Quilt It Wright - Part IV Faced Binding

Documenting the process of Quilt It Wright
My improv inspiration quilt

Part IV The Binding and searching for a name

Part I HERE Inspiration
Part II HERE Piecing
Part III HERE Quilting

My inspiration Fallingwater and the architect Frank Lloyd Wright

I finished squaring ( you can find tutorials and videos on line on squaring your quilt, try different methods and use what works for you and your quilt).  While I was quilting I decided I would like to try faced binding on this quilt.  Faced binding folds to the back of the quilt, so you don't see the binding, there won't be a frame on the edges, the quilt will just end.
Faced binding is single layer binding, so it more appropriate for a quilt that will hang rather than one that will be used and washed often.

I googled, read tutorials, watched you tube videos, I chose elements from a few different tutorials to make my own hybrid process.
Cut the binding fabric 2 1/4" single layer
Side bindings cut 1 1/2" shorter than the length of quilt
Bottom & Top Binding cut 2" longer than width of quilt

Press 1/4" fold on the side of the binding that will not be attached to the front of the quilt (this will be your stitch edge for the back of the quilt) Don't worry if it doesn't stay pressed over, the fold was made so you have a good seam line to press again later after the binding is attached.

Attach side bindings to front of quilt, RST, 1/4" seam allowance first
Press binding toward outside of quilt and add 1/8" top stitch on the top of the quilt
I cut away approximately 1" square of batting in the corners, leaving the top and bottom fabric in place, to reduce bulk in the corners

Attach the top and bottom binding pieces in the same manner, pressing toward the outside and adding a top stitch.
Next fold over the binding all the way to the back of the quilt and press.
You should have a nice crisp edge

I used Clover Clips to hold the binding in place and keep the edges from wanting to fold back to the front

You can re -press your 1/4" seam on the edge of the binding that is not attached to the quilt at this point so you have a crisp line for hand stitching.
Pin in place to hand sew down along the back of the quilt.  People who know me know I am not a fan of hand sewing (I machine stitch my regular binding on quilts), I have issues with pain in my hands and hand sewing is a contributor.  For faced binding there was no way to get around the hand sewing.  I took my time and did sections with breaks in between.

I had some trouble with the corners, not sure exactly how to get the folded edges to look nice.  Next time I'll spend more time in this area and real through more tips
You can't have enough clips in my opinion

Finished - no binding showing on the front of the quilt and a crisp edge for hanging.
I think this was the perfect finish for this particular quilt.

While I was quilting I worked on the name for this quilt.  I wanted to incorporate something of Frank Lloyd Wright in the name.  Most of the time the quilt name will come to me while quilting, there is a lot of time to think while you are quilting.  I was not having an easy time with the right name for this quilt - it evolved.
Quilt Wright was one
Wright Quilting was another
Neither was the perfect name and I think I was completely finished and had been calling it Quilt Wright in a couple of posts and emails, because I just couldn't come up with anything else.
One day it struck me that the name should be
Quilt It Wright
and that is the one that stuck and was perfect (to me)

Next - full photos of the finished quilt
Part V HERE The Finished Quilt

Quilt It Wright - Part III The Quilting Part

Quilt It Wright
Part III - The Quilting Part
My improv quilt inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright
Part I HERE
Part II HERE

I still pin baste - although a lot of quilters now spray baste, for quilts I'm a pinner.  I've had some shifting happen with spray and anytime I'm quilting a quilt that I think I may enter in a show I feel more confident with pinning.  Pins are reusable and spray isn't. (I also don't like to think of spray on my carpet or floor).  I do use spray on some minis, so I'm not totally against the spray.



I used two layers of black Hobbs batting on this quilt.  I went with the darker batting as the top was mostly gray.  This is only the second time I've used the dark batting and it worked well in this quilt.  

My chosen quilting threads, the green spools are 40 wt Aurifil and the gray spools are 28 wt Aurifil.  I like the 28 wt, its denser and I think the quilting pops more with the heavier wt.  I don't have ALL the colors yet in 28 wt, so I had to use some 40 wt I had on hand.

I went with the matchstick style quilting, but I did not go as close as I sometimes do - this one I kept the quilting lines about 1/4" apart vs I sometimes have 1/8" apart.  With the double layer of batting I couldn't go as close, and I thought the quilting looked fine 1/4" apart.  I added vertical quilting as well as horizontal.

Getting to the edge of the quilt requires a quilt scarf to be made.
At this point the quilt was super heavy and I couldn't hold on to it, so I rolled it and threw it over my shoulder

I would stop some of the quilting lines and cut the threads, then just going back to the edge of the quilt without having to give it a 180. Or I would spend some time turning the quilt when I would get to the end of a line.  Turning was definitely more difficult and I would get frustrated.  I preferred to turn not wanting to cut all the little left over threads afterwards, but I also couldn't man handle the quilt but so much before wanting to discard the whole idea of quilting two different directions.  It was worth it in the end, as I knew it would be - just very trying while it was happening. 

