Growing up, so many of my favorite memories revolved around quilting. My grandma used to babysit me and as a little girl, I spent many hours playing under quilting frames as my grandma, mom, and various aunts worked on beautiful quilts.
I was so proud when they decided I had grown up enough to cut the yarn for the tied quilts! And then I was allowed to thread needles as they hand quilted intricate patterns! Eventually, I was gifted my own thimble and pliers and allowed to hand quilt straight lines as long as I carefully counted to make sure I had enough stitches on my needle so they would be tight enough to work!
As an adult quilter myself now, I do not have the patience for hand quilting. I have tried tied quilts, rag quilts and hand quilting, but my favorite way to do it now is quilt as you go! I do it my own way but I have made numerous quilts in the last year following this method and they have all turned out great!
I made this beautiful quilt for my brother over the weekend! His favorite color is bright yellow so it was a fun challenge trying to make it look masculine with a design he would like!
This quilt is 58×78 inches, my preferred size for a throw blanket! To make this quilt you will need 2 yards each of 3 fabrics, either flannel or cotton with 3 different color values, light, dark, and medium and a 60×80 inch plush blanket. You will need forty-four 6.5 inch squares of yellow or your chosen color, as well as 86 half square triangle blocks made from your other two colors.
I used my cutting mat, ruler and rotary blade to cut twenty two 10 inch squares from both the dark and light gray fabrics.To make the half square triangles, stack the light and dark gray with front sides touching.Sew around the outer edge with a quarter inch seam allowanceUse your ruler and rotary blade to cut the sewn squares in half.Without separating the last cut, cut it in half again in the opposite direction.This will give you four pieces!Unfold them and you will have four 6.5 inch half square triangle blocks! You need 87.Use your cutting mat, ruler and rotary blade to cut forty-four 6.5 inch yellow squares. I laid out my squares before sewing so I could figure out the pattern.I than began sewing them together. As you begin assembling the strips, check frequently to make sure your pattern is still matching up right.When doing quilt as you go, I begin by assembling all the rows. For this quilt,, my rows are 10 blocks long.. I prefer working with 8-12 inch straps so I sewed two rows of blocks together. This picture shows two finished rows. (And my helper Hopper)Sew all your rows together. This blanket is 10×13 squares so the middle row is only one row wide instead of two. Altogether, you should have seven straps. Make sure you keep them in order and double check as you go to ensure the pattern is still correct. (Luna is helping me double check) For my backing, I prefer using plush blankets from Amazon for multiple reasons. For a throw size quilt like this one, I search Amazon for plush twin blankets. Most will be 60×80 inches. You can find a wonderful variety of colors, thicknesses and styles for under $30. The edges are already finished so it is self binding. For a lightweight throw you can buy a simple one layer blanket like this one but you can also find sherpa lined blankets or thick faux fur for a warm snuggly quilt. This means you do not have to worry about buying batting. These plush blankets are also much cheaper than buying plush fabric from the fabric store and the come in any size from baby to king so you don’t have to piece your backing together!To begin assembling your quilt, fold the blanket in half with wrong side facing up. Make sure it is even and find the middle.Because this quilt has an odd number of rows, the half row goes in the center. Line it up perfectly in half over the middle of the blanket.Find the row that goes next and make sure it is the correct row for the patternFlip that row over and line up even with the bottom edge of your middle row. Use safety pins to attach both rows to the backing blanket. It should only go through the top layer of backing.Sew along the pinned edge, pulling it tight and making sure it’s straight. Be generous with your safety pins to keep it as even as possible. After sewing, remove safety pins and unfold. Your first two rows are now sewn together and attached to the backing! With quilt as you go, you work from the center to the outer edges. Make sure the backing blanket is laying smooth and straight and the row is flat and even.
Lay the next row on top of the one you just sewed, lining up the bottom edge. Pin together and then sew, just like the last row.
Continue until you reach the bottom edge. Once again, make sure the backing and front are pulled tight and then safety pin and sew the last row to the blanket. As you can see, the backing is a bit longer than the row. That’s the way it’s supposed to be so you will be able to bind it. (Luna and Spider were a big help)Sew the last row to the backing, making sure it is still smooth and straight.One half of your blanket is done! Flip it around and starting from the middle again, attach the next row and continue sewing the rows to the backing, just like you did with the other side!Once all your rows are sewn together, you should have a little extra blanket backing on each side. Because you started with a plush blanket for your backing, the edges are already finished, so to Bind this quilt, all you need to do is fold the extra edge over and sew, making sure you encase the edges of your rows.Fold the blanket backing over the finished rows and begin sewing around the edges. I have a nice heavy duty Janome sewing machine that can handle most blankets without as issue but less powerful machines may struggle with thicker fabric. One trick I have learned is to slow the speed down if is begins to struggle. I also recommend using a #16 denim needle. Once the blanket is bound, inspect the entire quilt, cutting all loose threads. If someone pulls on a loose thread like this, it will unravel your stitches and come apart, ruining all your hard work so make sure you find them all.Even Dragon helped me with this step to make sure I found every loose thread!And now the quilt is done!
Quinnfiredesign 