I have some type of a glitch with drop box on the new computer right now. Waiting for computer guy. Will post a picture when I can. BUT if I don't get directions to myself written, in a couple days I will not remember what I did.
So, making notes so I know for next time.
8 rows by 10 rows
approximately 60" x 90"
which is a great size for a nap/lap type quilt
I cut 8x8 flannel squares and sewed them into rows. So 8" cut. 7 1/2" finished.
I had a few cotton pieces and a few interfaced T-shirt squares too. But mostly it was flannel. I alternated light and dark color values so it flows. So it was very much a "scrap" looking quilt. But the eye has a way of knowing where to go with the light and dark diagonal rows. I almost always do this either thru color or light/dark when I make a scrap quilt.
And it truly was scrap. I started with squares I already had cut for the baby quilt project I rejected after trying one quilt (exposed seam allowances which made it too linty for me). I added some prints to the original pieces, but most of it is non baby prints I was planning to use for a series of baby quilts. One big quilt instead of several small ones. I still have squares left for other projects.
I sewed the rows together, attaching to white flannel, quilt as I went, method.
I sewed strips of white flannel together, as I went, as Joanns did not have wide widths.
When I got the whole top together, I serged the outer edges, all the way around.
Then I sewed three more sets of white flannel together to make a big enough piece and added another layer to the back, making sure the white flannel seam allowances did not end up in the same places.
I then quilted through all three layers, on the machine, in the horizontal ditch. Or I should say about 1/8" out of the ditch, reinforcing all those seams, by sewing on the seam allowances.
When I sew rows together or machine quilt, I alternate directions so the quilt stays flat. So I sew right to left one time, the left to right the next. Otherwise the fabric "walks".
Then I sewed around the outside edge again, zigzagging, to hold everything together.
I put fleece on the back. I put a pin in the center, through all the layers, of each 8x8" square. Then I sewed, through all those layers, vertically in the ditch. BECAUSE the stretch of the fleece was horizontal. So I got everything held in place vertically first. (That is why I sewed horizontally through the top and two layers of flannel backing, because the fleece stretch was horizontal. Quilter told me to do that.) Then I went back and sewed in the ditch horizontally and then cross hatched (corner to corner to corner thru all the diagonal rows which makes an X in each square).
The fleece was slippery, but manageable.
I cut my binding at 3" and used a wider seam allowance to sew it to the quilt to hide the serged and zigzagged outer edges. I used a cotton print for the binding. Same cotton as one of the squares in the quilt. I knotted most of my stitches, all the way around that quilt for longevity as it is a thick, heavy quilt and it is going to a guy, who I think will really use it.
Really good weight for winter. It is tactile because of the fleece and flannel.
My quilter had told me I needed two layers of flannel as "batting" to work with the fleece and I think she was right. Just sewing the quilt top to the fleece would not have had a quilt look. The top would have disappeared into the fleece in an odd way. This has a quilt look.
This was a very simple quilt, because the blocks are not pieced. But it still took time because I quilted it myself and there was a lot of fussing around all those layers.
I layed it out, arranging blocks one night. Added a few blocks another night. Sewed into rows one day. Then sewed the rows together and did all the quilting and sewed on the binding in one marathon day. Then I did the handwork of the binding, one side at a time, over four days, to protect my hands. My left thumb is greatly impacted by too much "holding" at one time.
I might have a picture up in a few hours or a week. Not sure when computer guy will get back to me since "Dropbox" is not an emergency.
And I have learned I have to make these notes or a week later I am not sure what I did. I have made so many things over the years that they run together. And you can tell when I write these that there are definite tricks/techniques with each one.
