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Welcome to the last week of the Happy Block Swap Quilt Along! I can’t believe this quilt along is already finishing up. It has been so much fun quilting with you all! Thank you to the National Quilters Circle and Sulky Threads for making this quilt along happen!
You can download the finishing instructions here!
This week we will be putting our quilt tops together, the we will make this quilt top into a real quilt! Yay!!
JOIN ME today at 11:00am PDT in the NQC Block Challenge Facebook Group! I will be going over the finishing instructions and answering any questions you have!
Things you will need:
Backing Fabric (at least 6 inches wider and longer than your quilt top)
Quilt Batting (at least 6 inches wider and longer than your quilt top)
Basting Spray or Basting Pins
Binding Fabric
These are helpful but not necessary:
Hera Marker to mark out your quilting lines
Walking Foot (Helps pull your quilt from both the top and the bottom)
Finishing our Quilts!
Quilt Sandwich:
First you will need to make your Quilt Sandwich. You will need to cut and sew your backing fabric to make it fit under your quilt correctly. Make sure it is at least 3 inches wider than your quilt top on all sides (quilt top size + 6 inches). Trim your selvage edge off after joining your pieces.
Make your quilt sandwich by first laying down your quilt backing, wrong side facing up. Tape down to a hard surface, making fabric taut. Next lay your batting on top. Smooth out with your hands, do not stretch. Then lay your quilt top right side up, smooth out with your hands.
Basting Your Quilt:
Spray baste: My favorite way to baste my quilt is by using Spray Baste! It makes basting so much easier. If you have allergies, this is probably not a good option for you.
Find a place where you can lay out your quilt. Make sure to tape the backing fabric taut to the floor (or large table).
Here’s great spray baste tutorial by Cluck Cluck Sew: Spray Baste Tutorial
Pin basting: You can use safety pin about 3 to 4 inches apart (about the width of your hand). I like to use the large curved basting pins. This takes a little longer than the spray basting, but is a great option.
Quilting your Quilt:
This step is totally up to you!
For my original quilt I went with 1 inch apart multi-zig zag stich from the top to the bottom of the quilt. This is quick and easy way to quilt and it gives your quilt great texture!
Hand Tie your Quilt: Some prefer to tie there quilt.
Here’s a tutorial on how to do this on BluePrint.
Hand Quilt: Here’s a wonderful video tutorial by Suzy Quilts all about How to Hand Quilt.
Machine Quilt using your Walking Foot:
Emily Dennis from Quilty Love has a great tutorial on how to Zig zag quilt your quilt with a Walking foot. Click here I love this method of quilting, it give your quilt great texture.
Free Motion Quilting:
Free motion quilting can give you great texture and if you aren’t great at quilting straight lines, this would be great for you. Suzy Williams from Suzy Quilts has a great Free Motion Quilting Tutorial. Click here.
Binding Your Quilt:
Binding is the fabric strip that goes on the edge of your quilt. It covers all of the unfinished edges and rounds out your quilt.
You will want to make sure to square up your quilt before you attach the binding. Cut off the extra batting around the edges and make sure your sides are straight and corners are squared.
Most quilters will cut 2 /12 inch by width of fabric strips and then sew them together at the ends at a diagonal. Then press the strip in half, so that you are wrapping 2 layers of fabric around all of your edges.
You can machine sew the binding to the front of your quilt and wrap it around to the back and hand stitch it down. Or some prefer sewing the binding to the back of the quilt, wrapping it around to the front and machine stitching it down.
One of my favorite binding tutorials is by Suzy Williams of Suzy Quilts. Go check it out!
I’m so excited to see everyone finished quilts! Make sure to post them in the NQC Block Challenge Facebook group or on Instagram with the hashtag #NQCBlockSwap
QUILT ALONG SCHEDULE!
Meet Andrea Smith of Happy Cloud Creations
Happy Block Swap Fabric Requirments
SEPT 20th – WEEK 1 – Quilter 1 (Block A) and Quilter 2 (Block B) and Flying Geese Supplemental
SEPT 27th – WEEK 2 – Quilter 1 (Block C) and Quilter 2 (Block D) and Flying Geese Supplemental
OCT 4th – WEEK 3 – Quilter 1 (Block E) and Quilter 2 (Block F) and Flying Geese Supplemental
OCT 11th – WEEK 4 – Quilter 1 (Block G) and Quilter 2 (Block H) and Flying Geese Supplemental
OCT 18th – WEEK 5 – Bonus Block Instructions
OCT 25th – WEEK 6 – Quilt Assembly Instructions
SIGN UP FOR THE NATIONAL QUILTERS CIRCLE EMAIL NOTIFICATIONS
JOIN THE QUILT ALONG GROUP!
Make sure to join the NQC Block Challenge Quilt along group! In the group you will get weekly reminders of the NEW blocks. You will be able to see everyone fabric combos. And you will can view the LIVE weekly check in videos! All the information you need for the quilt along will be listed in the Announcement section of this group!
