Binding, binding, binding

This time of the year is terribly busy for any quilter entering the Quilters’ Guild of NSW Sydney Quilt Show that’s on at Darling Harbour from 12th-16th June. In our house there are now two quilters entering so you can imagine the state of my sewing room!

A friend came over this morning to borrow something, she politely said it’s supposed to be messy. Hmm, I don’t think it’s supposed to be this messy (I’m sorry, I’m just too embarrassed to even put up a photo). Cleaning the sewing room is definitely on my to do list after this post ;-) It can be today’s aerobic exercise. Hah!

June in general seems to be busy, music concerts, fundraisers, end of year tax preparations, exams, parent teacher meetings. It all happens in June. I’ve known this for a few years now. So knowing all of this you’d think I’d start binding my show quilts well before June?

And you’d think, that having finished a *few* quilts by now I would know how to do it off by heart? Unfortunately not, every. single. time. I have to look to my latest reference to get that final step in the continuous binding. Why can’t I remember this? At the moment I’m really liking Canoeridge Creations Double Fold Binding Tutorial. There are simple and clear photos that jog my memory straight away.  Maybe I should just print out that photo and frame it?

Anyway, here are my binding tools. That little blue cube on the right is a new addition to the weaponry. Thread Heaven. Why have I only just discovered this? Makes those binding stitches glide through and keeps the thread from misbehaving.

Not in that photo because they were being used elsewhere are my favourite binding tool the Clover Wonder Clips. These little clips are expensive but well worth it. Gone are the days of stabbing my fingers with pins whilst hand sewing the binding.

I heard a rumour that IKEA would be discontinuing their BRITTEN NUMMER fabric. Surely all quilters should band together and protest if that’s true? At the very least we should rush out and stock up!

Do you like this chevron fabric as binding? It’s from Robert Kaufman and I’m really happy with how it works on this quilt. I usually love a stripped binding but it just wasn’t working this time.

Well, with butterflies in our stomachs we kissed our quilts good luck as we dropped them to our kind Guild Volunteer. They’ll be hanging at Darling Harbour next week and then safely back home soon after. Ready to go on beds, the couch or maybe even be hung on a wall.

Do you ever wonder what happens to prize winning quilts? Hmmm…

 

PS. It’s also a busy time for all the shop and business owners who have to transport all their goods and equipment to Darling Harbour and run their businesses from a temporary site. Good luck if this is you. I have been saving some extra cash to buy myself some goodies this year.

Finishing your quilt ~ lots of links

Wow, I can never believe how far you guys come in 8 weeks. From not knowing how to thread a sewing machine or which colours go together, to having the skills you need to finish a quilt. In eight weeks, that’s pretty awesome. Very well done to all of you and I hope that this is just the beginning of your creative journey with fabric.

Patchwork and quilting is probably a lot more technical than many of you had hoped. There’s a new language to learn (reverting to inches!!), lots of tools to buy and tricky techniques to learn. You don’t need to remember every lesson in each of your quilts. You could decide to only make machine pieced quilts or that applique is now your passion. I hope that by showing you all the possibilities you can go forward confidently and at least know where to start next time you want to make something or tackle a pattern.

I am wary that there was a lot of information in last night’s class. Someone mentioned we actually need two lessons on finishing your quilt but then which other lesson would I cut out? I think that with last night’s tips, the notes I gave you and a few well documented online tutorials you should be ok but if you’re not, please feel free to contact me.

Hope to keep in touch via our mailing list and can’t wait to see all your finished quilts. I’d love to post photos of them here on my blog so send me the piccies.

Here’s one that was put together last night. Using the nine patchwork blocks, 3” sashings and corner stones this is now a 40” quilt top. By adding 5” borders that brings it up to 50”, or you could add more if you want a bigger quilt.

Only we quilters know how much effort and time goes into making these precious first quilts so give yourselves a big pat on the back ~ What a fantastic job!

Here are the links I mentioned that I believe will be helpful as you finish your quilts:

Great binding tutorial with step by step photos on how to achieve neat mitred corners and smooth joins. http://pir8.freeservers.com/quilting/ending-double-fold-binding/index.htm 

Want to give hand quilting a go? This tutorial has lots of photos as well as explaining the tools and materials to use :http://www.threadsmagazine.com/item/3734/perfect-your-hand-quilting-stitch 

Quilt too big to fit under your domestic machine? Quilt as you go is an option: http://fiberfocus.blogspot.com.au/2008/11/how-to-machine-quilt-large-bed-quilt-on.html 

There are lots more links here from preparing your quilt top for quilting to how to label your quilt: http://www.victorianaquiltdesigns.net/FinishingYourQuilt.htm 

Good luck and stay in touch xx Lorena

Quilt Layout and Cutting Diagrams

Here we are approaching Week 8 of our Patchwork and Quilting Course. By now you have determined the size of your finished quilt and need to know how much fabric you’ll need for the backing, sashing, corner stones and border.

