FREE PROJECT : Quilt as You Go

Hello! It's Hump Day. And there is nothing better to get you through Wednesday than a free quilting project! 

I wanted to take the opportunity to show you a technique on how to attach blocks that have already been individually quilted.

Here's what you'll need:

• Ten (10) 9¼" x 9¼" quilted blocks
• One (1) 1¼" x WOF strip of choice of fabric (in this case I used Pure Elements White Linen)
• Four (4) 1¼" x 19½" strip of same fabric chosen
• For Binding: Three (3) 1½" x WOF strips of fabric chosen (for further instructions on Binding, go here)

The first thing, if you have not already done so, is to trim the excess batting that you have after quilting and to square your blocks so that they measure, in this case, 9¼" x 9¼".

Once they are ready to be sewn, display them on the wall to see what arrangement you like best.

Now you can start to construct the rows individually. It is important that you sew them WRONG side to WRONG side with a ¼" seam allowance. Yes, you read correctly! That is the first part of the trick here!

Press seams open after sewing. You will have at least three layers to press, so press carefully.

Now attach the two rows together, WRONG side to WRONG side again. If you you find that the intersections are too bulky and it's creating difficulty with your machine. You can CAREFULLY trim down the batting around those areas with the scissors.

Press the seam open.

Grab all the 1¼" x WOF strips and fold in. Press ¼" on each of the long sides of the each strip.

In this tutorial, what I'm going to show you is a different way to do sashing in "applique" style in order to cover unfinished seams and also bring more design and visual interest to your piece. As far as color for the thread, you can choose to use matching color thread for the top fabric.

First, attach the longer strip right on and center it with the seam that attaches the two rows. Pin as needed and top-stitch 1/16" away from the edge of the strip of both sides. Press.

Once you finish that strip, you can proceed to sew on the strips that go on top of the "vertical" seams, following the same process as the horizontal strip.

After you have finished pressing, use a rotary cutter and ruler to trim the excess sashing.

Now you are ready to bind it! If you have a preferred way of binding your quilt, go for it. In this case, I used the same technique I usually do on my Free Quilt Patterns.

Pretty simple, huh? This is an easy way to make a modern and colorful quilt. The decorative stitches add a nice and different touch to a solid fabric.

Happy Wednesday!
Pat

Be My Valentine Kitchen Towels - a Bernina project

Hi everyone! Finally the time has come to share my first BERNINA project: Be My Valentine Kitchen Towels!

To work for a sewing machine company is a dream come true for me! Not to mention that I'm working with one machine like no other: the new BERNINA 780. Should it be to obvious to put this into perspective and tell you that is like driving a Ferrari? Well, kind of this... lol!

It is so fun to do something that you love like sewing and then make it double fun when sewing in a machine that has so many features. I want to tell you everything about it and don't know where to start!

What's not to love about her... but one of the first things that caught my eye is the new dual feed system that will make us quilter our job much easier (more of that on another post). The other is the zillions of decorative stiches that are loaded inside. I was always a big fan of decorative stitches, because you can create textured fabric in a 1-2-3! You can maximize this having a 9 millimeter stitch width and the freedom of regulating the length. It's like you having many stitch choices coming from the original :) How cool is that!

For my first project, having Valentine’s Day around the corner, I decided to create a cute and fun project for your home for this sweet day that celebrates love and happiness. This duo kitchen towel project is perfect to enjoy a romantic dinner with your husband, giving them to your loving mother or a great friend as a gift! Working with appliqué let me explore different decorative stitches that the 780 had to offer.

This baby glides over the fabric when stitching dense and intricate stitches. It's like spreading butter over warm bread! Why this machine is so stable when it's sewing time? The all-metal, one-piece presser feet makes all the difference for me... Those who own a BERNINA know what I'm talking about. It was pure sewing pleasure :-)

Check out my tutorial on the WeAllSew blog where I give my tips and tricks on perfect appliquéing and how to create various looks with just rotating the stitching direction!

Enjoy and have fun creating :)

XO,
Pat