Lifetime Quilt Sandwich

The top is done and it is easy to consider the final steps as mundane and tedious.  But are they really any more tedious than sewing all those log cabin blocks?  Not really, just different.  This is what I love about quilting:  there are so many steps requiring different thinking processes and skills.

 First of all you need to purchase batting, after you decide what kind to buy.  Batting comes in cotton, polyester, cotton/poly, bamboo, and wool, in high, medium and low lofts.  This is not specifically a post batting because there are numerous websites that go deeply into the qualities of each.  An individual's choice is very personal based on their own research and experience, and what they envision will show off their quilt to best advantage.  Way too many variables!  For my Lifetime quilt I chose medium loft cotton batting as a supremely safe choice for a relatively new free motion quilter.  It was a good choice.

Next, you need backing.  You spent a lot of time and money planning and working on the front of your quilt so choose a good quality fabric for the backing.  It can be plain or busy, but should coordinate with the color and quality of the quilt top.  My quilt is made of cotton fabric and I didn't want to spend a lot of money on the back.  I also had a substantial stash of blue fabric so I pieced the back with a huge log cabin block using strips 5 1/2 inches wide.

Log cabin backing for "Lifetime."

Pardon the fluff in the lower left.  That is the tail of my canine supervisor.

TIP:  If you are new to free motion quilting you may want a busy fabric for the back so any imperfections in your quilting are less visible.

Now you are ready to assemble the "sandwich."  You can watch a series of online videos on preparing your quilt for quilting.  I have a special top for my ironing board made of a rectangular piece of plywood (60x22 in).  This limited space is all I have for assembling my quilts so I will share my process for those of you who are also space challenged or want to save your knees and back:

1.  Remove the ironing cover so you are working on the plywood (or suitable table).

2.  Center the backing on the plywood.
TIP:  I have marked the center of my plywood on all four sides and in the center.  This makes it easier to be sure the layers are all centered correctly before I start.
TIP:  Tape two pins perpendicular to each other at the center of the plywood or table.  You will be able to feel through the fabric and batting to center them over the pins.

3.  Smooth the backing and clamp it to the plywood on all four sides with clamps (I use large office clamps).  Clamp the fabric snugly, but do not stretch tight.
TIP:  If your quilt is small and doesn't reach to the ends of the board or table, you can tape the ends down with masking tape.

4.  Center the batting on the backing, making very sure that it is straight, and gently smooth any rumples without stretching.

5.  Make sure there are no loose threads on the back of your quilt top, center it on the batting keeping the edges straight, and gently smooth it onto the batting.
TIP:  Batting is a magnet for loose threads so you can clean up the back of your quilt top with a piece of scrap batting or use a lint roller.

6.  Baste.  You can use safety pins, thread or straight pins with Pinmoor point covers.

7.  Baste from the center out and when the visible quilt is done, release the clamps.  Fold back the batting and top, carefully move the quilt toward you, and reclamp the backing onto the back side (away from you) of the table, making sure it is snug and smooth.  The weight of the pins at the front will hold the front part of the quilt and keep it all snug.  Smooth the batting and top over the backing and return to pinning.  Repeat as needed for the rest of your quilt.

At last, ready to quilt.  This was the biggest quilt I had done so I approached the quilting with trepidation.  Stay tuned.

Rocky Trails

Rocky trails have been a staple of my life as summers were always spent hiking in the Rocky Mountains where the land is mostly rocks.  My grandfather bought a tiny cabin in 1938, and using it as our base camp, I spent happy, sunny days playing and picnicking among the pines and wildflowers, climbing rocks and later mountain peaks.  In time this little cabin full of memories became my husband's and my retirement home.  Life cannot get fuller!

