Pat Sloan's I Love To Make Quilts

Quilt Your Own Quilt Assignment #4

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Today I'll show you what I'm quilting on the middle 2 rows of my Grandma's Kitchen quilt.

Assignment #4

• Assignment #1
• Assignment #2
• Assignment #3

Since I've written an entire teaching book on how to quilt your own quilt, we'll be using that as our tutorial, and I'm quilting my Grandma's Kitchen quilt with my walking foot in rows which is very manageable for any size machine. 

I have a few tricks to show you below for EASY and super cool looking walking foot quilting.  

Here is a photo of my Lines and cross hatches in progress, with some fun fill in areas. 

Let me show you an easy way to use a little ruler & a pin with your guide beam to get effective line placement.

My Babylock has a built in guide beam that I use a lot to help me. This is a Destiny II, the Crescendo also has it. Visit your babylock dealer to take a look at how they work. 

• Use a common point to measure from, I'm using the outside edge and this tiny ruler to mark the 1 1/4" spot along that seam
• Place a pin at the seam and aim the beam for it.

PITFALL/Solution -  If you don't have a beam, you an use a hera marker to 'crease' the fabric. Or just do this in short segments and keep your eye on the pin, you'll be able to sew there in a pretty straight  line. Once it's washed it will all crinkle and be wonderful!

When you get to the pin you will pivot.

Don't sew over the pin!

Now aim toward the edge.

Sew along to create a cool straight line design in the background

Doesn't that outline look great! I LOVE it and so easy with a tiny ruler and a pin.

I'm in the process of quilting the center pinwheel.

The green will be quilted down the middle just like the white sections was

 

Have you ever had a 'weird' bend like the one on the seam between the arrows? 

Do you know what causes that?

It's your seam being pressed in two different directions. The upper part is pressed to the right, and the lower to the left. The odd 'bend' is where it's folded underneath.

PITFALL/Solution - So does this REALLY Matter?  When you wash the quilt you will no longer even be able to find this. BUT if you intend to enter your quilt into competition, then be sure you don't have any of that. In competition you are judged on your highest level of excellence.  All other times, wash the quilt and love it, that is all it needs!.

  

Another tip for you. While sewing in sections, be sure your backing edge does not fold under. I constantly check that it's pulled out to the side. It's no fun to have to unpick because you sewed it to the back!

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I'm continuing to do a lot of line echos and grid work on most of the blocks in rows 3/4 that make up the 2nd unit I'm quilting

TIP - when you get to the edge, I do a little locking or back stitch to secure.

If this backing is the one I'm using to cover the seams, then don't sew out into the backing, I end right near the edge of the quilt. If I sewed into the backing then when I fold it over to cover the seam, there would be all these threads to deal with. 

This is what I have so far. I'm changing to pink thread and quilting in more grids or straight lines for the rest of this section.

Click the photo for a larger image. 

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What now?

• I will have the BONUS tutorial of how to sew the 2 sections together on Saturday Jan 20. 
• If you don't want to quilt your Grandma's Kitchen to try it, get two quilt blocks quilted so you have something to test with. 
• I will quilt the 3rd section of rows 5 & 6.. but that will be a bit later as I have some other projects.. like "In the Summertime" Wed Sew along to do. I will take a photo and draw on it my plan for the last 2 rows. That you have some guidance. I'll have that on Saturday as part of the bonus

What Do I need again?

• Purchase a copy of my book 'Teach Me to Machine Quilt' ... A Physical Copy  .. or a Kindle Version .. or a PDF from my publisher's website
• A Quilt Top or a Quilt Panel 
• Batting
• Backing fabric
• Thread 
• Basting Spray or Pins with a Kwik Klip

 

ALL the Posts incase you missed one

 

 

How I decide on Borders

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As is sometimes the case, I can't always meet a deadline I hope for. I had planned on showing my 2nd section of Grandma's Kitchen with my plan for quilting them today as lesson #4 of Quilt Your Own Quilt, but I wasn't home enough to work on it. So I still have a lesson, just a different one!

I took my 2nd group of Grandma's Kitchen blocks and decide to sew them up with sashing & corner stones and be DONE.  I want to work on other things, and this makes a nice size quilt. 

It needs a border, and my brain keeps wanting to add more work .. so here is my process of deciding what to do. 

First I audition

• a 2" (finished) strip of Grunge Vanilla fabric. This is the same width as the sashing.
• Then a smaller inner border of 1" finished
• and then about a 5" wide outer border. 

It looks like it needs something....

If I did this wide of a vanilla border, I need to break it up with corner stones to match the sashing

That would be the perfect way to go for that size

Which is more work. Not a LOT more work, but more work.

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To make the balance of the white, red print, navy more of what I like, I reduced the size of the Vanilla inner border to a finished 1" just like the red print

That feels better and is less work. 

Which border would you do?

The Goodies

• Grunge Vanilla Fabric
• My Sunday Drive Fabrics, not much left so get some if you want it!

BUY SOME of The Butter Churn Basics at 20% for January, a SUPER line to add to your collection