bottom edges of the quilt as before.
Press the seam towards Border 2.23
Measure the length of your
quilt vertically down the centre
and trim two strips this length from
the remainder of the long strip. Sew
them to the left and right edges of
the quilt, as before.FINISHING24
Cut the backing fabric into two
equal lengths and remove the
selvedges. Sew the pieces together
side by side using a^11 ⁄ 2 in seam and
press it open.25
The quilt top, backing and
batting are ready for a longarm
machine as they are. If you’re doingthe quilting on a domestic machine or
by hand, smooth out the backing fabric
on the fl oor, right side down, and
secure it with masking tape. Lay the
batting on top, ensuring it is free
of wrinkles. After pressing the quilt top,
lay it on top of the batting, right side
facing up, and baste the three layers
together with safety pins (for machine
quilting) or thread (for hand quilting).26Quilt as desired. Debby used
a free-motion foot to stipple
her quilt in rows using fi ve different
coloured threads. She suggests that
hand quilting this design using Perlé
8 threads would be a lovely alternative.27
When the quilting is done,
trim the excess backing fabricand batting^1 ⁄ 4 in outside the edge
of the quilt.28Join the seven binding strips
(cut in Step 5) end to end with
diagonal seams to make one length,
trim them to^1 ⁄ 4 in and press them
open. Fold the strip in half, long
edges matching and wrong sides
together, and press.29With raw edges together,
stitch the binding to the edge
of the quilt with a^1 ⁄ 4 in seam, mitring
the corners as you go and referring
to the Binding Diagrams below for
the details.30Turn the binding over and
stitch it by hand to the back of
the quilt. Label and date your quilt.Join the ends by matching the fold line and the drawn line and sewing them together.
Trim the seam, press it open and refold the binding, then finish sewing it to the quilt.Mitring corners
40cm (16in)
Rule a line along the
45-degree foldBinding diagrams
DEBBY DEWHURST
How long have you been creating with fabric?
Since I was 10 years old. I was lucky to have
a lovely neighbour who gave me all her fabric
ofcuts for dolls’ clothes. There were always
interesting bits of lace and trims from the
clothes, curtains and cushions that she made.
Do you like to work in a wide variety of
styles and designs?Simple piecing andappliqué are my favourites. Keeping it pretty
will always be my first choice, and having
pink, blue, green and yellow is a must.
How did this fabulous spotted design come
about – what was your source of inspiration?
My daughter gave me some very pretty,
spotty fat quarters, and I added them to my
own spotty stack. Tied with a pretty ribbon,
they sat on my sewing table until inspiration
struck. Spots and circles – of course, they’re
made for each other.
Have you done anything like this before?
No, this is the first ‘make a block then cut it
up’ quilt that I have done. There are endless
possibilities in putting it back together,
though, so I’ll definitely make more.
What do you do with all your finished
projects? Most of them go to family members,
but I do have a shelf in my ‘Happy Cabinet’
full of folded quilts.
Have there been many finished designs you
simply couldn’t part with? Yes, my Star
Flower Quilt – one year to collect Japanese
fabric and draw a pattern; one year to hand
piece it; and one year to hand quilt it. That
quilt’s not going anywhere!
How many stitched projects do you think
you’ve made over the years? Oh! mygoodness, way too many to count. You know
the saying ‘You can never have too many
cushions’. Well, you can!
What’s next on your creative agenda? I have
some beautiful organic bamboo fabric in soft
autumn solids to make some leaf-shaped
quilted playmats for my new granddaughter.
That’s going to be a fun project collaboration
with my daughter-in-law.
Are you someone who likes to work on several
projects at once or do you prefer to see one
project through before starting another?
I usually have a few projects going at once.
There’s always a quilt to sew, but I like to sit in
the garden to appliqué or English paper piece.
I always have some knitting or crochet to do in
the evenings. Granny squares are always good
to pop in your bag for crafting on the go, too.
Were you professionally trained in stitching
and craft or are you self-taught? I’ve actually
been taught by all those wonderful, generous
quilters who share their knowledge and
inspiration in books and magazines like
Homespun. There’s always something new to
learn and easier ways of doing things and to
keep up to date with what’s going on in the
stitching world. So, it’s a big thank you for
your great magazine.Get ing to know ...