How do you knot a quilt?

Answer 1

Determine how far apart you can place the knots. This will depend on the batting you used, so check the instructions that came with it. Some can be as far as 10" apart, others need to be as little as 3". If you haven't already purchased your batting, this is a huge consideration when you buy it.

Use pearl cotton - it's strong but still thin enough that you won't struggle getting it through the layers. (Trust me, you do not want to try this with yarn. I've been there. It still isn't finished.) You need a sharp needle with an eye big enough to handle the pearl cotton. You can place the ties wherever you think they will look best (following the spacing guidelines above, of course). Some prefer to do it in the corners of the blocks because it looks neater. Some prefer to do it in the middle of patches because you have fewer layers to go through. Some just scatter the knots all over the quilt.

Decide if you want the loose ends on the top or the back. You'll clip them to about 1/2" - 1", but they're still be visible. Thread the needle with the pearl cotton still on the ball or in the skein. Do not cut a length. Keep it loose so it will unspool. If you have a ball and don't want to chase it, drop it into a wide mouth jar or coffee mug. Run the needle through all three layers and then back up just a short distance away. You don't want to bunch the fabric when you tie it, but you need enough material caught in it to keep it secure. Do NOT cut the pearl cotton (well, okay, you can, but I'd rather waste a little of that and save a lot of time). Instead, keep pulling it through and move to the next spot you're going to tie, go down and up with the needle, pull through until taut, move to the next spot, and the next, etc. When you go to a point where it becomes difficult to pull the thread any longer, cut it and start the next section. When you have all of the ties placed, go back with scissors and cut the pearl cotton between each tied spot. It should still be fairly long at this point - you're just separating it so you can do the knots.

You want to use a surgeon's knot for this - it's basically a double square knot. Most people don't know the difference between a square knot and a granny knot. Granny knots are what most people do, and they come undone easily. To make a square knot, hold the ends in each hand. Pass the thread on the right in front of the left, over, around and up. That's the easy part. Now, for a square knot, pass the same string, from the left side, in front of, over, around, through and up. That's a square knot. It's very hard to describe, so be sure to check the links below for illustrations. A surgeon's knot has one more loop during the first pass. Tighten and move on to the next one.

When you've tied all of the knots, go back and trim them to the length you want.

Answer 2

Baste your layers, then use a long needle to punch down through and back up again. Make sure you take a big enough stitch that it won't disappear, but small enough that it won't twist and distort the layers. I usually tie twice, then separate the strands and tie some of them again. Use a double strand of embroidery floss or perl cotton. Place your knots every 4 inches.

Answer 3

at the joint of every corner where blocks come together, thread a length of yarn on a large needle and go through from front to back and then back up to front, then lay another piece of yarn over it, at opposite angles and tie a knot with the sewn through piece over the laid piece, then tie the laid piece over top of that knot. the length should be about six inches for the one sewn in and a little shorter for the one laid over it.