Cut away from you in one movement.
• Always use your acrylic ruler; never be tempted to use a normal one.
• Be careful to ensure that your fingers are not over the edge of the ruler when you cut.
• If you feel the ruler slip when you cut, buy some sticky pads to apply to the ruler to keep it in place. You can also stop cutting halfway up a piece of fabric, move your hands up, then continue cutting.
• Take care when changing the blade on your cutter. It will need changing when it stops cutting correctly.
• Discard old blades carefully.
Making a quilt sandwich
Once you have made your quilt top, the next stage is to make a quilt sandwich, so called as it has three layers – the backing, wadding (batting) and quilt top. As this is purely functional and not creative, it is my least favourite part of the quilt-making process, but it is essential to take time over it and get it right so you end up with a lovely, smooth quilt.
Sometimes it may be necessary to join pieces of fabric together to make a large enough piece of backing fabric. If you need to join two fabrics together, press the seams open so the fabric lies flat. It does not have to be the same fabric used – I really like the look of a quilt back which features more than one fabric. Alternatively, you can buy extra wide, craft-weight fabric.
Assembling the layers
1 Press the backing fabric, then lay it out on a table or floor, right side down. Smooth it out so it is flat. If I am working on a quilt larger than 1yd (1m), then it can be helpful to use low tack masking tape to secure the backing to a surface, which helps keep it flat while you work. Make sure it is not pulled too tight.
2 Lay the wadding (batting) on top. Smooth it so it is completely flat.
3 Take the quilt top, press it flat and snip off any loose threads.
4 Place the quilt top on the wadding (batting) and backing, ensuring it is positioned in the middle. I like to have an extra 4in (10.2cm) of wadding (batting) and backing on each side of my quilt top. This allows for any movement while quilting. Smooth again, so all three layers are flat.
5 Use quilter’s safety pins to hold the layers together. Starting in the centre, pin every 4–6in (10.2–15.2cm) in rows, to make a grid format. Alternatively, you can tack (baste) large stitches across the quilt sandwich in a grid format.
Quilting
Quilting is the process that holds the layers together. It is decorative, adding pattern and texture, but also functional – without quilting, the wadding (batting), which gives the quilt warmth, would ball up within the quilt after a few washes. Wholecloth quilts are made from a single piece of fabric that is quilted, which is a great way of using a favourite piece of fabric without piecing it. Give yourself time to ponder on whether you wish to hand or machine quilt, and what sort of design you wish to use. Look through books and go to quilt shows for ideas on how others have used quilting to enhance their quilts. For inspiration, look at the fabrics used in quilts – fabrics with circles may inspire curved quilting, and geometric shapes might suggest straight line quilting, or you can just quilt an allover pattern.
Whether you hand or machine quilt, always start in the middle and work your way out to the edges. This helps to smooth the layers as you work.
Marking the quilting pattern
You can stitch around the pieces of fabric, using your eye for guidance, but in most instances you will want to mark your quilting lines on the top. You can either mark your quilt up before assembling the layers, which is good as there are no pins to get in the way, or afterwards, which is handy if using a chalk marker as it rubs off easily and may otherwise disappear by the time you start quilting.
There are a wide variety of marking tools available. My favourites are:
Water-soluble pens: Draw your quilting shapes on the fabric then, when you have finished, the pen comes out when it comes into contact with water. Always test the pen on a piece of scrap fabric before using it on a quilt, and never iron as it fixes it.
Quilter’s masking tape: This is 1⁄4in (0.6cm) wide and low tack so it doesn’t leave any residue on the fabric. You stick it on the quilt top, then stitch alongside it, being careful not to stitch on top of it. You can re-use masking tape in various places on the quilt until it loses its tack.
Chalk liners: These draw a line in chalk which can be easily removed. The white chalk is ideal for marking dark fabrics that are too dark to show a water-soluble marker. Always test on a scrap of fabric before use, especially if using yellow or blue chalk.
Tie or button quilting
The easiest way to quilt by hand is simply to tie lengths of perle or embroidery thead at regular intervals through your quilt. Starting in the middle of the quilt, with the right side facing, take the needle through to the back, then up again to the front about 1⁄4in (0.6cm) away from the first stitch. Take the thread through to the back, then the front again and tie off in a reef knot. Trim to leave a tail, which can be as long as you wish. You can double thread your needle for more definition.
Button quilting works in the same way, with the buttons being sewn on through the quilt. They can look very decorative, especially if you choose interesting buttons that contrast with the fabric.
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