For cutting background fabrics, making your own pre-cuts, and cutting pieced sections in some of the projects, the most efficient and accurate way of cutting is with a self-healing cutting mat and rotary cutter. Always make sure your blade is sharp, that you always cut away from yourself and that your fingers are well clear of the cutting line!
When cutting fabrics it is important that you press your fabrics so that they are nice and flat. The second most important step is to square up your fabric. To do this, fold your fabric so that the selvages are aligned with each other. Line up the folded edge with one of the vertical lines on your cutting mat and, using a long ruler lined up with the markings on your mat, hold the ruler in place and with your rotary cutter cut across the top. You can check that this line is straight by opening the fabric and checking where the fold is that the line is straight and not V-shaped.
A number of projects involve cutting strip-pieced sections down into smaller pieces. Cutting your fabrics so that the edges are square to each other is really important when doing this. Use the lines on your cutting mat and your ruler as a guide to ensure that all edges are square to each other.
There are two speciality rulers used in this book: the 22-degree wedge ruler and the quick curve ruler. Specific cutting instructions are detailed in the individual patterns but ensure that the marks on the rulers are correctly lined up with the edges of the fabric to ensure that the pieces are cut as accurately as possible.
To cut the templates for each pattern, simply take your transparent or opaque template plastic and trace the templates with a fine permanent marker, making sure that they are traced as accurately as possible. Cut out the templates using a pair of sharp scissors. Alternatively, you can print full-size templates of each pattern from our website: www.stitchcraftcreate.co.uk/patterns
Choosing a pattern and then choosing fabrics that fit that design can be challenging but great fun as there are a couple of different options. You can either choose a motif that is approximately the size you need, choose one that is smaller and centre it in your fabric piece, or choose one that is larger and select an area of the motif that you wish to use.
The square pieces in the centre of the churn dash blocks on the Dasher Bathmat have been fussy cut using this method. The geometric nature of the flower made cutting by ruler the best choice.
1. Find the centre line of the geometric pattern. Then divide the size of the piece you need by two. For example, for the Dasher Bathmat you need a 21⁄2in (6.3cm) square, then half of that would be 11⁄4in (3.2cm). (If you need a 31⁄2in (8.9cm) square, half of that would be 13⁄4in (4.4cm).)
2. Lay your ruler with the 11⁄4in (3.2cm) line on your ruler on the centre of the design and cut. Turn the fabric around and cut the strip at 21⁄2in (6.3cm) wide or 11⁄4in (3.2cm) from the centre line again. Cut across the width using the same method.
1. To make a template, draw or trace the piece size on to clear or opaque template plastic and then add 1⁄4in (0.6cm) all around for the seam allowance. Mark the template with permanent marker or pencil so that you can position the template on the fabric in exactly the same place every time. The way you mark the template is not important so long as it gives you a reference point, such as drawing around the outline of the motif or picking out a feature of the motif as the reference point.
2. Once you have created the template, lay the template on to the fabric, ensuring that the marked lines correspond with the print on the fabric. When you are happy with the placement, draw around the template with your usual marking tools and cut the piece out.
As fussy cutting requires cutting out the motifs and discarding the rest of the piece, fabric calculations differ from the way you would usually calculate fabric requirements. You need to ensure that you buy enough fabric to allow you to cut the required number of motifs.
All the projects in this book use a 1⁄4in (0.6cm) seam allowance. Sewing an accurate seam makes all the difference in getting your points and seams to match up, and getting your quilts as perfect as they can be.
Some of the sewing machines designed for quilting provide 1⁄4in (0.6cm) feet as standard but if yours doesn’t then for the majority of sewing machines you can buy a 1⁄4in (0.6cm) foot. Some are simply 1⁄4in (0.6cm) wide so this requires you to line up the edge of the fabric with the edge of the foot, but they are also available with the guide down the right-hand side for you to butt the edge of your fabric up to.
It is always best to test your 1⁄4in (0.6cm) by sewing a seam with your 1⁄4in (0.6cm) foot and then measuring it accurately with a ruler. All machines vary slightly so by testing the seam first you can then compensate for this when you are sewing.
