Are scraps taking over your sewing room?
Are you tired of man hauling your quilt sandwich
through your sewing machine?
Are you looking for a fast and easy project?
In this quilting tutorial,
we are diving into the Quilt-As-You-Go method,
to make some beautiful quilts
using our scraps with my top tips and tricks.
And stay to the end
where I will be sharing some bonus layouts.
So stick with me and I'll show you how to do it.
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Hi, I'm Karen Brown of Just Get It Done Quilts.
I give you tips, tricks
and strategies to help you make the quilt
that you want to make.
And if you like what you see
please hit that subscribe button.
Quilt-as-you-go technique has been around for a long time.
It is sometimes called the potholder method
or the portable method,
because you make your quilt sandwich at the block level
and then you sew them together into rows
and then you sew the rows together to make a quilt.
It allows you to use up the batting scraps
that appear with every quilt you make.
It utilises your domestic sewing machine
as you work one block at a time
so there's no need for bigger equipment.
It also makes the handling
of the bulk of the quilt easier, eliminating the aches
and pains of handling a big quilt sandwich.
There are many different methods for quilt-as-you-go
and this is just the first in a series.
Today we're using the binding strip method
with some scrappy strip blocks.
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I like this method a lot
because it gives a nice clean finish
on the back of the block
and I especially love that you can use all different types
of scraps that accumulate from other projects,
meaning your scraps are flowing
out of your sewing room and into quilts.
Now before we do anything with our scraps
we need to know what size of block we're going to make,
and this is my first top tip.
And you want to choose a size that can do two things.
It can fit easily underneath the harp
of your sewing machine,
and you actually have a ruler in that size
and I use two, I use this nine
and a half inch ruler and I use this six by 12 inch.
When you make your block quilt sandwiches
you will need your backing
and your batting to be a 1/2"
to 1" larger than your finished size.
For your back, you can choose all the same fabrics
or a variety of fabrics, your choice,
and I find this is the perfect place
to use up the cutoffs of wide backing.
Or you can use yardage that's just hiding
in the back of your closet.
And then you need some batting squares.
And it's important that you only use one type of batting
per project as batting shrinks at different rates.
For the top, you need fabric strips.
They don't need to be scraps.
This is a perfect place for those long narrow cutoffs.
Now I have shown you previously how I process
my fabric scraps in this video here,
and I showed you how I process my batting scraps
in this video here.
And now you can see the method in my madness,
out of my bigger fabric scraps
I make 10 inch squares that I can use
for my backing and my quilt-as-you-go blocks.
And I keep all my fabric strips less than two
and a half inches here that I can use in my tops.
My batting squares I keep here and they're separated by type.
These are 100% cotton and these ones are 80/20.
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In this method, you sew fabric strips
the length of the block,
and each seam does double duty.
Not only sewing the strips together
but quilting all the layers together.
And there are four basic types of blocks.
For square blocks, you can have parallel lines
or on a diagonal, and you can also use rectangles.
Again, one with parallel lines and one on a diagonal.
Which one you use is your personal taste.
It is also your personal taste
whether you let these lines be a little bit wonky or a lot,
or you align them perfectly parallel to each other.
There are many ways that you can play
with colour within these blocks.
You can use two colours,
you can make a rainbow, from red to purple.
You can play with the value, putting high on one side
and low on the other, and any combination of these.
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First you need to clean and oil your machine.
Then set up your machine for quilting.
So that means a longer stitch length.
I like to use 2.5.
You also need to change your needle to a quilting needle
and I like to use a larger size, like a 90.
Then put on your walking foot
or engage your dual feed foot if you have one.
And in your bobbin you want a thread colour
that works with your backing fabric.
Next, pair up your backs
and your batting to make some quilt sandwiches.
Grab an assortment of your strips, lay out the first strip,
then place another strip beside it.
Aim to have contrast between these two strips.
So look for ones with a different pattern,
with a different value, a different width
or a different colour.
Though mine are all going to be the same colour,
I make it a point to contrast
at least two of these traits every time.
Place your first strip right side up.
Align the next strip right side down,
then sew a ¼" seam down the side.
Flip open, turn your work 180 degrees
and sew your next strip right side down,
on the other side of the first strip.
By placing your work in the middle of your block
you can save yourself a trip to the iron.
This is also a good place to use your steam roller.
Then take another strip and align it to the right side.
Sew a ¼" down the side, rotate,
and sew a strip along the other side, then press.
Continue to sew a strip to the side.
Rotate and sew a strip down the other side
and press until the whole batting is covered.
Do a final press with your iron.
Trimming up should be nice
and easy as we're trimming to the edge of the ruler.
And any dangling threads or thread knots are trimmed off.
This provides a nice clean finish to your block.
Give them a good look over to be sure
that all fabric is secured and threads are trimmed.
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For the diagonal block, the steps are the same.
This one I'm using 45 degrees
which means it goes from corner to corner,
but you can choose another angle if you prefer.
And here is another tip.