Next up - squaring.  I did some cutting and got the quilt close to square, I just had to pull at a few areas.  Squaring is new to me, I used to just square off the corners with a ruler and a rotary.  After one show when I had a comment about the quilt not laying flat, I started to be more careful and work on this aspect.  You are always learning something new in quilting.  There is always another step.
(white towels are under the quilt to soak up the water)

Next time - I try faced binding and my struggle with the name

Part IV HERE Faced Binding

Matchstick Quilting

Recently I was asked if matchstick quilting is the only type of quilting I will do.  And the answer to that is no and yes.  I have used matchstick quilting almost exclusively for the last year.  I like the way it looks, I like the technique, I like that it adds to the design of the quilt, I like the way the quilting thread show on top of the quilt.    

Do I like other styles of quilting?  Of course, sometimes I am in awe of what a quilter has added to a quilt.  Their designs, the time they took, the passion they have for their craft.  I can free motion quilt, and I would say my skill at that is average.  If I used that technique a lot more frequently I would be better at it.  

What I think about (semi) straight line quilting is that it is a style that is suited for the modern quilts that I make.  The only style? Absolutely not.  Matchstick quilting is tedious, it is time consuming, and takes diligence.  If you want to try it out, start on a small project so you can see how you like the technique.

I start with finding a straight edge on the quilt top, preferably a seam that goes all the way across the quilt.  I make a straight line of quilting along that seam, the next quilting line I line up with the edge of my walking foot.  I do this for 6" or so, and then fill in the lines with more quilting.  I don't worry about being straight at this point, a little wiggle looks organic and not industrial.  But both ways are fine, it is your preference.  My matchstick quilting lines are about 1/8" apart, as you can see on the above mini though, it depends on the piece.  The quilt below, which was accepted into International Quilt Show Houston, Modern Exhibit, was matchstick quilted with two different color threads, the centers of the orbs are quilted in a circular pattern.  

I will sometimes use different color threads and different weight threads in the same quilt.  I quilt on my home machine, a Bernina 750.  Some people chose to send their quilts out to be quilted, I think I have sent out one, ever.  But if I did send them out, I would have a lot less quilt tops and maybe a few more finished quilts.  There are also sit down long arms that I have had an eye on, but for now I have my home machine and it suits me just fine.  

A long time ago I quilted with monofilament only.  I thought that was the way to go.  So I realize that quilting this style will probably not last forever, but for the moment it is my preferred method and I love it.  The quilts I've washed with this quilting are soft and supple, drape lovely.  I'm not sure I would use this method on a quilt that would just be a couch quilt or a baby quilt, I may want quilting that is less dense.  Styles change, color preferences change (although mine has remained the same for my personal taste), methods change

Sunprint Quilt

I am so happy to finally be able to show the entire quilt I made using Alison Glass Sunprint 2015 Collection.  I used a piece of each fabric in the collection.  The background fabric is Andover Fabrics Chambray in Grey.  

'Fruit Flavors'

The block I used is a paper pieced block called Fractal Block by Patty Solanger and is available for download in her Craftsy shop. 

Progress photos can be found here

The background Chambray Grey is quilted with Aurifil thread - #1133 Bright Orange and #2240 Rusty Orange.  Each color block was quilted with Aurifil 40 wt in a matching color.  

I used Sunprint Ink in Paper color (white with black dots) for the binding, I used a machine binding technique for the binding. 

The quilting is termed 'matchstick quilting'.  The quilting lines are densely sewn - 1/8" or closer.  (Thank you to Leanne of She Can Quilt for introducing me to this style of quilting!)

'Fruit Flavors' finished up at 46" x 65" before washing

It was pretty windy while trying to get these photos done - my thanks to Shelley (@brookquilt1) for helping out

Mary

Autumn Oakshott - Flight Path

Flight Path

Welcome to my stop on the blog hop for Oakshott Autumn 

It is as if Oakshott called me up and asked which colors do I want made -

All nice and tidy in one neat bundle!

Before I received the bundle I was processing and drawing out my idea.  The migration of colors in the bundle reminded me of geese migrating when the weather cools and Autumn colors appear.  

I wanted to reflect the color changes of reds, oranges, yellow and blues with different Autumn colored backgrounds in my quilt.

I had 4 different background colors I chose to work with, one for each color grouping of geese

Outback Rust

Adobe

Imperial

Nutmeg 

Oakshott cottons are almost luminescent.  I have used them in small projects, but this was my first quilt with all Oakshott cottons. 

There are 3 different sizes of Flying Geese blocks in each color section.  I used the Bloc Loc rulers for making my Flying Geese

Which gave me many of the half square triangles needed for each sashing section

I chose 4 different Aurifil threads (28 wt) to coordinate with the background Oakshott colors.  

