the final pics

Thanks for sharing that, what a lovely quilt top. Do you do your own quilting by machine or hand?

i typically do a mix of machine quilting and hand quilting but this quilt top will be entirely machine quilted.

I saw the marking and wasn't sure. I love the quilt pattern, is it from a plastic template or did you make it up?

its from a plastic stencil called paisley.

http://www.quiltingcreations.com/pro...roducts_id=149

Thanks for the pics of your sandwiching technique. I have one ready to do now...still haven't broken my file cabinet to get that steel marble yet though :wink: Thanks also for the stencil link.. I have a big pile of them, don't really use them, just like having a big pile I think. :roll:

Thanks for posting your picture. I was trying to picture a table big enuf for a big quilt AND how you could reach the middle to pin baste. Now all is revealed!

most of my quilts are on the smaller side.

when i make a double or bigger bed size quilt i either put it onto my flynn frame or pin baste on my living room floor.

btw - if Fons & Porter have already published your tip (and I haven't seen it on their site - but maybe that's why they gave you a free subscription) - Threads won't want to publish it again. They'll ask is it has already been published.

You smarty! I'll have to share that with my guild. And will give you credit for it. Don't look for any royalty checks, tho. :-)

the happiness of my fellow quilters is the best reward.

wow! You are one smart cookie--thank you for the tip
Charlie Ann

Brilliant idea!!!
Another is
Don't bother closing the pins until you've lifted the quilt off the floor. They stay in and you can sit comfortably on the sofa closing them all.

I have a question about the prarie point border that you mentioned. I'm at this moment working on a baby quilt with prarie point border. how do i do yhe corners when i', sewing the backing to the front over the P. points and is there a way to do it by machine instead of by hand?

there's a few ways to get prairie points into a quilt.

for me the easiest way to add prairie points is to baste a continuous prairie point strip to the front of the quilt with a 0.125 seam. i use 1 strip on each side.

the i sew the bias binding to the front of the quilt with a 0.25 seam which covers the 0.125 seam that holds the prairie points in place.

then i fold the binding over to the back and and i press the prairie points out and pin them in place over the binding and i do a decorative stitch to hold the prairie points in place and this stitch also sews down the bias binding to the back of the quilt.

since this quilt is all swirls i'll use the decorative swirl stitch.

can you do something like this for your quilt?

if not we can brain storm another way.

klue, i got the part about how to get the points on. i sewed them to the front pointing in.then i trimmed the batting and then the backing leaving the backing i/2 inch bigger. flipped the points out and folded the backing to cover the seam on the points. i'm having trouble with the corners-trying to get it to lay flat. maybe there is too much fabric there. This quilt is for a baby shower tomorrow afternoon. i have to run into town to fax something and i think i'll go in to the LQS and see if i can talk to someone, but if you have anymore tips, i'll be back in a couple hours.
sewmom

have you tried folding in the corners first and then fold in the sides - thats the way i know how to fold the backing to use as binding on the front.

Klue, I did try everything that i could think of and thenended up hand stitching the little ears of the points down and then hand stitching the corners to keep them in place. Then i machine stitched around the whole quilt to sew the backing down.I don't hand stitch anything if i can machine it. When i was finishing up the quilting on it, i discovered that i had pieced 3 yes, 3 blocks in the wrong position! i was just sick as the shower is today. i debated whether to even give it to her and make another one to give to her later, but other quilters said not to that it's creative license and not a mistake. But i tell you if there was time i would've made another one. As soon as i learn how i will post it.
Thanks again for your help and BTW i liked your basting tips at the beginning of this thread.
sewmom

sewmom

i'm sure she won't even notice that a few blocks are in the wrong position. we're quilters and we don't even notice these things how can people who don't quilt ever pick it up.

i'm sure she'll just think its supposed to be there.

and if your friends are anything like mine they will love the quilt just because you took the time to make it for them - nothing needs to be perfect in their eyes.

i remember my first play quilt i made of our friends son - it had tons of puckers on the back and nothing lined up correctly on the front. their son still loves that quilt to this day and whenever he's sick he makes mom pull it out for him to sleep with.

Klue I love that quilt and that stencil!!!


Ninnie

thank you. i've been emailing pics to the girl who commissioned it and she's so excited.

every week she asks for more pics.

i had to explain to her that once i start quilting the top i don't provide pics any longer - that it will ruin the surprise if i show her any more progress pics.

Aaabsloutely brillent Thanks for all the help.

The tool, I believe, is called a Kwick Klip. I use it all the time with the curved safety pins. The marble is also a great idea!

As for taping down all the layers, I'd love to do that except I have no floor space! Even if I did, I'd have multiple cats all over it (not a bad thing, per se). What I use instead, for twin size or less, is my ironing "table." Its actually a 20" x 48" folding table that I covered with tin foil, batting, then cotton to create an ironing board (I also raised it's height using those bed risers).

When pinning time comes, I place one or more cutting mats on the ironing table (enough to cover most of it). Now find the center of the backing fabric, place it face down on the table with the sides draping over the side, then do the same with the batting and top. I tried to draw a picture of this; hope it makes sone sense.

After all the layers are down, I start in the middle and start pinning, radiating out from the center. Once that flat section is pinned, I carefully slide the quilt away from me until an unpinned section is flat on the table. Pin this section, again starting at the center. Usually I continue shifting the quilt until that one side is done. Then I carefully slide the pinned half of the quilt towards me until an unpinned section is again flat on the table. I find that the weight of the three layers hanging off the table keeps things fairly stable, especially if I take a moment to spread the layers gently from center to side(s) to remove any wrinkles.

Not an ideal method but it works. The trick is to work from the center and pin out to the edges. Has anyone else tried this?

Yes, and I've had success, too.

I tried this long time ago and forgot all about it. Thanks for the reminder. Presently my hubby helps me lay out all 3 layers on our queen bed. Then carefully and taking time, we smooth and roll the layers together until there is a big roll. Then we move this to my sewing table to tie. When I start to tie, I pop in a DVD on my little TV and listen to the movie as I work. I keep reminding hubby I need 2 large plywood pieces on sawhorses in our basement for spreading quilts on. Maybe in 2010 I'll finally get my work table.