Finished this quilt yesterday. I had a jellyroll of a set of batik strips (Moda) which I’ve had in my stash for a while – when I came across a photo of a quilt like this I thought it a good way to use up that roll. Easy to construct, essentially, the small blocks are a variant of a log cabin, the joining sashing includes blocks of the print fabric and then the outer sashing is solid (although I could have added in small blocks to join up the big squares. In any case, the real challenge was what to do about quilting this quilt because the large blocks were 14″ x 14″ and the largest design I can create in my Grand Dream Hoop is 13.5″ x 13.5″. I set up a design that consisted of 4 smaller elements (there are two difficulties using the large turnable hoop – 1. the design shouldn’t cross over the middle, it won’t likely align when the hoop is turned, and 2. because of the size and weight of the quilt there is drag on this large hoop and so the two sides are never perfectly aligned).
The left side of the design replicates the right side. I wanted the design to embroider the background center block, not leave it empty. For the sashing I created a design using one of the machine quilting stitches and fit it within the 360 x 200 hoop so that it would fill the length of the sashing pieces, and then a small single-run flower for the corners of the sashing.
Here’s the quilt back:
A pieced strip using the small amount of leftovers from the strips plus a 2 1/2″ strip of some fabrics that I thought blended with the original fabrics.
The binding used six strips from the original roll.
Quilt is just beautiful.
Thanks
Do you have instructions on how to make the quilt top?
I don’t have instructions, but here are some hints I gave earlier which you might find helpful:
“I did not have a pattern – I worked from a picture I’d found online. The quilt uses a jelly roll – so the strips are 2 1/2″ wide. I worked the blocks, then added the “sashing” rows/columns. The basic block uses a 2 1/2″ background square, joined to a 2 1/2″ jelly roll piece, to which is added a 4 1/2″ jelly roll piece, and a second 4 1/2″ jelly roll piece and finally a 6 1/2″ jelly roll piece. I made 48 blocks. Then joined 4 blocks with the “sashing” using background strips and jelly roll squares… Look closely at the picture and you’ll find you can figure this out. It was really very simple. Because the strips from the jelly roll coordinated so well, I didn’t worry about which strip went where – it all turned out in the end. Good luck with the project. Let me know how it goes.”
I love your quilt! I am planning a 20th Anniversary quilt for my brother & sister-in-law and this is the design I will use. I have a 1957 Singer Slant-O-Matic which comes with design disks. I haven’t tried them out yet, but I will on the white sashing. I love the back of your quilt too!
Janine from Peterborough, Ontario, Canada.
Be sure to do some test runs on your stitching – if you can adjust stitch length, try a 3.0 mm stitch (just a hint longer than default setting of 2.5 mm
Beautiful quilt – do you have any idea how much background fabric this would take? It looks like the quilt is about 66″ x 50″, is that correct?
Those are more or less the dimensions – it’s a lap quilt. As for fabric it took one jellyroll of batik fabric (which is about 1 1/2m of fabric) and more or less the same amount of the background fabric plus fabric for borders and binding.
I love this quilt – you did an excellent job on it. I am a collector of batik scraps – always in search of the right inspiration to bring so many beautiful colors together into one quilt without it looking like quilt train wreck. I really like what you’ve done – very orderly to show off so much. Thank you from Connecticut
Gorgeous quilt. I wouldn’t dare to machine quilt it – not my forte, but I would love to hand quilt it!
I quilt my quilts in the hoop on my embroidery machine. I set up a single run embroidery that will fill each block, then embroider each block. Somewhat tedious, but probably doesn’t take much more time than long arm quilting it.
Good for you. I hand-quilt 99% of my quilts, which takes a lot of time, but keeps me off the streets and out of mischief!
JMN, you’re my HERO!!! I developed a brain disorder about ten years ago that caused me to forgot most of what I knew about quilting. (I’m so richly blessed in so many other ways though – like in finding your blog! ☺) I’ve got a precious friend who is helping me to quilt again because I’m basically a beginner. She’s also helped me with basic machine embroidery since I own a wonderful embroidery machine. But for some reason we’ve never discussed quilting in a hoop. As you’d probably guess, I’ve used stitch in the ditch for the final quilting. You’ve just given me a wonderful gift by reminding me that some quilters “quilt” using designs on their embroidery machines. WOW, WOW, WOW!
Thank you for sharing your passion of quilting and giving me this new memory (that I’ll add to my new quilting journal just for backup), JMN! God bless you and thanks again!☺☺☺ Linda
Do you have a pattern for this quilt. It is beautiful!
Peggy, I did not have a pattern – I worked from a picture I’d found online. The quilt uses a jelly roll – so the strips are 2 1/2″ wide. I worked the blocks, then added the “sashing” rows/columns. So the block uses a 2 1/2″ background square, joined to a 2 1/2″ jelly roll piece, to which is added a 4 1/2″ jelly roll piece, and a second 4 1/2″ jelly roll piece and finally a 6 1/2″ jelly roll piece. So I made 48 blocks. Then joined 4 blocks with the “sashing” using background strips and jelly roll squares… Look closely at the picture and you’ll find you can figure this out. It was really very simple. Because the strips from the jelly roll coordinated so well, I didn’t worry about which strip went where – it all turned out in the end. Good luck with the project. Let me know how it goes.
I have a 2170 machine with the Grand Hoop-250x225mm. I’ve never quilted anything in that hoop, or larger than a table runner. You’ve given me some inspiration for using that hoop which also requires turning. Your quilt is lovely, btw!
It takes some planning but it’s definitely possible to use that hoop for quilting – btw, I don’t use the clips – the bulk of the quilt would just stretch them out. And I use the Frixion markers (the markings disappear with ironing) to establish the center of the block. I also often use a 200 x 200 hoop, as well as the 150 x 150 for smaller blocks.Give it a try, you’ll be surprised how it all works out.
This one is stunning Judith, one of my favourites so far! Mary Ann
BTW, Katie and the girls arrive on Thursday afternoon for the weekend, so hopefully you will get to meet them.
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