After you’ve finished piecing your quilt top, it’s time to quilt and bind it.
All the projects in this book list the finished sizes needed for the quilt backings, so you can use your own creative license to come up with that size. Then, create a quilt sandwich by laying out your backing fabric, facedown, on a smooth surface. If possible, tape down the edges. Baste using your preferred method.
For every project, I’ve discussed some different quilting ideas. You can use a simple quilting pattern, which will complement your design and act mainly as a mechanism to hold all the layers of your quilt together. Or, you can make the quilting a major element of your design, which will attract the attention of the viewer just as much as the pieced top itself. Some of your quilting decisions will depend on your quilting capabilities (or whether you want to send it out to be quilted), the amount of time you have available, and what look you are going for with your quilt. Many different quilting styles will work well with every quilt, so as long as it’s something you like, it’s the perfect choice. See Quilting Resources.
Sending Out Your Quilt
You may want to send out your quilts to have them quilted. This is a great option if you are working on an especially large project that would be difficult to wrangle through the throat of a domestic sewing machine, if you are particularly stumped on what quilting design to use, or if you would just prefer to have an expert work on your quilt. I used to think that having someone else quilt my projects was cheating, but I’ve come to love the collaboration. A good longarm quilter can turn your quilt into a beautiful piece of art. If you love completing every step of the quilting project, that’s great. But if you would like to send your project to a longarm quilter, don’t feel guilty about it. I’m sure you’ll love the results.
I sought the help of two quilters for the projects in this book:
•Angela Walters (quiltingismytherapy.com) quilted Icy Waters and Tied Down.
•Emily Sessions (emersonquilting.com) quilted Apple Stars, The Bachelor, Faceted Jewels I, and Faceted Jewels II.
Each project lists the yardage necessary for completing a double-fold binding using 2½˝-wide strips. To add a little something special to your quilt, you can use more than one fabric to create a scrappy binding. You may need additional yardage for some wiggle room if you choose to go this route. A number of the quilts in this book have bindings made from multiple fabrics: Baby Jacks, Icy Waters, Tied Down, and Faceted Jewels I.