Lap Quilt Club Lesson 4- Machine Quilting We will cover : Using the walking foot Strip piece quilting Free Motion

Quilting is the act of putting three layers of fabric together Quilting is the act of putting three layers of fabric together. A top, batting and bottom layer make up the quilt.

I like to use my sewing machine to quilt I like to use my sewing machine to quilt. Some like the craft of hand sewing the 3 layers. Some use a frame to hold the quilt layers as the quilting is done. I use safety pins to hold the 3 layers together and then I use my machine to quilt.

Learn to strip piece and quilt place mats Learn to strip piece and quilt place mats. Place mats and pillow tops are nice small projects and usually the finished projects will give you a great sense of accomplishment. I will show you a few ideas you can try. Free patterns on web site

Strip piecing If you would like to strip piece quilt, start with a pre quilted fabric. I sometimes use a fusible fleece on my backing. I fuse the batting in place using a press cloth. Make sure the fusible side is toward the wrong side of the backing. Once the backing fabric is prepared, trace the pattern of what you are making on the right side of the backing and cut out the shape. The shape can be a vest front or back, a placemat, a purse body, a doll ( you get the idea).

Fusible batting is easy to use and eliminates a lot of basting Fusible batting is easy to use and eliminates a lot of basting. I use Fusible Fleece for lightweight projects like placemats and purses. It is 100% polyester. The fuse is usually on one side. The fleece is 45” wide. Fusi-boo is a lightweight batting made with bamboo and comes in different sizes.

Here are some batting types. For machine and hand quilting Here are some batting types. For machine and hand quilting. I like light weight polyester and fusible batting. If you are going to use batting made sure it is bonded so it does not clump. Cotton batting is popular but it is heavy, so I like polyester better because I do machine quilting.

Here is a special batting for pot holders with heat resistance.

To quilt a whole piece quilt top I use double faced prequilted fabric To quilt a whole piece quilt top I use double faced prequilted fabric. It makes assembly and sewing of the 3 layers a lot easier and cheaper than using a backing, batting and top layer. I have even suggested buying a comforter to use as 2 of the 3 layers when cost is a factor. Shop around. The best advise is the try the 3 layers together as one and feel the thickness and flexibility of the fabric layers before you decide what will make a good backing and batting. Try to avoid seams and extra loft battings when machine quilting.

Trim your batting to 18 ½” square which is the size of the finished block with borders! I made a poster template to help trim the batting squares to the right size.

Here is a block I have marked with a stencil and pinned to the batting and batting. It is ready to quilt! I will start by quilting the inside straight lines with the walking foot. I will then quilt one side of the stencil all the way around the block. I will finish by quilt the second side of the design.

I have used a narrow stencil 2 ½” or less to mark the border I have used a narrow stencil 2 ½” or less to mark the border. I have left about 1” free to join the blocks on the border later.

I darken the paper stencil and placed it under the lighter fabric to trace! For darker fabric you will have to use a plastic tracing stencil you can buy or cut. Since some stencils do not perfectly you may have to fit the design on the borders. I work from the center and corner of the border to “stretch” them to fit.

You can find paper stencils to print using your ink jet print You can find paper stencils to print using your ink jet print. This EQ program allow you to print stencils to the size of the border. Since the border was 12” I taped to border prints together for my lap quilt block.

The walking foot helps feed all the layers of the quilt You will need a walking foot for the quilt edges, straight line stitching, stitch in the ditch and binding. If you do not use a walking foot I guarantee a lot of puckering.

Quilt straight areas with walking foot

The strip piece block and the rotary cutter To cut strips of fabric accurately you need the rotary cutting system. For strip piecing it is a must.

Here is a picture of the rotary cutter, ruler and mat Here is a picture of the rotary cutter, ruler and mat. All are essential in using the cutting system. The rotary cutter is surgically sharp so it is important to follow all the safety rulers.

Next I lay the second strip right sides together to the first strip so the raw edges are even. I steam press each strip after I sew it and open it out to form the new background design. I continue to build the strips on the right and left of the starting strip to fill the background.

If my fabric is pre quilted or includes batting, I use the walking foot to piece the strips. Placing the walking foot on the raw edge of the seam, I can adjust the needle position on the machines to achieve a ¼” seam Once I finish the strip piecing I turn the piece over to the wrong side and sew a ¼” around the outside edge and trim the edge even.

Every time I add a strip I sew the 2 strips together with a ¼” seam Every time I add a strip I sew the 2 strips together with a ¼” seam. I then open the strip and press it flat and get it ready to add additional strips. Here are some strip quilt masterpieces. Free pattern available

You can construct a block for your lap quilt using strip piecing You can construct a block for your lap quilt using strip piecing. Cut a back ground 13” ( trim it to 12 ½” later) Strip piece the block from the center out and add decorative stitches to the seams for a nice effect. Here is my block in the first few stages.

Here is a log cabin block I am using for the center of a pillow Here is a log cabin block I am using for the center of a pillow. I will strip piece the corners to fill the pillow top. The pillow will be finished with piping and boxed to cover and old foam pillow. The seating pillow will then match my lap quilt.

More strip quilt projects More strip quilt projects! I also have a link to my Pinterest page devoted to strip piecing. You can get some inspiration here!

Free pattern available

Learn to do free motion quilting. It is like drawing with your machine Learn to do free motion quilting. It is like drawing with your machine. Use the free motion foot for best results. I suggest making a practice square you can warm up on before you begin your good project.

Side to side motions and up and down motions are best Side to side motions and up and down motions are best. Try to run your sewing machine at a good even and medium sewing speed. I use quilting gloves for a good grip on the fabric. Here is a demonstration on how the technique works using this foot. The video was created by Singer.

Once you learn to free motion quilt you can even make fancy quilting designs on solid fabrics.

Here is an example of quilting the print in the fabric using free motion. I loved these butterflies and made some placemats using free motion.