Many projects require you to strip piece. To do this, lay your jelly roll strips right sides together with the edges aligned and sew a 1⁄4in (0.6cm) seam all the way down the length, ensuring that your seam is straight and accurate.
Pressing is also the key to the success of strip piecing as your seam lines need to be nice and straight. I find that pressing the seams open prevents the lines from being distorted during pressing.
Half-square triangles are particularly common in many quilts and are included in a few projects in this book. This is a great way of making multiple half-square triangles as it avoids having to sew two bias edges together. Fabric is more prone to stretching when sewing on the bias (cross grain) so this method helps keep the fabric stable while sewing.
1. Take the two fabrics that you wish to use for your half-square triangle and lay them on top of each other so that all the raw edges are aligned. Using a ruler and pencil/marking pen, draw a line diagonally across the square from one corner to the other.
2. Using your 1⁄4in (0.6cm) foot, sew a seam 1⁄4in (0.6cm) away from the drawn line on each side.
3. Cut down the line, open the two pieces, press and trim them to the required size.
4. Stitch together two triangles from different squares along the stitched lines.
Note: to ensure that your finished pieces are the correct size, make sure that the squares you start with are 1in (2.5cm) larger that the finished size you need. For example, if you need half-square triangles that are 4in (10.2cm) once sewn together, you will need both your squares to start out as 5in (12.7cm).
English paper piecing is an old technique where paper pieces are wrapped in fabric and then sewn together. For this you need: paper templates, needles, contrasting thread for quilting and co-ordinating thread for sewing the pieces together. A glue stick may also be useful.
1. Cut out your paper templates as accurately as possible. Take the fabric pieces and place the template in the centre of the fabrics so that there is at least 1⁄4in (0.6cm) all around the paper template. The English paper piecing patterns in this book all use squares of fabric so on some edges you will have way more than a 1⁄4in (0.6cm) seam allowance. Whether you trim this excess off is optional. Hold the paper in place with either a pin or a swipe of glue stick.
2. Thread your sewing needle with contrasting thread and knot the end. With the back facing, fold down one edge over and about one-third of the way from the right side and push your needle through all the layers to the front and pull through. Bring your needle to the back again.
3. At the corner, fold the corner of the second side down over the top of the fabric for the first side and sew a couple of stitches to hold the fold in place. Do not sew through the papers as this will make the papers easier to remove later.
Continue all the way around the shape until you have completed all corners and cut the thread off leaving a 1–2in (2.5–5cm) tail. It is not necessary to tie off.
Note: It is only necessary to take the thread through to the front for any edge longer than around 11⁄2in (3.8cm). For the hexagons for the notebook, just sew the fabric for the corners as above and omit the stitches that go through to the front. That will be sufficient to hold the papers in place until you have finished sewing the flowers together.
4. Place your shapes right sides together with the edge accurately aligned. Double stitch the very corner to make sure it is secure, whip stitch down the edge with stitches approximately #1⁄#2in (0.3cm) apart. Double stitch the end and tie off securely.
Once your patchwork is complete or all edges have been secured to another piece, snip the threads on the surface and gently pull the paper pieces out. The threads will automatically be pulled through to the back.
Foundation piecing is an increasingly popular technique where fabric pieces for a block are sewn on to a paper foundation. This method is helpful for piecing small pieces, sharp points or unusual shapes and increases the accuracy of your piecing. Once the block is stitched and trimmed, the paper foundation is torn away. This method can also be used with fine muslin as a base, which is then left in place.
1. Photocopy the template on to printer paper and roughly trim around the edges. Reduce the stitch length on your sewing machine to 1.5. This is important to make it easier for you to remove the paper later.
2. Turn the paper foundation face down and lay the first piece of fabric on to the paper right side up.
Hold it up to the light and check that the fabric piece overlaps the outside lines by at least 1⁄4in (0.6cm).
A swipe of glue stick or a pin will help keep this in place until it is sewn down.
