Heirloom Machine Quilting: A Comprehensive Guide to Hand-Quilting Effects Using Your Sewing Machine

by Harriet Hargrave

A brand-new edition of the machine quilting classic! Includes everything you need to know about machine quilting.

Genres: Quilting, Sewing, Crafts, Reference, Art

178 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1990

Reviews

[Ron Mohring · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a traditional quilter--hand-piecing as much as possible and hand-quilting all the way--but even I feel the pressure of time and long for a faster, more efficient way to quilt some projects. This book has me nearly convinced to give machine quiltinga try. And that's high praise coming from me.

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

An excellent resource for machine quilting, binding, and taking care of your quilts.

[Ronni · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned quilting with this book <3

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes it is good to go back to the earliest "how to" books, and this is the first or one of the first on machine quilting. As the title suggests, the goal is to do quilting that looks old fashioned. Still there are hints that are applicable to modern machine quilting. It is, as the title says, "Comprehensive." There is more detail gathered here than I have seen elsewhere. Some I'd already heard via the grapevine. But when it was written, there was no grapevine. And though it was first written around the 90s, it has been updated with each edition. The latest our library had was 2004. So it didn't mention Supreme Sliders.

Two suggestions that I found quite useful: If you use a cone thread holder, tape a safety pin near where your machine would feed from a spool. Now, I'd never had issues with how the machine worked without the pin, but using the pin did keep the thread feed more out of my way. I did find the thread getting caught in the coil at the end of the pin so switched to a 2-inch paper clip, which worked well. And a way of holding hands when using the walking foot that minimizes drift of the top layer. (Yes, even with a walking foot, there is sometimes drift--ask me how I know.)

One thing I'd heard before became more doable with her analogy: She compared looking ahead instead of at the needle with the way one's eyes rove when driving. You kind of see both. I tried it and my curves became smoother and lines straighter. Not perfect yet, but better.

Because of the goal of creating perfect old fashioned hand quilted look, some details were more fiddly than the modern quilter may need; however, one might be an interesting skill to develop: when travel stitching aim to stitch in exactly the same holes of the previous stitching. (I do well to stay on the previous line of stitching.) Hargrave did say it was an advanced skill.

It is a valuable book for anyone interested in quilting with a domestic sewing machine. Skim what you think you know and pause where you see something additional.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a helpful introduction to the topic of machine quilting using your home sewing machine. If you have never used your home sewing machine to finish your quilt, you will likely find a lot of useful information in it. The author introduces the reader to a variety of techniques and tools that can make your quilting endeavors a success, and I love that she makes home quilting so accessible to her readers.

The book does have a few typos in it and there are times when it is a bit repetitive. The author also tends to sometimes present her preferences in a way that comes across as a bit elitist and off-putting. That said, though, you will likely learn a lot when you read it.

I highly recommend her Quilter’s Academy series in addition to this one.

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like this book a lot. The name "Heirloom" is sort of misleading to me, because that makes me think that I'm going to make something from expensive fabrics with intricate methods. This book is, instead, a very practical book about quilting (not about piecing, but about actually quilting the three layers - the quilt sandwich) together. Harriet Hargrave, the author, has included many how-to features: creating stencils, marking the quilt, layering the sandwich, and straight line as well as free-motion quilting. She gives tutorials for making curved lines, including feathers. I find I turn to this book often.

[Nicolle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a great reference book. While it has everything you need to know before you get started, I think this book is geared more towards those that have some decent machine quilting experience, which is not me! I will have to check this book out again when I give it a try. Oh, and don't let the cover fool you--though the author is a traditional quilter, the methods she teaches work for all kinds of quilts.

[Lori French · Rating 4 out of 5]

Harriet Hargrave is the definitive expert on quilting, she was machine quilting before it was considered an acceptable method of quilting. Lots of good info here, long before we had so much available on the web. Nice reference book for beginning machine quilters and inspiration for more advanced. This might be one I would buy for my bookshelf.

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an excellent reference and completely worth the price. I use it hand in hand with in-person classes. The author has moderated her tone in this book (vs her quilter's academy series) and I found the information practical and easy to apply.

[Cheryl S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Basic info and some inspiration. Love the spiral binder format

[Deb · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book I often refer back to. Good "how to" info.

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book gave me so many tips to improve my machine quilting! I didn't finish it before having to return it to the library but I will definitely check this out again!

[Kidsbookworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a must own for machine quilters and is a book that you will refer to again and again.

[Jude Grebeldinger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good reference book.

[Carolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adore this book and aspire to machine quilt like this master quilter.