While piecing I thought about the style of quilting I would use - and I settled on matchstick quilting.  Essentially straight lines very tightly spaced, about 1/8" apart, and the lines aren't really straight - straight, more organically straight.  Not following a ruler.

I had made two minis and a tote using this type of quilting, but this is the first full quilt

It is time and thread consuming.

22 hours of actual quilting and 23 full bobbins (not including the binding, which has yet to be added)

So, so worth it

The name 'Flight Path' comes from a poem On The Flight Path about migrating geese.

These photos were taken before binding and washing, quilting took so long I was going to run out of daylight - so another day for that.  

I will also have a tutorial for this pattern, there are a lot of photos and measurements for that and I am attempting to put those in PDF format so you can download.  I didn't want to post 30 photos in one post, so if you would like to see a pattern please come back in a few days.  

Thank you to Lynne of Lily's Quilts for asking me to participate in the blog hop, and a BIG thank you to Oakshott for providing all the quilt top fabrics.  I had a fantastic time designing and making this quilt.

Please visit some of the other quilters on their stop to see more fabulous quilts made from the same Autumn bundle

21 October     Sonia Spence               fabricandflowersuk.blogspot.co.uk
22 October     Rossie Hutchinson        r0ssie.blogspot.com
24 October     Mary Menzer                 fairlymerry.blogspot.com
28 October     Alison Dutton                allison-sews.blogspot.com
29 October     Nicholas Ball                 quiltsfromtheattic.wordpress.com
30 October     Kati Spencer                 fromthebluechair.com

31 October     Wynn Tan                      zakkaArt.typepad.com

Summer Canvas

Every other month in the Virginia Beach Modern Quilt Guild we have a member swap.  This month's swap was a mini quilt swap with a summer theme.

I chose to use Canvas pattern by Leanne Chahley of She Can Quilt.  This is a well written pattern with measurements for many different sizes of quilt already figured for you.  

For the summer theme I chose several different shades of Kona solids that represented the sun and a neutral border color 

For quilting, I chose a variegated thread that had the same colors of the center block

This variegated thread changed the look of the center block, I think it added another element to the sun colors.  Making them seem to blend together.

My quilting pattern is called 'matchstick quilting', it is essentially lines of quilting very close together.  I went in one direction over the color portion of the mini, and the opposite direction for the border.  

There is a lot of texture to this quilting, I'm not sure I would want it on a bed quilt or lap quilt, but I think it is perfect for a wall hanging

For the binding, I decided to fuse and stitch the edges.  Fusing a binding is a little short cut if you are working on something that won't be washed much.  A mini wall hanging qualifies for fused binding.  I also stitched around the edge of the binding for reinforcement.  I had a bright green hand dyed fabric that went perfect with the summer theme.  

My mini was 14" finished

Keep Calm and Quilt On!

Mary

Fields

I started this quilt over a year ago as part of a challenge.

I had an assortment of Kona solids, prints, Shot Cottons, linen, and Oakshott cottons

I wanted an improv pieced quilt and I played with my layout for a month

Progress photos 

Improv is not for everyone, some don't like lack of guidelines, planning, or straight seams.  It doesn't have to be that way, you can add your own guidelines - making blocks that are 12 1/2" or keeping all seams going in one direction.  For this quilt I did a lot of sewing, then cutting, then sewing back together to get an effect I was happy with.

Eventually this quilt top began to remind me of the fields we see flying.  While not too high in the  sky, when you look down the land is a pattern of fields and forests.  Until you get to a city - but that will have to be a different quilt.

The forested areas look boxed in by the pattern of fields from the air, and there are a myriad of colors represented in the forest areas as well as the field strips.

After starting the quilting on this top,  I was put off by the tedious quilting pattern I had chosen, I was matchstick quilting before I knew that was what it was called! Other projects and deadlines were calling me, so I put this one away.

Earlier in the week I pulled this out and decided to finish the quilting so I could submit the quilt for consideration in an exhibit.  I had kept all the threads I had pulled for quilting together as well as the extra fabrics.  The miracle was that I knew where the quilt was, I knew where the threads were, and I knew where the fabrics were.

I pulled out new threads to add to the pile, not all threads were used, but some threads matched fabrics perfectly

So I quilted and quilted and quilted (remembering why I had put this away) for 3 days, changing color threads, going back when I came across an area I had missed.  There are a million starts and stops, and a million threads to trim up.  

Binding from left over fabrics

Now it's done and its submitted.  Whether or not it is chosen for the exhibit, I took the step of entering.  It's scary having your work, something you are passionate about, spent time and energy making, judged by others as worthy or not. 

Fields

61" x 40"

Kona Solids, linen, Shot Cottons, Oakshott cottons, cotton prints

Cotton/Wool 50/50 Matilda Batting

Aurifil, Superior, and King Tut threads

Keep Calm and Quilt On!

Mary