Amy Butler's In Stitches: More Than 25 Simple and Stylish Sewing Projects (3 page)

FIGURE 4B

PATCHWORK DIAGRAM B

FIGURE 6A

PATCHWORK DIAGRAM C

SUGGESTED QUILTING LINES

FIGURE 9A

FIGURE 9C

FIGURE 9D

FIGURE 9E

Step 5. Place and attach the second layer of patchwork pieces.

a.
Take the 7 patchwork pieces, all 4 edges turned and pressed, and place them on top of the first layer of the throw in the positions shown in
FIGURE 4B
, with the
Right
side of the pieces facing up.

b.
Using large safety pins as you did in step 4d, secure the pieces in the proper places. Then, stitch the pieces in place by stitching around all 4 pressed edges, stitching close to the folded edge and backstitching at each end. Stitch through all layers.

Step 6. Mark the throw for machine quilting.

a.
Using a yardstick and a chalk pencil or fabric marker, draw quilting lines directly on the front of the throw. See
FIGURE 6A
for suggested quilting lines, or use your imagination to create a quilting pattern that pleases you.

NOTE:
Quilting has two functions: first, to add visual interest to the throw, and, second, to join the layers of the throw together. Quilting lines should be no more than 2″ apart in order to hold the layers together securely.

Step 7. Layer the backing, batting, and the patchwork front of the throw.

a.
First, spread the 58″ × 76″ piece of backing fabric on a flat, hard surface, with the
Wrong
side of the fabric facing up. Smooth the backing fabric flat.

b.
Next, place the 58″ × 76″ piece of batting on the top of the backing fabric. Smooth the batting flat, beginning at the center and working your way out to the edges.

c.
Then, place the patchwork front,
Right
side facing up, onto the batting. Smooth the front flat.

d.
Using large safety pins in many positions on the throw, secure all 3 layers together.

Step 8. Machine quilt the throw.

a.
Beginning in the center of the throw, machine stitch around each patchwork piece to secure the layers together and prevent shifting. Use the presser foot of your machine as a guide by placing the edge of the presser foot along the edge of the patchwork piece as you stitch, backstitching at each end.

b.
Now, using the quilting lines you marked in step 6a, quilt the throw by machine stitching along the lines. Begin at the center of the throw and work toward the outer edges, completing one patchwork piece before moving to another. Remember to backstitch at each end, and clip all thread tails as you work.

NOTE:
Due to the size of the throw, you will need to fold or roll it in order to fit it into the sewing machine.

Step 9. Make the bias binding for the patchwork throw.

a.
The bias
*
binding for the throw is cut on the bias of the fabric. To find the bias, take the extra yardage of the backing fabric and open it flat,
Right
side up. Fold one corner of it with
Right
sides together, matching one selvage edge with one of the cut edges to make a triangle shape. Press a crease on the fold. Then, open the fabric and cut along the pressed crease.
(
FIGURE 9A
)

*
See page 171
for an explanation of the bias of your fabric.

b.
Now, starting at one end of the cut line, measure over 4″ on the fabric’s
Right
side and make a mark. Make another mark 4″ over on the fabric from the opposite end of the cut line.

c.
Then, take your yardstick and match up the 2 marks. With a chalk pencil, mark down the side of the yardstick, drawing a line between the 2 marks. This creates a 4″-wide bias strip marked on the fabric, parallel to the newly cut bias edge. Continue to measure and mark bias strips until you have enough to make 270″ of bias tape.
(
FIGURE 9C
)

d.
To join the strips into one continuous piece, lay the strips perpendicular to each other with the
Right
sides together. Stitch across the diagonal edges of the strips with a
¹
/
₂
″ seam. Then, trim the seam allowance to
¹
/
₄
″ and press the seam open. Trim any small “tails” of fabric at the seam of the bias binding. Repeat until you have joined all of the strips into one long bias strip.
(
FIGURE 9D
)

e.
Then, fold the bias strip in half lengthwise, with the
Wrong
sides together, and press. Open the bias strip and fold each long raw edge in to meet the center crease and press again. Finally, fold the bias strip together on the original center crease and press well. The completed bias strip will be 1″ wide and all long raw edges will be hidden.
(
FIGURE 9E
)

Step 10. Attach the bias binding to the throw.

a.
First, using a ruler, make certain that the corners of the throw are straight and square. Trim off the excess batting and backing fabric, cutting them even with the edges of the front of the throw.

b.
Using the longest stitch on your machine, machine baste
*
a
¹
/
₂
″ seam completely around the outer edges of the throw. This will make it easier to attach the bias binding.

*
See page 171
for an explanation of machine basting.

c.
Now, open up the pressed bias binding. Fold the short raw end
¹
/
₂
″ in toward the
Wrong
side of the binding and press. On the back of the throw at the middle of the bottom raw edge place the folded end of the binding. With
Right
sides together, match one long raw edge of the bias binding to the bottom raw edge on the back of the throw. Pin the binding in place.

d.
To attach the binding to the throw, stitch a
¹
/
₂
″ seam along the binding fold line that’s closest to the throw’s raw edge.

e.
Stop stitching 1″ from the first corner, backstitching at the end, and then clip the threads, lift the needle and presser foot. To make a nice, neat mitered corner, first fold the binding strip away from the corner of the throw, forming a 45-degree angle. Then, fold the binding back, even with the adjacent raw edge of the throw, and pin it in place. Begin stitching again at the upper edge of the throw. Miter all 4 corners in this way.
(
FIGURE 10E
)

f.
After the fourth corner, place the rest of the binding along the bottom raw edges, overlapping the beginning of the binding by 1″, and pin it in place. Cut away any extra binding and then stitch the rest of the binding in place, and backstitch at each end. When the binding is turned to the front of the throw, the fold will conceal the raw edge at the end of the binding.
(
FIGURE 10F
)

Step 11. Complete the throw.

a.
Now, wrap the binding over the raw edge of the throw to the front. Fold under the raw edge of the binding at the outer pressed fold line. The center fold of the binding will be the outer edge of the throw. Pin the binding in place, covering the stitch line made when you stitched the binding to the backing.
(
FIGURE 11A, B, C
)