Originally Posted by clem55
Would you consider sharing a tuorial for that first one? They are all beautiful, would like patterns for all!!
What you can do is print out the photo and then begin the search for patterns you would enjoy working with. Use whatever ideas you see in my quilt and go from there. The braid that is framing a couple of the squares is a pioneer braid pattern and there several of those found free online. The diamonds are a Seminole pattern which also should be able to be found online and they are fun and amazingly easy to do. I was always under the impression that seminole quilting was very challenging but I thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
The quilt was done in 3 length wise panels with the center panel being the first. While hand quilting that center panel, I was piecing the squares for the 2 sides and realized that for balance, I had to piece all of the squares for both sides at the same time and get them laid out to figure out placement and from there how to border them to make them fit size wise.
Each panel is added to the first by placing the top of each section right sides together and the backing right sides together and then sew the seam the length of each panel. You take the quilted panel and place the top for the next panel right sides together on top of the quilted panel. Then place the backing, right sides together on the back of the quilted paned. This can be confusing.
The layers are backing for new panel with right sides to
backing of the quilted panel.
Place the top of the new panel, right sides together with the top of the quilted panel and sew this seam.
unquilted top right side to
quilted top
quilted bottom with
unquilted bottom place right sides tother with the quilted bottom.
(work on one panel and a time and quilt it before adding the next panel.)
You can sew the batting in this seam but I find the seams too thick and hard to work with so I use the method below.
Marti Michell's book will explain and have a photo to view.
Once that seam is sewn, I lay out the quilt, lift up the top, smooth the backing and place the batting on top of the batting. Using my fingers and plenty of straight pens, I carefully snug the batting up next to the seam but not allow it bunch and carefull pin it smooth. Then I smooth out the top and all 3 quilt layers and begin very carefully smoothing and pinning in place using quilt safety pins - tons and tons of safety pins. I start out getting each square anchored in the center and then gradually thoroughly secure all 3 layers about 2 or 3 inches apart with pins. I normally hand baste in both directions as well to make sure all 3 layers stay flat.
I either work on my dining room table with a cardboard cutting board from JoAnn's under the quilt or work on my queen sized bed - recently discovered that's actually easier on my back to work on the bed as it's a tall queen than it is to work on the dining room table which is small and normal table height.
As the quilt grows in size, the already quilted area is rolled up while I pin baste the new section and the pinning always begins at the seam joining the 2 sections. Moving carefully, I roll the the already quilted section and the newly pinned together and carefully watch the backing as it rolls to be sure there aren't any problem spots - if there are, I then have to unpin a small area and fix it. By the time the panel is completed the quilt is neatly rolled.
I then turn it over on the back and unroll it and carefully check the back to be sure there are no folds or wrinkles - didn't used to do that and what a surprise when quilting to find a tuck where one shouldn't be so that's an important step.
It does take me a lot of time to baste/ pin and hand before beginning to hand quilt.
If you're a machine quilter and want to work in panels, I highly recommend Marti Michell's Machine Quilting in Sections. It can be ordered from www.nancysnotions.com or you can do an online search as I'm sure it's easy to find. She has several different styles of connecting the panels that will work with machine quilting and one that I would use if machine quilting is to quilt all 3 panels first and connect them using sashing with the backside having one side of the sashing open that I would hand sew but you could also do it with the sashing on the front and then top stitch around all of the sashing so they all match.
As a hand quilter, I use an early variation of her technique and it was through articles on her in Woman's Day Magazine where I finally figured out a way to manage quilting queen sized quilts to be proud of.
Good luck and if you have more questions, please feel free to email me ok.
Hugs
Patty