ALL TIED UP
This super-simple pieced quilt is taken to another level with pops of colour and hand-tied knots to add irresistible texture
A SIMPLE QUILT LIKE THIS IS THE PERFECT WAY TO TRY YOUR HAND AT FABRIC PRINTING!
NOTES
■ Seam allowances are 1/4in, unless
otherwise noted.
■ WOF = width of fabric.
■ WST = wrong sides together.
■ Karen used batting by Hobbs from
Lady Sew and Sew.
■ Press all seams open throughout,
unless otherwise instructed.
FABRICS USED
Hand screen-printed cotton and linens by Karen Lewis Textiles. A variety of offcuts were used to piece the back.
CUTTING OUT
1 From the binding fabric cut:
■ Six (6) 5in x WOF strips.
MAKING THE QUILT TOP
2 Arrange your twenty five squares into five rows of five.
3 Step back and look and rearrange as you see fit. Karen recommends taking a photo with your phone, using a black and white filter to check the balance of fabrics.
4 Sew the squares together in rows, pressing seams open or to one side as preferred. Sew the rows together, carefully matching seams between rows.
BACKING AND TYING THE QUILT
5 For a single backing fabric, cut your backing fabric in half along the width. Sew together along the long edges using a 1/2in seam and press open.
6 Alternatively, piece your backing with large scraps, as Karen did, to make a backing panel approx 65in square.
7 Make a quilt sandwich of the backing fabric, right side down, the batting on top and then the quilt top right side up. Smooth the layers and then pin or spray baste them together. Quilt as desired. This quilt was hand tied with wool to complement the informal vibe of the design, following steps 8 and 9 below.
8 Use a length of yarn approx 12–18in
long. Take a double stitch through all three layers of the quilt, leaving a tail approx 6in long at each end.
9 Tie a knot, right over left, and looping
the end through twice. Then left over right, looping the end through twice. Trim the ends, leaving at least 1/2in.
10 Repeat steps 8 and 9, working ties in the corners, block centres and across the centre of each seam.
11 Trim off the excess batting and backing fabric and square up the quilt to 55in square, ready for binding.
12 Sew the binding strips together end-to-end using diagonal seams. Press the seams open and trim away the dog ears. Fold the strip in half lengthwise, WST, and press.
FINISHING THE QUILT
13 Measure the top edge of your quilt. Cut a piece of binding to the same size, and place along the top edge of the quilt on the front, matching the raw edges. Pin and sew in place, backstitching at each end. Repeat this process for the bottom edge of the quilt.
14 Measure one side of the quilt. Cut a piece of binding 1in shorter than your measurement. Arrange in place at the side of the quilt, matching raw edges and centring. The short ends of the binding will overlap with the binding pieces at the top and bottom. Pin and sew the binding in place, from the top to the bottom edge of the quilt. Repeat this process for the other side of the quilt.
15 Sew across each corner of the quilt at a 45-degree angle. Your stitch line should intersect with the binding stitch lines as shown in Fig 1. Trim the seam allowance at each corner.
16 Turn the binding to the back of the quilt, using a point turner at each corner. Press carefully along each side, making sure the binding is pressed completely to the back of the quilt. Hand sew in place to finish.