In one of the two bedrooms was an antique, iron, double bed.  It is plain, and had always been a light green.  The paint was scratched and scruffy so I decided to refinish it.  After some online research I stripped all that paint off and prepared it for its new look.  After canvassing the family as to color, we decided I would paint it red.  Three coats later it looked beautiful and I was so pleased.  We set it up in the bedroom, stacked the springs and mattress on it, added bedding, and then I realized…I don't have a bedspread or quilt that will go with my wonderful scarlet bed.  Being a quilter I knew just what to do, and here is the result:

Rocky Trails

The photo is kind of funny because my husband, although long-limbed, could not reach the corners.  The quilt is for a double bed and has enough length to wrap the pillows and hang over the sides.  It looks wonderful on the bed.  The pattern is a simple log cabin with two-inch strips as I was going for quick and easy.  Easy, yes, quick no!!  I made all my blocks and set them out on an empty double bed, which was pretending to be a design wall.  My arrangement was not satisfactory so, running back and forth around the bed, I began to rearrange and this is the result.  The color is perfect and the design turned out to mimic Indian designs; not really, but sort of, and fits with our western living style.

The quilting is obviously the work of my beginner self.  My choice of filler is not great, the lines are wiggly, and travel stitching rarely travels along the planned route.  I did break out and use red thread instead of trying to hide my stitching so it really shows my inexperience.  I broke needles and thread regularly and when I got too frustrated, I just walked away for awhile.  Sometimes that is all it takes to get back on track again.

TIP:  Use your design wall or suitable substitute to test your block arrangement.  You may want to look at it with fresh eyes over a couple of days.

TIP:  Go ahead and quilt regardless of your inexperience.  You will find that you get better with every quilt.  Check out Leah Day for filler ideas, great videos, and a post on ways to manage the learning frustrations.  Practice, practice, practice.

TIP:  Broken needles can be due to pulling the quilt a little too hard at the wrong time so the needle hits the throat plate.  Try to figure out what is putting so much strain on the needle, and move the quilt gently and smoothly.

TIP:  Broken thread can be due to poor quality thread, but usually is the fault of the needle.  I have learned that Topstitch needles are great for quilting as they have a large eye, which allows the thread to flow through.  Maybe you need a larger needle. I sometimes use a 90/14 if there are a lot of seams to go through.  Don't worry about making bigger holes in your quilt.  They will be filled with thread!

Synergy

I love Jinny Beyer designs and fabrics so it is understandable that I fell prey to the pattern she named "Synergy."  It was published in McCall's Quilting magazine February 2007.  Her patterns have so much movement, depth and color.  I visited her shop in VA once and was entranced by all her beautiful fabrics.  What a treat.

Synergy was my introduction to spiral quilts, although I didn't know it until several years later when I picked up a book by RaNae Merrill called "Simply Amazing Spiral Quilts."  It is comprised of sixteen blocks made in the same fashion as a traditional Log Cabin block, but with triangles instead of rectangles.  It is sometimes called a Twisted Log Cabin.  I used the paper piecing technique, but instead of copying the published master pattern, I drew it out on my computer so I could easily print out the necessary 16 paper patterns.  There are directions on how to sew this block without using paper here.  I must confess that I have not tried the latter method.  I happen to enjoy paper piecing or foundation piecing as it is also called.  I love Sulky Paper Solvy for paper piecing because I can run it through my printer, and it is soluble so you don't have to tear the paper out when the sewing is done.  I tear out the bulk of it anyhow, but any little pieces left will disappear when the quilt is immersed in water.

I love the way this pattern swirls and flows so I tried some quilting that reflected that quality.  It is not very imaginative, but remember, I was just learning and this was another step up for me.  I got hooked on curly-cues early on for the the red border.  Mine are very inexact, although I prefer to call them "organic."   I find curves easier to do than straight anything, but then I landscaped the lawn with curves too (drives my husband crazy!).  Leah Day has many ideas for quilting.

I have published these TIPS on paper piecing before, but it never hurts to review them:

TIP:  When paper piecing be sure that the fabric covers the required area and seam allowance completely …..as you go.

TIP:  Be sure to press the seam every time you stitch and press it all the way back away from the stitched join.  Sulky Paper Solvy  gets scorched and brittle from ironing if there are a lot of seams.  I now use the Hera Marker to do "finger pressing."  I find I do a better job of getting the fabric tightly pressed and I don't scorch the paper or my fingers.  A toothbrush back also works.