LED Quilt Sewing

Knotting the thread:

To begin cut a length of thread, do not use the entire 3 meters of black, white or conductive thread at one time, the thread will be hard to manage if it is too long. Cut your thread into smaller portions, 16-18 inches will work.

To start your knot, loop 2 inches of thread over the end.

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Twist the end of the thread through the loop.

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Then pull gently to secure the knot.

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You may need to make several twists to make a larger knot. Trim excess thread if needed.

Threading a needle:

A needle has two ends, the point and the eye. Be careful!! The point is very sharp and you can hurt yourself with it. Kids, you might want to get an adult to help you.

To thread a needle, you will need to push the thread through the eye.

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First dampen the top of your thread, a small drop of water on your finger will do the trick. Keep a small cup of water near you, dip your index finger in the water, then using your damp index finger and thumb touch the thread and lightly drag to create a point. Do not pull the thread as you do this you just want to wet the fibers into a point.

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Next poke then thread through the eye and pull until you have 3-4 inches of thread pulled all the way through.

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When you are not sewing make sure to place the needle some place safe. You can tuck it back into your felt square or use a magnet or pin cushion to keep the needle safe.

Running Stitch:

A running stitch can connect two designs, your LED’s, or attach another piece of fabric to your quilt block.

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To begin, insert a threaded needle through the back side of the felt and pull until the knot touches the felt. Do not pull too hard or you will rip the knot through the felt.

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Next poke the needle back down through the fabric a short distance from where you started, pulling the thread through until it lays flat on the felt.

Continue poking the needle through the back and front of the felt in even spaces. It should look like a dotted line.

You can then add a L.E.D or tie a knot to continue your design.

Ending knot

When you have finished sewing you will need to secure the thread by tying a knot. To do this slip the needle under a nearby stitch and start a loop.

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Bring the needle through the loop,

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and around a second time.

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Pull the needle through until the knot forms.

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Trim off excess thread, unless this is the tail at the top or bottom of your project. Leave those tails as long as possible.

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Whip stitch:

A whip stitch is how you will attach your L.E.D. lights, and other decorative items.

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Carefully hold your L.E.D. light on top of your fabric with one hand. With the other hand take a length of conductive thread, that has been knotted and threaded on a needle. Poke the threaded needle up through the back side of the felt and through the hole on the L.E.D. light.

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Pull the thread all the way through until the knot touches the back side of the felt.

Loop the thread down over the hole on the L.E.D. light and back through the felt.

Be careful!!! It is very easy to poke yourself with the needle when you try to go through the hole in the L.E.D. Adults, please help your kids if you see they are having trouble with this stitch.

Repeat 4-5 times. The holes on the L.E.D. lights are very small we recommend wrapping the thread 5 times, any more and the needle will get stuck in the hole of the L.E.D.

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You can use an ending knot to stop your stitches or start a running stitch to connect one L.E.D. light to the next. Remember only to connect positive ends to positive ends and leave a tail at the top of your quilt square. Do the same for the negative ends leaving the tail on the bottom end of the quilt square.

Removing a stitch

You finished your quilt square, tested it using AA batteries and discovered that you accidentally connected a positive end to a negative end. You will need to remove stitches to fix this problem. If you noticed your problem before you tie your ending knot remove the thread from the needle. Use the needle point to tease up the thread from the last stitch you made. Repeat until you have freed the L.E.D. light. If you tied your ending knot, very carefully snip the thread where the knot is. Then use the needle point to tease up the stitches.

Helpful hints:

Your conductive thread does not need to connect the ends of the L.E.D. lights in one continuous strand. You can stop and start several times.