It's best to start with the longest piece
in the centre of the the block.
And when you add strips to each side
they get progressively smaller.
Going the opposite way, from smaller to larger,
can be a bit tricky knowing what size to choose,
and often you can be short, ask me how I know that mistake.
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So for making your blocks, I have a couple of tips.
When I make these quilt-as-you-go blocks,
I normally work with either two to six blocks at a time,
mainly so I can balance my sewing time
with my pressing time.
If perfectly parallel strips is your goal,
use the lines on your cutting mat.
Place your strip sandwich aligned to the horizontal
and vertical lines.
Then place your strip parallel to the grid.
Here's another tip,
pay attention to the width of your final strips.
You do not want a seam allowance
within the last ¼"
of the edge of the finished block.
And if you're using scraps, always be on the alert
for tiny cuts in your fabric.
Now it's really important that our blocks stay square
so keep them off to the side and try not to handle them too.
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Our blocks are going to be held together
with 1" fabric strips,
giving your blocks a stained glass appearance.
You can accentuate that look
by using black or another low value fabric,
or you can choose to use a colour that blends in.
You can use all one colour or you can use several colours.
You can use a solid fabric,
you can use a stripe or another pattern.
This is also a good place
to use up your leftover jelly roll strips
and binding strips.
You will need two 1" strips for every seam.
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Before you start this step, change your thread
to match your binding strips.
One of the hallmarks of the quilt-as-you-go method
is that you are only adding one block or one row at a time,
which minimises the bulk underneath your harp.
And since you can assemble your quilt
as you make the blocks, when you're done your last block,
you're done with the quilt, all you need is a binding
and a label.
So we will start with the blocks on the far left
of our quilt.
Here are two blocks to be sewn together.
Take two binding strips and the block on the left.
Align these strips to the right raw edge, one on top,
one on the bottom, with right sides together.
If you'd like, you can hold them together with clips,
then sew a ¼" seam through all the layers.
Next, take the block on the right, flip the block
so that the left raw edge is on the right.
With the wrong sides together,
align the bottom strip to this side.
Use clips to hold it together.
Take a second to double check that the right block
is oriented the way that you would like,
and that the top edges are even.
Then sew a ¼" seam.
Depending on what foot you're using,
you might need to hold the left seam out of the way.
Press.
Now the raw edges of your block should be tight together
with no space in between.
Turn the edge of the top strip under a scant ¼"
so that it just folds over the seam on the right.
You can secure it with either pins or glue.
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Top stitch as close to the edge as possible.
This seam will be visible on the top of the quilt
so that's why we changed our thread.
Then repeat with the next block in the row.
Continue until the row is complete.
When you sew your rows together,
you need to be sure that they butt up against each other
with no space in between.
And it's really easy for the blocks to get out of alignment,
both on top or stretch out at the bottom.
So before you sew your rows together, trim them straight.
Sewing the rows together is exactly the same
as sewing blocks together, except the seam is much longer,
so you might need to sew two binding strips together
to get the length.
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You might need to line up block strips from row to row.
Now you're done.
You just need a binding and a label.
If you're like me
and like to make all your blocks first,
then sew them together, I have a couple of shortcuts.
For the top binding strip,
you can make your own double fold binding strip
by using this little gizmo, thread it through the device
and with a hot iron, pass the fabric through.
That way you don't need to fuss to fold over that strip.
And when I attach my binding to the next block,
I change my stitch to the blind hem.
And in the bobbin I use a specialty thread
called Iron n Fuse, by Wonderfil.
So when I lay my blocks on my ironing table,
that fusible thread is on top,
and I just need to press the binding strip over
and it fuses in place.
Changing the bobbin
and the stitch every time is a little bit fussy.
So I only use this method when I'm working many rows
at a time.
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With the quilt-as-you-go method
you can just start with one block
or you can start with the final layout in mind.
You can make all the blocks align or have them staggered.
No need to make odd size blocks, just cut an existing one
and add it to the other end of the row.
One reason why I like to use my 6 x 12 block
is because it gives me more layout options.
I can have them all aligned
or I just need to turn one 90 degrees
to have a layout that has so much more impact.
And there's variations on this you can use.
How you arrange your fabrics can also have an impact
on the layout.
You can use up scrap half square triangles in the corners.
And when you start to combine colour placement, orientation
and size, you can see that there are so many ways
that you can use your scraps for good.
And one of the biggest bonuses for a quilt-as-you-go layout
is that you can always add another row,
whether for a bigger bed or for a bigger person.
I hope you find a way to make this quilt-as-you-go technique
work for your stash.
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And if you don't know, in October,
I will be heading to Honolulu to learn Hawaiian quilting
with two third generation Hawaiian quilters.
Then together, we will be visiting the other islands
aboard Norwegian's Pride of America.
It's a wonderful way to learn a new technique,
meet new friends, and see all the beauty of Hawaii.
If you would like to join us,
click on the link on my website or in the notes below.
Take care and I'll see you next time.
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