3. Take the second piece of fabric and line it up with the first fabric piece right side down so that it overlaps the dividing line for the first piece by at least 1⁄4in (0.6cm). Check that when you flip the piece back it covers the required area. Carefully turn the whole piece over, holding the fabric in place and sew down the line. Turn back over, flip the second fabric piece back and carefully press the seam open.
4. Repeat this for all pieces in the order specified in the pattern, making sure that each piece covers the required area and extends 1⁄4in (0.6cm) beyond the edges of the pattern on to the seam allowance.
5. Trim the edge of the block along the outer lines and carefully remove the papers. The sewn lines will have perforated the papers so that they are easier to remove.
To get your piecing as precise as possible, it is important to press your seams as you go along. ‘Ironing’ the seams using a forward and backwards motion in the same way you would iron a shirt can distort the fabrics and push your seam out of shape. Instead, ensure that you ‘press’ your seams by lifting the iron up and down on to the area you wish to press. Press the seam on the back first and then turn over and press the front. Quilting convention quite often suggests not using steam, but I find that using steam gets my seams really nice and flat.
Appliqué technique is where you fix a smaller piece of fabric on to a larger piece. There are a few projects in this book that use appliqué and use one of these two following techniques.
Hand appliqué is the process where you stitch the smaller pieces down and the stitching is not visible. For this you need your appliqué pieces, pins, a hand sewing needle and co-ordinating thread.
1. Securely pin the appliqué piece on to the foundation piece. Use the shortest pins you have to prevent the thread getting wrapped around the pins as you sew.
2. Starting at one of the corners, stitch down by running the needle at the back of the foundation and bringing the needle back up and through the very edge of the appliqué. Bring the needle back down after each stitch as close to where the needle came up as possible, and again running the needle at the back and bringing the needle back up and through the very edge of the appliqué. Repeat this all around the edge with stitches that are approximately #1⁄#2in (0.3cm) apart. Tie off to finish.
Machine appliqué is the process where you stitch the smaller pieces down by free motion stitching on the surface around each shape and the stitching is visible. This method can be used for both appliqué that has folded and raw edges but has been used in a number of projects in the book with raw edge appliqué. This type of appliqué can be used both before the quilt top is complete or as an integral part of your quilting.
For this you need your appliqué pieces fused to the foundation with fusible web, sewing machine, sewing thread and a free motion quilting or darning foot.
1. Drop the feed dogs on your machine (or replace the foot plate with one that covers your feed dogs depending on your machine) and put on the free motion/darning foot.
2. Put your work under the machine foot. Bring the needle down and back up and pull the bobbin thread up to the surface. Make a couple of stitches in the same place to secure the ends and then bring your needle back down.
3. Start sewing and move your work so that you are sewing about #1⁄#2in (0.3cm) from the edge of your appliqué. It can take some practice to get really good control and the key is getting the machine speed and the speed you move the work to one that suits you. I find that the faster the machine and the faster I move the work, the smoother the lines are.
You can alter the effect by sewing more than once around a piece and this is also useful if you have missed the edge of some of your pieces.
Quilts are most commonly made up of three layers: the quilt top, the wadding (batting) and the backing. How the three layers are sandwiched together will determine whether you get wrinkles or puckers in the finished quilt so it is important that you take the time to make the best sandwich possible. The most successful quilt sandwiches are those where all three layers are smoothed out and at the same tension.
To layer the quilt sandwich you need: the quilt top, fabric for backing, wadding (batting), masking tape and a lot of safety pins.
1. Make a backing that is at least 2in (5cm) larger all the way around the quilt. So, for example, if the quilt is 60in (152.4cm) square, you would need the backing to be at least 64in (162.6cm). Cut the wadding (batting) so that it is around the same size as the backing. Ensure that your quilt top is pressed and that any threads visible on the front are snipped off.
2. Lay the backing fabric right sides down on a smooth floor and smooth out wrinkles and creases. Secure the backing to the floor using masking tape at regular intervals. About every 12–18in (30.5–45.7cm) is sufficient. The fabric needs to be taut but avoid stretching it. Secure one side, then the opposite side and then repeat for the remaining two sides.
