Quilt as you go

I've been sorting out my (many) Linus boxes this week, and I came across a set of blocks which were already quilted and just needed to be sewn together. They are all in bright colours and it seemed a shame not to put them together, so I decided to have my first try at quilt as you go! Firstly I auditioned sashing colours. Nothing seemed quite right, so I decided to sew them together - wadding and all - and then use a strip at the back to hide the raw edges.

Here are four of the blocks - very gutsy, as you'll surely agree!

I cut a strip about 1" wide, the length of the blocks, and placed it right side down on the edge of the blocks I was going to join together.

I sewed straight through the blocks and fabric strip.

Then I folded the strip over, turned in the edge, pinned and slip-stitched it. (It would have been even easier if I'd ironed the strip under down the free edge, but hindsight is a wonderful thing!). Since the blocks have been quilted right to the edge, it wasn't possible to trim the wadding, so the seams are a little bulky. Never mind, it'll just add to the snuggle factor!

Here are the two blocks from the front. Looking good. Now I'm off to watch the tv and sew the strips on the back!

Quilt as you go

I'd always intended to try quilt-as-you-go sometime, but so far not got round to it. I was recently given some fabric by a friend of my mum's, and in the bag were some hand-made blocks, several of which had already been quilted. There were nine of them, in co-ordinating colours, and it seemed a shame not to use them for a quilt.

Of course, they were all different sizes (ranging from 11" to 12 1/2") and had been backed with quite poor quality calico. First of all, I cut them all to 11 1/2", except for the smallest one (the one in the middle) which I gave a narrow turquoise border to bring it up to size. Then I gave the ones which had been layered up a new backing, and some machine quilting, and layered and machine quilted the ones which needed it. Then I looked up the instructions for quilt-as-you-go. It semed quite straightforward.

And, hey presto, it is straightforward! Navy sashing, and a bit of slip stitching on the back, and I'm ready to join the rows. Not looking forward to using this method for the borders though. I'll let you know how I get on.

Mile a minute

Hooray! My mile a minute top is completed! I decided to make mine 10x10 blocks, and put a narrow black border round it to make the colours sing. I'm really pleased with it, and have already started some more blocks - couldn't resist it! I'm going to give it to DS for a sofa quilt - he lives in rented accommodation and the settee has seen better days. It will be ideal for that purpose. Typically DD has also requested one, but since she currently lives at home, and the settee is still in good condition (lol) she can wait.

I also experimented a bit with variations. There's a strped frame for added pizzazz, a plain yellow frame to unify and a motif in the centre to identify the receiving group.

If you're interested in the mile a minute, then check out Fiona's beautiful top (she obviously has some very pretty fabrics in her scrap bag), Patti's amazing blocks (she's responsible for starting the whole thing off - look back to July 7th for a tutorial) and Andrea's fantastic 'quilt as you go' mile a minute quilt (yes, she's actually got a finished quilt, and a gorgeous one too!), but beware: they are very addictive!