Congratulations Mary M from Lockport, Illinois who was randomly chosen for the wooden needle give away.
Tag: International Quilt Festival
No Measuring Borders Tutorial
If you want better borders, so they are not flopping in the wind or somehow out of wack, but really hate math and measuring, this is for you. This is the method I have used since I started quilting and still use today. It works for me, give it try and you won’t be disappointed. Any questions, or unsure of any step, PLEASE contact me. I want you to have fun while making a better quilt!
Make sure your quilt top is nicely pressed.
Find center of the quilt top. Do this by folding the ends and marking middles with a pin, iron tap the center, or use a chalk mark.
Cut border fabric for the first two sides you will be applying. Make sure you go longer than your quilt top.
Line up border fabric on the top of each other, and find the centers of these pieces in the same manner. Mark them.
Match the center points of the border with the center of the quilt, pin them together well.
Gently, without pulling, lay the border strips down the middle of the quilt, keeping them all in line. Mark borders with pin, chalk or finger press where the borders meet the end of the quilt.
Trim your borders where marked.
Find the centers of borders by folding in half and iron press center ,this will help with registration marks.
Match centers of borders with center marks on ends of quilt, (PIN) right side together on top of quilt.
Match ends of borders to end of quilt making sure you have 90 degree angle in corners and pin.
Pin more of the borders on the side making sure they will not shift in sewing. Add more pins to hold border as you sew. Ease in any fabric (if needed) between already pinned points. Now Sew! Do not sew over the pins.
Now that you have your two borders applied, press.
Now find the center again and mark.
Again, find your center on the borders to match to your center on the quilt top. Gently bring across the quilt. Mark the ends where they meet the end of your quilt top and trim.
Find your centers again and pin in the same manner as you did the others. (if quilt is large, fold into quarters for borders and quilt) this will help with registration marks.
Finished, square and no trimming needed.
Thank You & Now For The Fun
Now for some FUN!
Some of you have come by and saw my presentation in Open Studio 2017, also so my Giant…16 inch wooden needle with a notch to hang on a wall. I was so pleased to have so many people interested, and all the wonderful questions.
So….. what I would like to do, is anyone who follows me, will have a chance to own the wonderful Needle. I will randomly chose one person on April 30th!
Will it be you?
International Quilt Festival Starts Today
Here is my schedule for this year’s Open Studio at the International Quilt Festival. This year I will be teaching “No Measure Borders”.
Thursday, April 6, 2017
12:00 P.M.-2:00 P.M.
Friday, April 7th and Saturday, April 8, 2017
10:00 A.M.-12:00 P.M.
Open Studio International Quilt Festival
My schedule for Open Studio at this weekend’s International Quilt Festival is;
- Sleeves on Quilts – Thursday, March 26 th 10:00 am until Noon
- Paper Piecing – Thursday, March 26 th 2:00 pm until 4:00 pm
- Beyond Basic Binding – Friday, March 27 th 10:00 until Noon
Quilt Sleeve Tutorial
Here is a tutorial I am offering at this year’s International Quilt Festival Open Studio.
Measure quilt back from edge to edge in the direction where the sleeve will hang. This will be your length. (top) The width will be 9 inches. (bottom)
Place your sleeve right side down. Fold your nine inch edge a ¼ inch in on each side. PRESS. (top) Fold another ¼ of an inch on each side. PRESS. Then machine stitch close to inner edge. (bottom)
Bring the bottom edge up to meet (raw edges) wrong side together. (top) With wrong sides together, sew a ¼ inch seam the length of the sleeve. Begin the seam about ½ inch from the end, backstitch, continue seam to the end, then backstitch. This prevents the tail of the thread from hanging out the end of the sleeve. Press to form a new crease at the folded edge. Baste a large stitch ¼ inch along the new folded edge. (bottom)
Place your hands into the sleeve rotate sleeve to position basted edge on the bottom and the stitched seam on top. (top) Position the two seams over each other. Gently press your top seam open. Press entire sleeve forming two new creased folds. (bottom)
Take sleeve with opened seam side down against quilt backing. Center along quilt back, pin sleeve along pressed edges to the quilt back. The top of the sleeve should be about ½ inch from the top of the quilt.
Hands sew top of sleeve, being careful not to stitch through to the front of the quilt. Then hand sew bottom sleeve again being careful not to stitch through to the front of the quilt.
Hands sew bottom edge of the sleeve sides to the back of the quilt. I recommended that you double stitch or tack the corners.
Remove the basting stitch to give the sleeve the needed “D” shape for proper hanging.
Lake House Quilts & Art Retreat 