Adding a flange to your quilt

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When I want just an accent of color without adding another border, I like to add a flange to my quilt top. In the table runner above, I wanted to add a little more red around the outside and the flange was just what I needed.

Adding a flange is really easy. I like to start with a strip of fabric that is 3/4″ to 7/8″ wide. I used 7/8″ in this example. Make it as long as needed, piecing together strips if necessary to get the correct length. You will fold the strip in half along the length with wrong sides together. Press.

Next, you will pin this to the edge of you quilt top with raw edges even and the fold facing the middle of the quilt. Using a basting stitch (long stitch length of 4.0 – 5.0) sew a very scant 1/4″ seam as shown below.

Repeat this on the opposite side. Next you will do the same thing for the top and bottom, overlapping the flange at the corners.

Now you add the next border as you normally would, matching raw edges and stitch using a 1/4″ seam. You might want to use a walking foot for this step since you’re sewing through so many layers. (I didn’t use one in this picture, but I often do).

Press the border strip towards the border, making sure that the flange remains flat.

To make your flange really effective, it’s important that you have good contrast between the flange and both sides of the quilt that it touches. I will often use a flange as a bridge between two borders that need the extra pop of color to make them stand out. It’s also a nice way to add a “border” without growing your quilt – it doesn’t add any width or length to the finished size.

Here, I have added a small (I started with a 3/4″ wide strip) flange between two grey toned borders and I wanted just a bit of pink to show up.

Flange is very similar to piping, but much easier. With piping, you enclose cording in the center of your strip of fabric to make it rounder and fuller. It has a very tailored look to it, but it does involve an additional step that requires more time. I typically don’t have the extra time – I’m ready to move on to the next project!

You can also use a flange between your border and binding. In the following picture I have added a flange (piping actually!) between both: two borders and the border/binding.

Next time you’re wanting to add a little “pop” to your quilt, think about adding a flange!

My first quilt – the 9-patch!

3 / 1 / 123 / 26 / 12

It’s been 13 years since I completed my first quilt and I still love this little 9-patch. It’s a doll-size quilt as you can see….

Our puppy, Cooper, is curious about the new visitor (Baby Bitsy).

Here’s a new 9-patch block that I’m working on with my beginning quilting students:

I thought I would share a few tips on making this one. I started with (3) 2 1/2″ wide strips of blue fabric and (3) 2 1/2″ wide strips of yellow fabric. I sewed them into strip sets and pressed towards the darker fabric.

Then I subcut them into 2 1/2″ wide segments and laid them out to form the 9-patch.

I placed the first two segments right sides together and pinned the seam intersections on both sides of the seam. You can also use just one pin and pin it at a diagonal.

You want really snug intersections so that you get this:

Then you stitch the remaining segment onto the other side just like before and you will press your seams toward the outside.

Your block should measure 6 1/2″ square. If it’s bigger than that, then your seam allowance is too scant and if it’s smaller than 6 1/2″ square, then your seam allowance is too big. Also check to make sure that you have pressed your seams flat. You can see my tutorial on the perfect 1/4″ seam allowance for more information.

I made a total of five 9-patch blocks. I alternated them with (4) 6 1/2″ (unfinished size) plain blocks. Here’s what it looks like after stitching the rows together:

I pressed my seams toward the plain squares. Then I stitched my rows together and added a 2 1/2″ wide border to all sides.

When adding borders, you want to make sure you cut your borders to fit your quilt top rather than sewing on a long strip and cutting off the excess as shown in this picture:

The “proper” way to add borders is to measure your quilt top through the middle and along both edges and then take an average of those three measurements. Cut your first two borders to that measurement. This step helps to keep your quilt top “square” and prevents your borders from becoming wavy.

Since this is a small quilt, I chose to cheat a bit. Rather than taking actual measurements, I laid my border strips across the center of my quilt top and cut the borders even with both edges.

After sewing the first two borders on, repeat for the remaining two border strips.

