Machine bias binding

I just realised that I got really excited about sewing both sides of the bias binding (on a quilt) via the sewing machine instead of sewing one side on the sewing machine then doing whip stitch on the other (which takes AAAAGES!). 

All this excitement because I thought that there was some sort of quilting voodoo behind it when actually it's really simple - Just doing what I usually do but the opposite (i.e. machine sewing the wrong side, then machine sewing the right side) - oh the joys of being self-taught!

If that all sounds cryptic, (hmm...blog post fail) here is a great tutorial (from Missouri Star Quilt Company) I found online as to how to do the "Quilting Voodoo." 

How To Bind a Quilt With a Sewing Machine

SO just a simple machine sew on the wrong side of the quilt, then machine sewing on the right side with a very wide zigzag - which looks nice but not quite what I want specifically. More internet trawling pour moi (but later as I am GOING TO FINISH MY QUILT! No more procrastinating).

Some of these bias binding tutorials are soooooo boring. The one above is ok and tells me most of what I wanted to know with minimal faff, although I think I fast-forwarded it a lot. 

MY FAVOURITE TUTORIALS

I think I like Hey Quilty best for tutorials (but I can't find a tutorial for bias binding techniques) because it is filmed like a TV show. They have 2 people discussing a subject, lots of text visuals, quilt examples and explanations. The audio, video and close-ups are great. The lighting is also very bright. The presenter speaks clearly and is very clear about their techniques and what you have to do to achieve their results.

Here is an example of a brilliant Hey Quilty introduction to making your own bias binding 

n.b. There is still no quilting voodoo anyway because the sewing is on both sides so i still don't understand how the Instagram lady made the quilt have a line of machine sewing on only one side!!! Agh!

Baby quilt - Part Three

I'm back. I have finished my quilt! Yay! I'm really impressed with the results as I haven't done a quilt before but thought I'd give it a shot.

This is what the quilt should look like on the back once you've "sewn the ditches" (as seen in: http://monstereyesevents.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/baby-quilt-part-two.html) 
I made sure I sewed all around the edge of the quilt, too, just to keep it nice & tidy.

USING BIAS BINDING

I knew I wanted to put on some lovely periwinkle blue bias binding (from House of Fraser's haberdashery section) which just hides all those loose ends. I pinned the binding to the edge of the quilt like this (with the pattern-side facing up) and sewed down the crease in the binding, making sure that the binding would cover the line of sewing around the edge. I then folded it over to check it would cover the other side too.

When I got to the end of my vertical strip of bias binding I cut the end and simply hid it with the next strip that was going horizontally. Make sure the back looks as straight as the front. It can be a bit finnickety. Look at the left-hand image below. You will need to whip stitch all around the back of the quilt to attach the binding. This means threading a needle and picking up a bit of the fleece fabric then a bit of the binding fabric and repeating. This will mean you should hardly be able to see the thread at all.  

 

Here is my blanket below. Binding is done and it's almost finished!

All that's left to do is to pop it in the cot and do the baby test. My niece seemed to have a very cosy night's sleep in it! 

N.B. You might like to add labels to say how to wash it. Mine is colour fast and all the elements of it can be washed at 30 degrees in a machine, but I'm not sure I want to test it after all that work! Handwash should do the trick. 

Happy quilting! 

Baby quilt - Part Two

Woohoo my polyester wadding from www.sewandso.co.uk (£5.95/m squared, although you may be able to get a better deal down the rag market but I was being impatient and lazy so I went online) came in the post. 

So... putting my eyeballs to one side for a little while I have started to complete the final stages of my baby quilt.

More bits and bobs you might want

I have some lovely blue bias binding (2" thick) which will match the fabric colour

Blue thread or a thread that will match your patchwork colour.

Let's get to work!

The great thing about putting bias binding around the edge of your quilt is that (as long as the wadding, patchwork and fleece material are all the same size) you can sew the quilt as you would like it to be... 

i.e. patchwork with right side facing up, wadding next, then fleece on the bottom.

Pin it all together with enough space for your sewing machine foot to get down the seams of all your patches. I have put two pins on the edges of each square but you could use safety pins to pin the middle of each square. I went from left to right and made sure the whole piece was flat. If you can work at a table that is the same size as your quilt, this is best. Mine is a little too small so I have just been extremely careful with pinning my fabric together. 

**N.B. It is worth taking time over pinning and checking the back of your three layers of fabric so that it is not puckered and looks flat before you start - saves unpicking or crying later :)

Now that all the pins are in place, I'm going to sew along the seams of the patchwork sewing the vertical rows first, then the horizontals. This is sometimes called "sewing the ditches." I've used a thread which matches the pattern of my patchwork (ubut feel free to make it your own and go crazy with a zany clashing-colour!). Also, try to keep in the ditch of the seam, although it's not too obvious if you have gone off a little bit.

GOOD LUCK!

**I'm off to do this now so I'll pop up a few pics when I get back!**

Introduction to Quilting

Although I've been sewing for a while now, this is my first foray into quilting. I've really been enjoying it and have found some great starter tutorials online.

To get you started, here are some of the tutorials and blogs that have inspired me so far!

ONLINE TUTORIALS AND DEMOS

• Intro to quilting (stuff you’ll need) by Amy Smart http://www.diaryofaquilter.com/p/beginning-quilting-series.html

• Rotary cutter demo (stuff you’ll want) with Mary Fons            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDMQyerht9E

• How to quilt circles by Jess at Elven Garden Quilts http://theelvengarden.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/decipher-your-quilt-circles.html?m=1

• Bias binding tutorial by Debbie Shore                                                  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLWfH8o49Ws

GETTING IDEAS FOR QUILTS

I have been scouring the web to find different types of quilts. 

Pinterest has been great for making mood boards and deciding which shapes make eye-catching effects.