I need some help - quilting related
11-06-2009, 11:22 AM
#1
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I am making my first regular style quilt for my sister for Christmas, I have always done rag quilting so this is new to me- I found the style of quilt I want to make and it has an online (confusing) tutorial, Im going to post a link so you understand my question.
My question is : The way this comes out it ends up looking like two twin quilts, I want the strips to flow across the middle so it doesnt look seperated. I hope someone understands what I am saying, I asked someone I know and she said maybe instead of doing it in 2 like instructions say to do four and cut strips shorter, but the way I read it - it is saying that you sew the two pieces together as in the top and bottom pieces - not the two sides???? Help, I really need to get this figured out- Im doing all homemade gifts for xmas and this one I need to get out of the way, also what do you reccomend for backing and filling? I want it to have a light fluff to it and be very high quality- I am using all organic fabrics, but the underside and filling doesnt have to be - I just want it to be good stuff!! heres my dilemma:
http://purlbee.squarespace.com/sunny-tied-quilt/
TIA FOR ANY HELP!!!
My question is : The way this comes out it ends up looking like two twin quilts, I want the strips to flow across the middle so it doesnt look seperated. I hope someone understands what I am saying, I asked someone I know and she said maybe instead of doing it in 2 like instructions say to do four and cut strips shorter, but the way I read it - it is saying that you sew the two pieces together as in the top and bottom pieces - not the two sides???? Help, I really need to get this figured out- Im doing all homemade gifts for xmas and this one I need to get out of the way, also what do you reccomend for backing and filling? I want it to have a light fluff to it and be very high quality- I am using all organic fabrics, but the underside and filling doesnt have to be - I just want it to be good stuff!! heres my dilemma:
http://purlbee.squarespace.com/sunny-tied-quilt/
TIA FOR ANY HELP!!!
11-06-2009, 11:38 AM
#2
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Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Cody, Wyoming
Posts: 6,344
Why not sew it up like it is suggesting and when you have those two big pieces cut each of them down the middle so you now have four and then sew them alternating one of each then it will look like you purposely sewed for pannels vs putting two twins together. I agree it looks like two twins otherwise.
11-06-2009, 01:36 PM
#3
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Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 4,688
You could go one of two routes to make the stripes flow smoothly across the top, one way cuts the fabrics cross grain, the other lengthwise. Both ways will change the fabric list they have provided.
If crosswise cuts, you can cut two strips of each width in each color and join them at the short end. You would then have a strip the full width of the quilt (between 80 and 84", depending on you fabric width). Join the longer strips of different colors together for the top. Because this method gives you a seam down the center of the quilt, I would cut one side of the top from top to bottom halfway between the edge and the center seam and then sew that part to the other side. This would give you two seams roughly 40" apart, one on each side.
If lengthwise cuts are made, the strips would be sewn together in the same way, but there would be no vertical seams in the top at all. Lengthwise cuts would also give you less stretch when sewing your strips together, something to consider when piecing an 80" strip set!
Hope that all makes sense. Good luck, that quilt will have a big impact!
If crosswise cuts, you can cut two strips of each width in each color and join them at the short end. You would then have a strip the full width of the quilt (between 80 and 84", depending on you fabric width). Join the longer strips of different colors together for the top. Because this method gives you a seam down the center of the quilt, I would cut one side of the top from top to bottom halfway between the edge and the center seam and then sew that part to the other side. This would give you two seams roughly 40" apart, one on each side.
If lengthwise cuts are made, the strips would be sewn together in the same way, but there would be no vertical seams in the top at all. Lengthwise cuts would also give you less stretch when sewing your strips together, something to consider when piecing an 80" strip set!
Hope that all makes sense. Good luck, that quilt will have a big impact!
11-06-2009, 06:00 PM
#4
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Originally Posted by Elisabrat
Why not sew it up like it is suggesting and when you have those two big pieces cut each of them down the middle so you now have four and then sew them alternating one of each then it will look like you purposely sewed for pannels vs putting two twins together. I agree it looks like two twins otherwise.
11-06-2009, 06:02 PM
#5
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Okay lol I need a dictionary to figure out what you are saying, so instead of vertical stripes it will be horizontal? Any elaboration would be wonderful I love this and it seems it would not be so difficult to change I just need to "get it" ya know?
11-07-2009, 11:32 AM
#6
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Originally Posted by Elisabrat
Why not sew it up like it is suggesting and when you have those two big pieces cut each of them down the middle so you now have four and then sew them alternating one of each then it will look like you purposely sewed for pannels vs putting two twins together. I agree it looks like two twins otherwise.
11-07-2009, 12:20 PM
#7
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Are you saying that you want the finished quilt to be a simple striped design where each stripe is a different width but the stripe goes from edge to edge?
If that is your plan, there are two methods you can use:
Method 1.
Figure out how wide the quilt top needs to be and purchase the fabric at least in that length.
Determine the width of each stripe and cut THAT width (+ 1/2" for seam allowance) from the LONG side of the fabric (parallel to the selvage).
Repeat for all fabrics and sew the long strips together until you have reached the length you want.
Method 2.
Determine the width of each strip and cut 2 strips of each fabric across the grain (however wide the fabric is ~42")
You can now sew those strips together to make one long strip across. Sew the long strips together just like in method 1 until you have the top long enough.
