I've posted photos of my recently completed French Braid quilt. You have paid me some very nice compliments, which I very much appreciate; I like the quilt top also.

This post has to do with the difficulties I had attaching the 5 completed braid strips to the rather wide separator bands and the inner borders and getting all the colors to line up horizontally . In fact, I was so bummed out, I thought I should be attending quilt making classes.

I can't and wouldn't attend classes, but am looking for advice from those of you who have made and posted lovely French Braid quilts, such as: have you found a simple way to attach your braids exactly where they need to be, horizontally and vertically? I did learn some things by trial and error, but would welcome any tips whatsoever in case I decide to make any of the others that are in the book I bought.

Good thread, Weezie, I'll be watching this one. There's a French Braid in my near future.

Me too!!

I just did one and when attaching the braid strips to the separator band, I lined the tips up on my largest cutting mat for a reference point then did lots of double checking and pinning before I actually sewed. Hope this makes sense.

Hi - When I made mine, I laid the two braids right sides together, matching the seams, then positioned the separator strip by folding the top braid back a couple of inches and pinned the separator to both braids. You have to be careful and it's really time consuming, but much better than getting it way off.

In your other post, you mention the bali pops being cut wrong. if the strips varied in size, that would throw your alignment off. Seam width variations would also do the same. Did you use a book/pattern? My book mentioned how to align the strips.

I still think it looks great!

Are you having trouble with them stretching because they are all on the bias once you cut the tips off? I haven't got to that point yet in mine, but have experienced it in the past with angled strips. My solution is starch- lots and lots and lots of starch. Starch the heck out of them before you cut the tips off.

I have the book but haven't looked at the instructions. I have made the French Braid using this method. Is it the same as in the book?
http://www.quiltbug.com/Free/table-topper.htm

The book says to mark a straight line, line up the separator strips, sew, THEN cut off the bias tips. I think it helps a lot.

That makes even more sense. It's really too bad that I almost never think to read instructions before setting out. Doh! I will try that with this one, because it makes so much sense.

Thanks