Positive Space QAL – Finishing the Quilt

If you are new to quilt-basting, let me please refer you to these great, free tutorials:

• Spray and Pin-Basting Tutorial from That Girl, That Quilt:

http://www.thatgirlthatquilt.com/2010/12/basting-tutorial.html

• Pin Basting from Red Pepper Quilts:

http://www.redpepperquilts.com/2009/06/basting-and-batting.html

• Spray Basting from Film in the Fridge:

http://www.filminthefridge.com/2011/03/03/spray-adhesive-for-quilt-basting-a-quick-how-to/
I absolutely love spray basting.  I will never, ever go back to pin basting as I have had much better results with this method – not to mention that it is QUICK.    Here’s my quilt all laid out, happily basted on my living room floor.

Think you can’t quilt this on your home machine?  I say hogwash!  For this quilt, you can get a great look by doing simple straight-line quilting.  Here’s what I did:

I carried these lines all the way to the edge of the quilt.  In fact – the only places I marked the quilt-top were in the outside borders, making sure my lines stayed straight.  Other than that, I just used the corners of my pieced squares as guides as I sewed!

Looking at the above diagram, I first sewed the red diagonal lines.  I rolled up my quilt (it’s a Queen-size) from opposite corners so that the middle of the quilt (on a diagonal) was what was left exposed.  I like to start in the middle to tackle the most difficult part first.  Once I get the absolute centers of the quilt done, I know that the bulk in the neck of my machine will just get smaller as I go.  So I do my center “Red” line, and then head to the outside.  I flip the quilt around and do the next center-most “Red” line and head out to the other side.  Then I flip the quilt, re-roll, and do the same method for the “Blue” lines.  Then I re-roll and do the “Green” lines, starting in the center and working to one side, then flipping it around and going from the center to the other side.  I re-roll and do the “Orange” lines doing the same center-out process.  Then I have a glass of wine!

So here’s my quilt!  All quilted!  All square!  It just needs binding.  I’m going to use this fabric – snazzy!

If you are new to binding a quilt, let me please refer you to his great tutorial:

http://crazymomquilts.blogspot.com/2008/10/binding-tutorial.html

or this one!

http://www.redpepperquilts.com/2009/11/binding-tutorial.html
You’ll have to excuse me for not having a finished, binded quilt picture to show you.  I have other deadlines I need to pursue!  But thank you all SO MUCH for following along, regardless of when you’ve found these blog posts.