Beginner's Guide To Quilting - UK (2020-04)

How to ‘bag out’ a quilt

If you’re brand new to quilt making, why not skip making the quilt

sandwich and binding altogether and try this easy method instead.

Step 1 Press your finished quilt

top. Cut a piece of wadding a

couple of inches bigger than the

top and fix the two layers together

by pinning, tacking or gluing.

Step 2 Now quilt by hand or

machine through these two

layers. Pull all your thread ends

through to the back, tie them off

and trim the ends. Trim the edges

of this piece and any loose

threads (they will be sewn into the

final edging seam, so there’s no

need to tie them off).

Step 3 Cut the backing fabric to

measure the same size as the

quilt top and place the two layers

right sides together (so the wrong

sides are on the outside). Sew

together all around the edge

using a ¼–³⁄ 8 in seam, leaving a

gap of about 10–12in to turn the

quilt through.

Step 4 Clip the corners to reduce

bulk, then turn the quilt right way

out. Press the quilt and all seams

carefully, then turn in the edges of

the gap and slip stitch closed

(see ‘how to slip stitch’ below).

Step 5 If desired, fix the backing

fabric more securely by adding

further lines of quilting through all

three layers, or by tying the quilt

together at regular intervals.

Backing fabric on

top of quilted quilt

top, right sides

together

Sew together

all round the

edge

Leave gap for

turning through

Work the quilting through just the

quilt top and wadding

Position the ties at regular

intervals, as shown here

Beginner’s Guide to Quilting 59

Backing

Wadding

Quilt top

the layers together and stitched it all

together using our quilting guide.

Now for the finishing touch – tidying

up those messy edges!

Binding finishes off a quilt

beautifully, acting as a ‘frame’. It’s also

a very practical addition as it protects

the edges of the quilt from wear and

tear. Quilters usually use binding strips

that are cut on the bias, that is

diagonally across a piece of fabric,

which gives the strips more stretch.

However, if your quilt is square or

rectangular you don’t need bias strips,

just straight-cut ones. If your quilt has

curved corners or a scalloped edge then

bias-cut strips would be useful.

You can buy binding ready to use or

make your own (see page 63). You can

find ready-made binding in sewing

stores, which is a quick option, but the

colour choices are limited and the

binding is normally a single layer,

which isn’t as durable as a double-fold

binding. You can also now increasingly

get patterned fabric bindings, but they

may not suit the rest of your quilt

design. Most quilters prefer to make

their own binding as they can then

choose the fabric to suit their quilt, and

also create a double-layered binding,

which is more hardwearing.

If you make your own binding you

can also use up any scraps or offcuts of

fabrics. Whether ready-made or

home-made, binding is sewn to the quilt

in the same way. When starting out, it’s

best to work with right-angled corners,

or turn to page 71 for how to add mitred

corners. There is also a method known

as self-binding, where the backing

material is cut 2in (5cm) larger than the

quilt top, folded over and tucked inside

itself before being stitched in place. See

page 141 for

a more detailed description.

All about Quilting

HOW TO TIE A QUILT HOW TO SLIP STITCH

8

9

Slip stitch, or invisible stitch, is used to

finish off seams left open for turning.

To work the stitch, make small stitches as

close to the seam as possible, alternating

between each of the sides. Your finished

join should be almost invisible.