3. Centre the wadding (batting) on top of the backing, and starting from the centre smooth it out. Centre the quilt on top of the wadding (batting) and backing and again, starting from the centre, smooth it out.
4. Pin all three layers together using safety pins starting from the centre and working outwards. You can either use straight safety pins or you can purchase curved safety pins that are specially designed for this purpose. The rule of thumb is that you should pin at intervals roughly the width of your hand. This may seem excessive but the more pins you use, the better the final result will be. Once you have finishing pinning, gently remove the masking tape and you are ready to quilt.
The purpose of quilting is to secure all three layers of a quilt to each other and prevent the wadding (batting) from bunching up. This can be done either by hand, on a domestic sewing machine or by a professional long-arm quilter.
If quilting on a domestic machine, it is a good idea to roll the areas up that you are not immediately quilting so that the bulk doesn’t get in the way while you are sewing. Use as large a table as you can so the weight of the quilt is supported.
For this you will need the quilt sandwich, a walking or leather foot and quilting thread. A walking foot is the key to success as it feeds the three layers through the machine at the same rate so avoiding puckers in your quilt top.
1. It is best to start your quilting from the centre and work outwards, so find a suitable place to start. Put your quilt sandwich under the machine foot and bring the needle down and back up and pull the bobbin thread up to the surface. Do a couple of small stitches by reducing your stitch length, to secure the ends.
2. Increase the stitch length back to where you want it and start stitching. Stitch from the centre and quilt outwards, removing the safety pins as you go. If you are stitching right to the edge of the quilt, you do not need to secure the ends at the edges, but if you are finishing your line earlier then do a couple of small stitches at the end of the lines of stitching to secure the ends.
For this you will need your quilt sandwich, a free motion quilting or darning foot and quilting thread.
1. Drop the feed dogs on your machine (or replace the foot plate with one that covers the feed dogs depending on your machine) and put on the free motion/darning foot.
2. Put your quilt sandwich under the machine foot and bring the needle down and back up and pull the bobbin thread up to the surface. Make a couple of stitches in the same place to secure the ends and then bring your needle back down.
3. Start sewing and move your work under the machine. At first it can feel rather strange as essentially it is like writing but by moving the paper rather than the pen! It can take some practice to get good control and the key to success is getting the machine speed and the speed you move the work under the foot to a speed that suits you. I find that the faster the machine and the faster I move the work, the smoother are the lines. Continue quilting, removing the safety pins as you go along.
For this you will need your quilt sandwich, a quilting needle and hand quilting thread or perle cotton. Start your hand quilting in the centre of the quilt and work outwards. You may find it useful to use a quilting hoop.
1. Thread your needle and tie a small knot in the end. Insert the needle into the front of the quilt at an area near where you want to start quilting, and bring the needle back up where you want to start. Pull the thread hard enough so that you pull the knot through to the back of the quilt top, but not hard enough to pull the thread back out. The knot will then be hidden between your quilt sandwich layers. Make a couple of small stitches to secure the thread.
2. Quilt by making running stiches along the area you wish to quilt, making sure that the stitches go through all three layers of the quilt. To get the line of stitches straight, make as many stitches as possible on your needle before pulling the needle through.
The uniformity of the stitches is more important than their length. Try to keep all the stitches the same length and for the distance between the stitches to be approximately the same size as the stitches.
3. To fasten off, take the thread through to the back of the quilt and sew a couple of tiny stiches to secure. Then run the needle in between the layers and back up 2in (5cm) away and snip off the thread. The end will then be buried in your quilt sandwich
If you aren’t feeling brave enough to have a go at your own quilting, you could always take your quilt to a professional long-arm quilter who can quilt it for you. You simply provide them with your quilt top and backing piece, choose your quilting design and they do the rest.