The problem here is that you will have a seam down the center that may or may not line up.
Option 2 is to sew two separate sets of each strip set, trim the edge of each, nd join them along the center. You will still have a seam down the center, but as long as you sew a consistent seam allowance, it should match.
Hope this makes sense.
If that is your plan, there are two methods you can use:
Method 1.
Figure out how wide the quilt top needs to be and purchase the fabric at least in that length.
Determine the width of each stripe and cut THAT width (+ 1/2" for seam allowance) from the LONG side of the fabric (parallel to the selvage).
Repeat for all fabrics and sew the long strips together until you have reached the length you want.
Method 2.
Determine the width of each strip and cut 2 strips of each fabric across the grain (however wide the fabric is ~42")
You can now sew those strips together to make one long strip across. Sew the long strips together just like in method 1 until you have the top long enough.
The problem here is that you will have a seam down the center that may or may not line up.
Option 2 is to sew two separate sets of each strip set, trim the edge of each, nd join them along the center. You will still have a seam down the center, but as long as you sew a consistent seam allowance, it should match.
Hope this makes sense.
11-07-2009, 12:41 PM
#8
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Originally Posted by ohmisslizzie
I am making my first regular style quilt for my sister for Christmas, I have always done rag quilting so this is new to me- I found the style of quilt I want to make and it has an online (confusing) tutorial, Im going to post a link so you understand my question.
My question is : The way this comes out it ends up looking like two twin quilts, I want the strips to flow across the middle so it doesnt look seperated. I hope someone understands what I am saying, I asked someone I know and she said maybe instead of doing it in 2 like instructions say to do four and cut strips shorter, but the way I read it - it is saying that you sew the two pieces together as in the top and bottom pieces - not the two sides???? Help, I really need to get this figured out- Im doing all homemade gifts for xmas and this one I need to get out of the way, also what do you reccomend for backing and filling? I want it to have a light fluff to it and be very high quality- I am using all organic fabrics, but the underside and filling doesnt have to be - I just want it to be good stuff!! heres my dilemma:
http://purlbee.squarespace.com/sunny-tied-quilt/
TIA FOR ANY HELP!!!
My question is : The way this comes out it ends up looking like two twin quilts, I want the strips to flow across the middle so it doesnt look seperated. I hope someone understands what I am saying, I asked someone I know and she said maybe instead of doing it in 2 like instructions say to do four and cut strips shorter, but the way I read it - it is saying that you sew the two pieces together as in the top and bottom pieces - not the two sides???? Help, I really need to get this figured out- Im doing all homemade gifts for xmas and this one I need to get out of the way, also what do you reccomend for backing and filling? I want it to have a light fluff to it and be very high quality- I am using all organic fabrics, but the underside and filling doesnt have to be - I just want it to be good stuff!! heres my dilemma:
http://purlbee.squarespace.com/sunny-tied-quilt/
TIA FOR ANY HELP!!!
First off, your idea that the two pieces are sewn together as top and botton rather than left side and right side is wrong. This quilt is sewn in two pieces, and then they are joined down the middle. It is that middle seam you don't like.
I would make the two pieces as shown and then cut 1 of them in half down the middle. This would give you 3 pieces the length of the bed. Sew a narrow piece on each side of the wide piece. This will give you a center panel and two side panels, eliminating the impression of two quilts sewn together. For the sake of symmetry, I would make sure that the two side panels are sewn on as they were split apart, so the stripes match with each other on each side.
Are you tying the quilt? If the ties will be far apart (6 inches or more), then you need a stable batting such as Warm n Natural; however, the drape of that batting is slightly stiff and may not give you the "fluff" you want. Hobbs Heirloom 80/20 will give you the nice fluff, but you have to check to make sure that it is suitable for tying and to find out how close together the ties need to be.
Didn't you ask elsewhere about adjusting the size of the quilt? Not sure. Anyway, if you want to adjust the size, just add or eliminate strips to the length. When you are done with the panels, if the width is more than you want, just trim the widths. If you want the quilt wider than what is shown, you would have to buy more fabric and make another panel. This is because all of the fabrics are cut across the width of the fabrics, limiting the panel widths to about 42" each. If you want more than about 82" finished width, you need to make another panel.
11-07-2009, 02:27 PM
#10
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Originally Posted by ohmisslizzie
Okay I think I got it, thanks for the help, I might pm you for a question if I get stuck if thats alright, again thank you for putting it in a way I finally understand :oops:
For the backing fabric, the easiest route is to purchase an extra-wide fabric made especially for backings so you don't have any seams. There are good places online to order this width of backing in a variety of colors and subdued patterns; post separately to ask for some places to check out. Or, you could go to http://www.joannfabrics.com and order Kona muslin in the width you need (probably 108" at $8.99/yd). There is another thread here on the forum that contains a 50% off coupon for JoAnn's and you could use that when you order. With this width, you just order enough yardage for the length of the quilt (adding at least 12 inches for safety). Kona muslin is one of only a very few muslin fabrics I would actually use for a quilt backing, as most muslins are IMO not good enough for that use.
Edit: Here is a link to the thread about Joann's coupon codes:
http://www.quiltingboard.com/posts/list/28212.page
I just used the 50% off one and it worked fine.
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