Quilting Basics

The following is a reference guide. For more information, consult a comprehensive quilting book.

ALWAYS:

• Read through the entire pattern before you begin your project. • Purchase high-quality, 100 percent cotton fabrics.

• When considering prewashing, do so with ALL of the fabrics being used.

• Use 1/4" seam allowance for all stitching unless otherwise instructed.

• Use a short-to-medium stitch length (2.0–2.2).

• Make sure your seams are accurate.

QUILTING TOOLS & SUPPLIES

• Rotary cutter and mat

• Rotary cutting rulers

• Scissors for paper and fabric

• Marking tools

• Sewing machine

• Sewing machine feet:

1/4" seaming foot (optional for piecing) Walking or even-feed foot

(for piecing or quilting)

Darning or free-motion foot

(for free-motion quilting)

• Thread

• Straight pins

• Seam ripper

• Iron and ironing surface

• Needles for sewing and/or quilting • Safety pins or spray baste for basting

BASIC TECHNIQUES Appliqué

Fusible Appliqué

All templates in Quilter’s World are reversed for use with this technique.

1. Trace the specified number of templates 1/4" apart onto the paper side of paperbacked fusible web. Cut apart the templates, leaving a margin around each, and fuse to the wrong side of the fabric following fusible web manufacturer's instructions.

2. Cut the appliqué pieces out on the traced lines, remove paper backing and apply as instructed in the pattern using the manufacturer's instructions for the fusible web.

3. Finish appliqué raw edges with a straight, satin, blanket, zigzag or blindhem machine stitch with matching or invisible thread.

Turned-Edge Appliqué

1. Trace the printed reversed templates onto template plastic. Flip the template over and mark as the right side.

2. Position the template, right side up, on the right side of fabric and lightly trace, spacing shapes 1/2" apart. Cut apart, leaving a 3/16" to 1/4" margin around the traced lines.

3. Clip curves and finger-press edges to the wrong side just inside the traced line.

4. Referring to the appliqué motif, pin or baste appliqué shapes to the background.

5. Hand-stitch shapes in place using a blind stitch and thread to match or machinestitch using a short blind hemstitch and either matching or invisible thread.

Borders

Most Quilter’s World patterns give an exact size to cut borders. Check those sizes by comparing them to the horizontal and vertical center measurements of your quilt top.

Straight Borders

1. Mark the centers of the side borders and quilt top sides.

2. Stitch side borders to left and right sides of the quilt top with right sides together and matching raw edges and center marks using a 1/4" seam. Press seams toward borders.

3. Repeat with top and bottom borders.

Mitered Borders

1. Add at least twice the border width to the border lengths instructed to cut.

2. Center and sew the side borders to the quilt, beginning and ending stitching 1/4" from the quilt corner and backstitching (Figure 1). Repeat with the top and bottom borders.

3. Fold and pin quilt right sides together at a 45-degree angle on one corner, matching border edges (Figure 2). Place a straightedge along the fold and lightly mark a line across the border ends.

4. Starting at the 1/4" mark where sewing on the border starts and stops, stitch along the line, backstitching to secure. Trim seam to 1/4" and press open (Figure 3).

Quilt Backing & Batting

Cut your backing and batting 8" larger than the finished quilt-top size and 4" larger for quilts smaller than 50" square. Note: Check with longarm quilter about their requirements, if applicable. For baby quilts not going to a longarm quilter 4"–6" overall may be sufficient. If preparing the backing from standard-width fabrics, remove the selvages and sew two or three lengths together; press seams open. If using 108"wide fabric, trim to size on the straight grain of the fabric. Prepare batting the same size as your backing.

Quilting

1. Press quilt top on both sides and trim all loose threads. Note: If you are sending your quilt to a longarm quilter, contact them for specifics about preparing your quilt for quilting.

2. Mark quilting design on quilt top. Make a quilt sandwich by layering the backing right side down, batting and quilt top centered right side up on flat surface and smooth out. Baste layers together using pins, thread basting or spray basting to hold. Note: Tape or pin backing to surface to hold taut while layering and avoid puckers.

3. Quilt as desired by hand or machine. Remove pins or basting as you quilt.

4. Trim batting and backing edges even with raw edges of quilt top.

Binding the Quilt

1. Join binding strips on short ends with diagonal seams to make one long strip; trim seams to 1/4" and press seams open (Figure 4).

2. Fold 1/2" of one short end to wrong side and press. Fold the binding strip in half with wrong sides together along length, again referring to Figure 4; press.

3. Starting about 3" from the folded short end, sew binding to quilt top edges, matching raw edges and using a 1/4" seam. Stop stitching 1/4" from corner and backstitch (Figure 5). 4. Fold binding up at a 45-degree angle to seam and then down even with quilt edges, forming a pleat at corner (Figure 6).

5. Resume stitching from corner edge as shown in Figure 6, down quilt side, backstitching 1/4" from next corner. Repeat, mitering all corners, stitching to within 3" of starting point.

6. Trim binding, leaving enough length to tuck inside starting end and complete stitching (Figure 7). 7. If stitching binding by hand, machinesew binding to the front of the quilt and fold to the back before stitching. If stitching by machine, machine-sew binding to back of the quilt and fold to the front before stitching.

QUILTING TERMS

• Appliqué: Adding fabric motifs to a background fabric by hand or machine (see Appliqué section of Basic Techniques).

• Basting: Temporarily securing layers of quilting materials together with safety pins, thread or a temporary spray adhesive in preparation for quilting the layers.

• Batting: An insulating material made in a variety of fibers that is used between the quilt top and back to provide extra warmth and loft.

• Binding: A finishing strip of fabric sewn to the outer raw edges of a quilt to cover them.

Straight-grain binding strips, cut on the crosswise straight grain of the fabric, are commonly used.

Bias binding strips are cut at a 45-degree angle to the straight grain of the fabric. They are used when binding is being added to curved edges or as a design choice (see Straight & Bias Grain Lines illustration on next page).

• Block: The basic quilting unit that is often repeated to complete the quilt's design composition. Blocks can be pieced, appliquéd or solid and are usually square or rectangular in shape.