them a little outside the corners of
the outer cornerstones, creating a
mock inner border of red and white
spot print fabric as Michelle has done.Add the borders
27
Join the fi ve 1^1 ⁄ 2 in strips of
solid red fabric cut for Border
1 together, end to end, to create one
long strip.28
Measure your quilt horizontally
through the centre and trim
two strips this length from the long
strip. Sew them to the top and
bottom edges of the quilt. Press
seams outwards.29
Measure your quilt vertically
through 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 and press as before.30
Cut the 2in strips of light-value
and medium-value red on
white print fabrics into rectangles
ranging in length from 3in to 8in.
Cut a few rectangles from each fabric
to begin with and then cut more as
needed. Sew the rectangles together,
end to end, at random to create a
strip about 100in long.31
Measure your quilt horizontally
through the centre and trim
two strips this length from the long
pieced strip. Sew them to the top
and bottom edges of the quilt. Press
seams outwards.32
Cut and sew more rectangles
in the same manner to create
a second pieced strip about 106in
long. Measure your quilt verticallythrough the centre and trim two
strips this length from this long strip.
Sew them to the left and right edges
of the quilt and press as before.33
Repeat Steps 30-32 using the
3in strips of light-value and
medium-value red on white print
fabrics to add Border 3 to your quilt.
(You’ll need to make your pieced
strips a little longer than those
for Border 2.)Finishing
34
Remove the selvedges and
cut the backing fabric in half
across the width. With right sides
together, join the pieces side by side
with a^1 ⁄ 2 in seam and press it open.
The quilt top, backing and batting
are ready for a long-arm quilting
machine as they are.35
If you’re doing the quilting
yourself, smooth the backing
fabric on the fl oor with the right side
down and secure it with masking
tape. Lay the batting on top and
ensure it is free of wrinkles. Lay
the pressed quilt top over the batting
with the right side facing up and
baste the three layers together with
thread (if hand quilting) or safety
pins (if machine quilting).36
Quilt as desired. Michelle’s
quilt was professionally
machine quilted by her husband,
Peter. He used red thread to quilt
an all-over pattern called Dizzy Izzy
Baby designed by Jessica Schick for
Urban Elementz.37
Trim the excess batting and
backing fabric^1 ⁄ 4 in outside
the raw edge of the quilt top.38
Join the binding strips you cut
in Step 7 with diagonal seams
to make one length, trim the seams to(^1) ⁄ 4 in and press them open. Fold the strip
in half, wrong sides together and long
edges matching, and press gently. With
raw edges together, stitch the binding
to the edge of the quilt, mitring the
corners as you go. Refer to the Binding
Diagrams on page 80 for details.
39
Turn the binding over and stitch
it by hand to the back of the
quilt. Label and date your quilt.
40
Referring to Diagram 1, sew a row
of gathering stitch near the edge
of each white circle you cut in Step 5.
Centre the cardboard Template E on the
wrong side of the fabric and pull up the
thread to fold the seam allowance over
to the wrong side. Press well from both
sides and remove the cardboard circle.
41
Appliqué a circle in the centre
of each star block.
For contact details for Michelle Marvig,
of Pieceville, turn to Stockists at the
back of the magazine. Step photographs
courtesy of Michelle.
Diagram 1
MICHELLE’S
FOUNDATION
PIECING TIP
Foundation piecing seems back
to front compared with other
patchwork. The first pieces will be
hard to get your head around. Print
extra foundations and practise with
some fabric scraps before starting
on the blocks for the project. Always
cut your fabrics larger than the area
you are covering. Pin them in place
and fold them back to check the
coverage before sewing – it saves
heartache later.
MICHELLE’S
PINNING TIP
The angles used in the foundation
piecing for this project can make it
challenging to judge whether each
new fabric will cover the required
area once the seam has been
sewn – and unpicking those small
stitches is a nuisance. When
making the first few foundations,
pin each new rectangle to the
previous shape along the seam line.
Then fold the rectangle over so that
it’s right side facing up. Hold the
foundation up to the light to check
that the rectangle will cover the
next area plus seam allowances.
Once you’ve got it positioned
correctly, you can move the pins to
a diff erent position, so they won’t
interfere with your stitching.
05
PROJECT