You have various options for making some more quick blocks to make your quilt bigger. You can mix in some simple four patch or star blocks or even a plain block.

Sashings and borders can always be made wider too! Make sure to adjust your measurements before you cut your backing when you do this.

I’ve mocked up some sample quilts with the cutting instructions for these previously.

Baby (Cot) Quilt

Using six 12” blocks for a finished size of 37 1/2” x 52”

Square Lap Quilt

Using sixteen 12” blocks for a finished size of 67” x 67”

On Point Lap Quilt (9 pieced blocks)

Using nine 12” blocks for a finished size of 66” (just noticed there’s a mistake on that diagram. It says you need 12 pieced blocks. Please ignore this!)

Here is a new diagram for the Twin (Single) Size that some of you were interested in.This is a generous width but making it with only three 12” blocks across looks odd!

Twin Size Quilt

Finished Quilt measures

62” x 76”

20 x 12” blocks

Cutting chart

Sashing strips (red strips)

Cut 31 12.5” x 2 ½”

Cornerstones (yellow squares)

Cut 12 2 ½” x 2 ½” squares

Border Strips (blue strips)

Cut 2 4 ½” x” 68 ½”

Cut 2 4 ½” x 54 ½”

Border Corner Blocks (green squares)

Cut 4 4 ½” x 4 ½”

Backing fabric

3.4 m x 110 cm width fabric.

Choose a fabric with a busy pattern, nothing too light or it will get dirty and need lots of washing!

If you select a fabric with a directional print or large pattern you may need to purchase extra to allow you to match the pattern. Alternatively insert a pieced strip between your backing fabrics to break it up.

To piece your backing fabric: Cut length in half, cut away the selvedge and sew pieces together horizontally like this

 

(Allows some extra on width and length for slippage and shrinkage)

** Always measure your own finished quilt before cutting the backing!

Binding

1/2 m cut into 7 x 2 ½” strips, sewn together end to end to fit the perimeter of your quilt + 6” extra

Batting

You will need batting (also called wadding) 4” longer and wider than your finished quilt.

Batting is available in a range of materials: Wool, cotton, polyester, bamboo and in different combinations. Steer clear of battings that are very thick for your first quilts as they are difficult to machine quilt. I recommend 100% cotton or wool 80%/ poly 20%. The wool/ poly batting is lighter, softer and warmer. The cotton needs to be quilted closer together and can shrink a bit. That’s not always a negative, it can give your quilt a lovely crinkly look too.

Other quilting supplies needed:

Sewing machine with a walking foot or alternatively quilting thread, needle and a thimble.

Binding your quilt

Different prints can add visual interest to a quilt edge. Look for evenly spaced dots, small scale prints, horizontal or diagonal stripes. Audition 1/2' strips across the width of the fabric along your finished quilt top so you know what it will look like before you cut into it!
There's nothing like the feeling of finally finishing your quilt with a good binding! It feels lovely and completes your quilt.

A binding can add visual interest to a quilt, it can also help frame your quilt top. Experiment with using fabric scraps from your quilt, stripes and spots also look great. Sometimes a solid colour binding can hold a busy design together.

I like to use a double binding cut across the width of the fabric as it lasts longer, quilt edges can get a lot of wear and tear if used daily. Bias binding is more often used for scalloped or pointy edges as they are thinner and follow curves more readily.

I also like my bindings to be narrow and plump so I cut them 2.5" wide. That gives me enough to include the 1/2" edge and wadding snuggly. You may prefer a flatter, wider binding, you'll need to experiment to work out your preferences.

Remember to join strips on the diagonal so the seams aren't too bulky!

To work out how much binding you need measure around the outside of your quilt. You will need an extra 10" or so to be on the safe side. There are so many excellent tutorials available showing you how to bind your finished quilt!

This one shows you how to attach the binding by machine and then hand stitch to finish. This is my preference as your stitches will not show through to the quilt front.
If you really can't face 4 metres of hand stitching you will need to practice this machine stitching technique before you attempt it on your quilt. Make sure your top thread matches the binding and your bottom thread matches your quilt backing fabric if you are machine stitching. This technique would only suit bindings made from a continuous colour or you would have to change the top thread often.

Once your binding is finished many quilters like to label their quilts. More about that next time!