Finishing Instructions

Here's my finished quilt top:

Yeah!!!  It's size is 58" x 72"  here are the instructions to make your quilt this size:

Cutting Instructions:

1)  From the background/sashing fabric, cut 12 -- 2 1/2" strips.

2)  Take 6 of the 2 1/2" strips and cut them into 17 -- 2 1/2" x 12 1/2" sashing rectangles.  (There will be one left over.)

3)  From the border fabric, cut 1 -- 2 1/2" strip and 6 -- 7 1/2" strips.

4)  From the border 2 1/2" strip, cut 6 -- 2 1/2" squares.  This doesn't take the whole strip.

Sewing Instructions:

1)  First lay out your quilt.  When you are doing this, try to balance your blocks.  Spread out strong colors.  A design wall is nice to be able to hang the blocks, leave them, and come back with fresh eyes.  Don't worry if you don't have a design wall.  Grab your digital camera and look at your quilt through the camera.  It gives you a different perspective.  One other tip is to squint.  It sounds silly, but I do it all the time. 

2)  Once you have the blocks the way you want, you can start sewing.  Assemble each row sewing a sashing rectangle between each block as shown:

3)  Also sew three sashing rows together with 3 sashing rectangles and 2 of the 2 1/2" squares from the border fabric as shown:

4)  Sew the rows together by sewing a sashing row between each row of blocks as shown below.  This center should measure 40 1/2" x 54 1/2."

5)  Now for the borders.   First the sashing border.  Take the 6 sashing strips.  Sew them into two long strips that are each 3 strips long.  Take one of these long strips and cut the left and right borders from it.  The left and right borders should measure 54 1/2" long.  Sew these on first.   Press and measure your quilt and cut the borders the size of your quilt. 

6)  Then sew on the top and bottom borders.  Take the other long sashing border strip.  Cut two pieces 44 1/2" long from it.  Once again, make the borders the size of your quilt.

7)  Now for the last border.  Once again, sew the outer border strips into 2 sets of 3 strips.  From these strips cut 4 pieces 58 1/2" long.  First sew on the left and right borders.  Then sew on the top and bottom border.

8)  That's it!  For the backing, take the 3 3/4 yards, cut it in half (or two pieces about 67" long) and sew them back together along the selvage.  You will need a twin size batt.  Quilt it by hand, machine, or by checkbook, and then bind.  For the binding you will need 7 -- 2 1/2" strips.  I do have a binding tutorial HERE if you are interested.

Alternate layouts:

For my swanky quilt, I decided to forego the sashing and just sew the blocks together.  I was going to make the borders the same size, but I didn't have enough fabric.  The first border is cut 2."  The second border is 5."  The quilt measures 48" x 60."  I am surprised at how much I like it.

Also, I got this picture from a fellow quilter, Terry.  HERE is her blog post about this quilt.  Terry made just nine blocks.  I think a couple of the blocks are her own design.  I love her pieced border. 

So put your quilt together however you choose.  Did you only finish 3 blocks?  Make a table runner.  4 blocks?  Make a baby quilt or a table topper.  7 blocks?  Make a baby quilt out of 6 blocks and put the 7th on the back as the label.  Just finish it!!!!

Than post your pictures on Flickr so we can all revel in the fun quilts whether you use my finishing instructions or not. 

Drawing Dates:

Monday, August 16th from the Flickr pool
Monday, August 30th from the Flickr pool
Monday, August 30th from the Participants Blog Post

Information for Locals:

For those of you who live around here, I would love to see these quilts in either the Peteetneet Quilt Show in June or the Spanish Fork Pioneer Day Quilt Show on, well, Pioneer Day during their Fiesta Days.  Those are two shows I am involved with.  If you don't live around here, consider putting your quilt in one of your local quilt shows.  It is so fun to see you quilt hanging with other lovely quilts.  You get to see it in a different perspective.