I pinned my borders in place and then stitched. If you have a big quilt, it’s a good idea to mark the center of your border strip and the center of your quilt top and match both centers and pin. Match the ends and pin, and pin in between as necessary. Press towards the outer border.

After adding the dark blue borders, I added the final border (4 1/2″ wide).

I love the butterfly fabric, don’t you? It’s been in my stash for a while. Love using up my stash!

Next step: basting the quilt top, batting, and backing together! I’ll be back to share my favorite way to baste soon.

Free Motion Quilting Challenge

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I have just completed February’s Free Motion Quilting Challenge at Sew Cal Gal and it was a blast! I just discovered this challenge earlier this month and it’s been on my “to do” list for weeks. I love how it turned out!

This month’s guest teacher is Diane Gaudynski and she has been my idol for years. Diane does the most amazing free motion quilting and her feathers make me want to cry, they are so beautiful! Her tutorial is just like taking a class from her (I can only imagine since I haven’t had the opportunity).

She has you start with the feather’s spine. I decided to try a branching spine. I used my trusty blue water soluble pen to mark it with.

Once you feather to the top of the spine, you echo back down around the outside.

Now I have my feather completed. Whew! That took me about 30 minutes to complete.

I decided it needed some background stitching to make the feather really stand out. I thought I would try a design called Bouncing Bananas that Diane shows in her book, “Quilt Savvy, Gaudynski’s Machine Quilting Guidebook”.

It really does look like bouncing bananas, but I think my bananas are a little skinny.

It’s a nice change from the same old stippling and it adds great texture and interest too.

I have to admit that this technique takes a lot of practice to get right. I keep trying and it’s getting much better. The key is to practice, practice and relax while you’re doing it. A glass of wine or cup of tea can’t hurt either!

I can’t wait to see who next month’s teacher is going to be! To be part of the challenge go to Sew Cal Gal’s FMQ page and join today!

Basted but not quilted…

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This is my stack of quilts that have been basted, but not quilted (yet). Oh how the backlog keeps growing! What’s a girl to do when a new project comes along and you just have to start it. That’s right, your stack of unquilted quilts gets bigger!

The one on top has been basted for at least two years now! It’s actually half-way quilted, but I can’t seem to get it finished! This is an adaptation of an Alex Anderson quilt that was published in American Patchwork & Quilting years ago.

As I peel back the layers of this pile, you’ll see a quilt that has been stitched in the ditch, but now it’s time for free motion quilting. This one is from a pattern called “Snowflower” from Bread & Butter Quilts (sorry, but I can’t find the pattern anywhere!).

Here’s the detail of the proposed quilting. I love the blue water soluble pens for marking! They go on easy and come off easy, plus you can see them easy. I like easy!

This next one is a table runner that I’m hoping to submit to the Moda Bakeshop – so you’re only getting a sneak peek!

I had some left over 5″ charm squares from Urban Cowgirls, by Urban Chiks for Moda so I made a little runner out of them:

And this one is going to have to wait until next Valentine’s day:

This is a panel by Moda from a few years back and I’ve started the quilting already. Here’s a detail picture of the pumpkin seed quilting (as I call it):

Do you notice that none of my quilts have safety pins in them? That’s because they have all been spray-basted! This is my absolute favorite way of basting quilts and ~~I’ll be doing a future post on that method~~ can now be found at How To Spray Baste Your Quilt.

In the meantime, I’m hoping to shrink this pile of quilts!

I love Dresden Plates and …

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Anne Sutton of Bunny Hill Designs! She has a beautiful website and blog and I have always loved her patterns and her fabric. She does beautiful applique work and has great tutorials.

This year she is hosting a Scrappy Plate Club. It started in January and continues for six months and when you’re done you will have a beautiful Dresden Plate quilt! Each month she will give instructions to make a dresden plate block and quilt. Here’s what my fabric stash for this project looks like: