe of clothing, blankets, quilts and bibs as proof of my reclining months. sewing saved my sanity. Well ,my “Baby” is now a 27 year old Chemist. And although I am yet to be a grandmother…..I’m ready. Till then I still sew every day but now its for grand-nieces and also an occasional weird Halloween costume for my “baby” boy.

  46. I didn’t realize that my cat had added one of their soft toys to where i was stitching. It looked pretty funny.

Have you read?

Cat-O-Lantern Quilt Pattern Review: A Cute Halloween Quilt for Cat Lovers

Some Halloween quilt patterns make me want to decorate the whole house. Others make me want to quietly add another project to the sewing pile and pretend it was always part of the plan. The Cat-O-Lantern quilt pattern from Fat Quarter Shop falls very comfortably into that second category.

A kitty hugging a jack-o’-lantern? That is a fairly effective way to get my attention. It brings together two Halloween favourites in a design that feels cheerful and playful, with plenty of appeal for anyone who prefers their seasonal decorating cute rather than creepy.

If you’re looking for a small Halloween quilt pattern for a cat lover, this one is worth a closer look. My review is based on the published design and product details; I haven’t sewn the pattern myself.

What Is the Cat-O-Lantern Quilt Pattern?

Cat-O-Lantern is a downloadable PDF quilt pattern exclusive to Fat Quarter Shop. The finished quilt measures 30½ × 34 inches, and the PDF contains 11 pages.

Fat Quarter Shop lists the difficulty as beginner. Its description calls for four fat quarters plus binding, but check the full pattern requirements before shopping so you can also plan for backing, batting and any additional supplies.

This is a paid digital pattern, so you’re purchasing the instructions rather than a finished quilt or fabric kit.

What I Like About This Halloween Quilt Design

The biggest attraction for me is the combination of a recognisable seasonal theme and a little personality. A pumpkin quilt is lovely, but adding a cat gives the project a playful focal point.

It also offers a nice alternative to Halloween sewing projects covered in elaborate motifs. Sometimes one strong design is all a room needs, especially when the shelves already contain enough pumpkins to suggest you’ve started a small farm.

The finished size is another selling point. I would think of Cat-O-Lantern primarily as a Halloween wall quilt or decorative accent quilt. At 30½ × 34 inches, it is compact enough to plan a display around, although I would measure the intended space before buying.

We’ve previously included it in our collection of lap blanket quilt patterns, but do pay attention to those dimensions if you’re hoping for generous sofa coverage.

Is Cat-O-Lantern Suitable for Beginner Quilters?

The retailer’s beginner rating is encouraging, particularly if you want a seasonal project without committing to a large quilt.

However, I haven’t reviewed the purchased instructions, so I can’t assess the cutting directions, construction steps or how much guidance they provide for a first-time quilter.

My practical advice is to read the entire PDF before cutting. Label your pieces, keep the fabrics organised and take your time with seam allowances. Those habits are helpful on any quilt, and they’re especially useful when the finished design depends on shapes landing where they should.

If you’d like another feline project to compare, our free Halloween cats table runner feature is another place to find seasonal sewing inspiration.

Fabric Choices I Would Consider

For my version, I’d start by thinking about contrast. Choose fabrics that let the cat and pumpkin stand out clearly from their surroundings, rather than selecting every favourite Halloween print and hoping they all get along.

Small prints, solids and subtle tonal fabrics would be my starting point. A busy novelty print can be wonderful, but it may compete with the main design when used in the wrong spot.

Before cutting, lay your proposed fabrics together and take a photograph. Look at it as a small thumbnail. If everything blends into one patch of colour, you may need a lighter or darker fabric to give the design definition.

And if choosing the pumpkin fabric sends you down an autumn sewing rabbit hole, our scrap fabric pumpkin quilt block and table runner feature has another project to add to the list.

Who Would Enjoy This Pattern?

I’d put Cat-O-Lantern on the shortlist for quilters who enjoy cute Halloween décor, cat-themed projects and smaller quilts made for display.

It could also make a thoughtful handmade gift for someone who brings out their Halloween decorations at the first possible opportunity. You know the person. Their pumpkins appear before the supermarket has finished clearing the previous holiday.

The main limitation is the size if you want a substantial throw. For a seasonal wall display, though, that smaller footprint is part of the appeal.

Would I Add It to My Sewing List?

On design appeal, yes. Cat-O-Lantern has a charming theme, a compact finished size and a beginner rating that makes it worth investigating for a manageable Halloween project.

I would still read the full instructions before deciding how quickly it might come together. A cute cover is an invitation to sew, but it isn’t a promise of an afternoon finish.

You can find the Cat-O-Lantern PDF quilt pattern at Fat Quarter Shop. If your Halloween decorating style involves friendly pumpkins, handmade touches and a cat who probably thinks the sewing table belongs to them, this little quilt could fit right in.