There are two types of quilting that professional quilters do. The first is known as pantograph patterns. These are continuous stitched patterns that are quilted all over the surface of the quilt and don’t take into account the design elements of the quilt. This is sometimes done freehand by the quilter but more often is done by the machine’s computer. These pantograph patterns can include swirls, circles, waves and zigzags.
The second type is custom quilting where the quilter takes the design of the quilt into account. This is much more expensive as it involves the quilter designing the quilting using multiple different patterns, and is generally very labour intensive for the quilter. The effects can be amazing though, so this is definitely worth considering for a complex design or when you want certain design elements of the quilt to stand out.
Find a long-arm quilter by asking friends for recommendations or search online. As you will be trusting them with your quilt it is worth looking at their work first, and make sure that the design and the cost are decided up front.
For this you will need fabric or jelly roll strips and co-ordinating thread. The binding on a quilt is the final step in completing your quilt and it covers all the raw edges. The two most common forms of binding are straight grain binding and bias binding. Straight grain binding is cut on the straight grain of the fabric and is suitable for quilts with straight/square edges. Bias binding is cut across the stretchy bias of the fabric and is suitable for curved or scalloped edges.
Binding strips are most commonly cut at 21⁄2in (6.3cm) or 21⁄4in (5.7cm) wide and sometimes narrower depending on the quilting project and the width of binding you require. All quilts in this book use 21⁄2in (6.3cm) straight grain binding.
1. Trim your quilt around the edge and then measure around the edge of the whole quilt and add about 10in (25.4cm). This is the length of the binding you will need.
2. From your binding fabric, cut enough strips to equal the length you need. If the pattern uses jelly roll strips, then this has already been done for you.
3. Sew the 21⁄2in (6.3cm) strips together end to end until you have one long strip. Press the seams open.
4. Fold the binding strip in half lengthways so that the two raw edges are aligned, and press. Continue down the whole length of the binding strip until all of it has been pressed.
5. Starting about halfway down one of the quilt edges and leaving a 5in (12.7cm) tail, align the edge of the quilt and the edges of the two layers of binding together and sew a seam 1/4in (0.6cm) from the edge through all layers. Stop when you get to 1⁄4in (0.6cm) from the edge.
6. On the corner, fold the binding strip away from you at a 90-degree angle and then fold the binding back down so that the fold is on the edge of the quilt and the raw edge of the binding is now aligned with the second edge of the quilt.
7. Starting from the very edge, continue, backstitch and then sew down the edge of the quilt using a 1⁄4in (0.6cm) seam. Repeat this step when you get to every corner until all four corners have been completed.
8. Sew down the last edge until you get to around 6in (15.2cm) from where you started. Backstitch to secure and trim both ends to around 5in (15.2cm).
9. Bring both tails of the binding together and at the mid-point between where the seam started and finished, fold the binding ends back on themselves so that the folds just meet together. Press with your finger or the iron so that the fold lines are clearly visible.
10. Open up the binding pieces, pin the two pieces right sides together along the fold and sew down the fold line. This can be a bit tricky but fold the quilt as necessary to allow you to get the ends under the foot of your sewing machine.
11. Trim the seam allowance to 1⁄4in (0.6cm), press the seams open and re-fold the binding. Sew the last of the binding to the quilt and then you are ready for the hand sewing to finish off.
For this you will need a hand sewing needle and co-ordinating thread.
1. Thread your needle and with the thread single, tie a knot in the end. Starting at one corner, fold the binding over to the back of the quilt. If you wish you can pin the binding in place or you could use binding clips or hairclips to keep it in place while you sew.
2. Secure the binding to the back of the quilt by running the needle in between the layers and bringing the needle back up and through the very edge of the binding. Bring the needle back down after each stitch as close to where the needle came up as possible, and again run the needle in between the layers and bring the needle back up and through the very edge of the binding. Repeat this all along the edge with stitches that are 1⁄4–1⁄2in (0.6–1.3cm) apart.
3. When you get to the corners, sew up to the very edge of the quilt and then fold the mitred corner back down. Continue sewing around the quilt until all edges have been stitched down.
