Monday, May 09, 2011

Quilting - How to Layer a Quilt Sandwich

At some point I'll make some quilting videos showing you how to do some of the basic triangle blocks - but the first round of quilt patterns that I'll be designing for you will all be squares and rectangles - and you don't need any lessons for that beyond how to sew a straight line and how to use your iron. So today I'm jumping into how to finish your quilt with the first of a three-part series. Today's video is all about making your quilt sandwich. Next week I'll show you how to machine quilt, and then the following week I'll show you the best way to bind your quilt to finish it off.

Want some quick instructions on how to piece together the quilt I use in the demo? It's super easy. I dug through my scraps and cut 2-inch strips out of anything at least 2 inches wide. The strips were all different lengths - just what I wanted. I joined all the pink strips together, all the orange together, and all the yellow together so that I had a long strip of pinks, a long strip of oranges, and a long strip of yellows. Then I cut those long strips into shorter strips, 18 inches long. I used 11 of these 18-inch strips. Arrange them in a way that looks good to you. I thought the yellow really popped out, so I alternated yellow strips with pink or orange strips. Play around with what you have until it looks good to you. Sew the 18-inch strips together, press it all nice and smooth - and voila! You have a quilt top! I did the same thing for the back with blues, greens, and purples. I cut those strips 20 inches long and used 13 of them so that the back would be a bit bigger than the quilt top. By the way - this is just the right size for an American Girl doll. :-)

Have a great week everyone!

Best,
Wendi
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2 comments:

  1. Stephanie7:09 PM

    Can you weigh in on Batting? There are so many options and I really can't figure out what I want to use! I'm working on the squaresville quilt (lap size) and I want it to be warm and fluffy, but not overwhelm my normal sized sewing machine. I don't know enough about the different fiber options to care, but perhaps there's a compelling reason why I should want cotton, wool or poly, or maybe a mix!

    Thank you!

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    Replies
    1. Hi! I'm Wendi!2:03 PM

      Stephanie - I get a lot of questions about batting - I'm planning to do a whole post about it soon. My all-time favorite batting is Warm & Natural. It's light and thin for going through the machine, easy to hand-quilt if I choose, lets me quilt up to 10 inches apart (important for some of my designs), doesn't beard, and feels FABULOUS. Every once in a while the store runs out and I need it right away and have to use another brand, and I always wish I had Warm & Natural.

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