Border/Wide Sashing Tute

I posted a picture of this border on my Facebook Crazy Horse Quilting page and was asked to provide instructions. So, here goes:

To get this:

Do this:

Measure the distance from one corner to the other and decide on the size of the diagonals. I believe mine were approximately 5"

Sew down one side and then...

Come back down the other side, making diamonds as you go. As you can see I stitched a line along the edge. It was necessary to make a complete demarcation to show where the diamonds stopped so that the corner design would be separate.

Below is a shot of the ruler I used and the placement to make the interior angled lines of the diamond. I didn't mark anything, I just used the marks on the ruler to make my lines end approximately 1/4" from the diamond points.

After making the angled inner diamond, I filled in the outside triangle with the lines. Again, I didn't measure and they aren't all the same; however, when you look at the overall effect, your eye will "self-correct" and you don't notice.

At the point of the next diamond, I filled in the inner lines and then continuedon with the vertical lines in the triangle.

This is what it looked like after completing the inner diamonds and the vertical lines on one side.

I was then able to come back, without starting/stopping, to finish the vertical lines on the opposite side. The best part about this was that if I got carried away and forgot to do an inner diamond (this happens when I daydream), I could fill it in on my way back and no one would ever know!

When you're finished, you have this:  

I was able to complete this design with four passes and didn't have to stop/start. I do think part of the reason this turned out looking so cool was the batting (wool) and the way the gold thread matched so well with the gold in the fabric. 

And that concludes today's tutorial. Hope it made sense!!!

Dory

Two Tools I Can't Live Without

If you have these:

You can mark this:

Then erase the unnecessary lines:

And quilt this:

I love these tools!!!

A Quilt for Baby Dylan

My niece, Ashley, and her husband Ben are having their first baby. Dylan is supposed to be born some time in July...at least that's what the docs say.  I made him a quilt and tried a few new tools and techniques as well.

I purchased a panel, some matching fabrics and this is what I ended up with.

 I cc'd the four-patch blocks and then practiced "dwirling" in the center over the panel. That was one of the new techniques. It turned out nice and didn't distract from the panel at all, IMHO.

The back...

Then, new technique #2, I made bias binding. I found several "how to's" on You Tube and just went for it. Seemed to work out okay.  New technique #3, I attached the binding while it was on the machine. I've never done that before and won't ever do it for a show quilt; however, for an everyday quilt, it worked great.  I plan to get lots more use from it!

I used this tool from Anilee that I purchased ages ago. Its nice to finally give it a go.

Finally, technique #4 and another ruler. This one is called "The Binding Tool," and gives you the exact measurements for cutting your binding so that it can be pieced together. No more big lump where the ends meet!

Now to have Dennis embroider a label for me and it will be off in the mail!

Dory

Life in Washington

I've been working on a  beautiful quilt lately. Currently, I'm doing lots of these...

I finally finished (without going blind) and the quilt is on its way home. When it arrives, I'll post pictures. Until then, I thought I'd share this cool tip that I discovered from my guild-mates here in Washington.

Diagonal seaming for quilt backs. Of course, this won't work if you are piecing your back. But if you're not, this not only works well but will save you fabric. John Flynn apparently developed the math for this and if you have a "smart phone," you can download the app so that you NEVER have to do math.

John's method is for diagonally piecing a quilt back in the most fabric-efficient way possible. If your fabric is 44" wide or less, you can piece a back that is 66" or less. If the fabric is 60" wide, use John's method if you want your quilt back to be 90" or less.

John's Diagonal Piecing full instructions can be found here. Its definitely worth having in your toolbox of piecing tricks.

I'm planning to give this a go as soon as I have a quilt that needs a back.

Dory