Quilted not bound

     I have been able to only get two quilts done on the longarm. I have so many to do. These two are done, but need binding. I usually wait until I have at least 3 until I bind them because to drag fabric choices out, cut, iron, and glue- it is easier in groups.
     The first is one made from blocks that were in a bundle of scraps and fabric donated to me.

The back- the stripe is actually bright pink, not orange

Detail of quilting by block on back

     The next one is Bright Birches, using made fabric for the strips. I varied the quilting the long way, using a pattern for each long space from top to bottom, and then using a different pattern for the next long space after the Birch strip.

Details of quilting 

Details of quilting 

Details of quilting 

Back of quilt

Finish quilt with facings tutorial

  Working on an orphan block challenge for my guild and inspired wildly by Rayna Gillman, http://www.studio78.net, author of Create Your Own Free-Form Quilts and the video, Free Form Fabric Art, I realized that I needed to use a facing instead of a binding on my art quilt. 
  I had some bad attempts on other pieces, so I searched around and Cathy, from my guild, had a method of attaching facing that looked great. She gave me a copy of some hand drawn instructions. To help me along, and to help you, I took pictures of the steps and am posting them here. I was very pleased with the facing. It let the front of the quilt lie flat and the edges were fairly crisp to view.
  So, here we go!
1. Cut 4, 5" Squares for the corners
    Cut 4, 1 1/2" wide strips for the sides, minus 7" less than the length of the side. I cut mine long, and then trimmed later when pinning. I hate measuring and subtraction.
    This fabric can match the backing or be completely different.

2. Once the quilt is trimmed and squared up, take the squares and measure 2" from the bottom and left of the square. Fold the square on the diagonal so the 2 marks meet. Draw or eyeball a curve from the marks to the fold. Cut. Press under 1/4" on curved and the two short legs of the sides.

4 corner squares cut with curves

Corners side leg and curves pressed 1/4"

3. Place a curved piece in each corner of the quilt, right side of quilt to right side of curved square and match the corner of the facing to the corner of the quilt. Pin in place. 

4. Pin the 1 1/2" strips, right side to quilt right side overlapping the corner facings. If you subtracted the 7", you are all set. I trimmed my strips here, making sure they overlapped the corner facings. 

Corners pinned, strips overlapped and pinned

Facings pinned, right side to right side

 5. Sew around all four sides with 1/4" seam allowance. You may have to use a walking foot. I have a slant needle Singer 301 that sews flawlessly through this with a regular foot.

Corner and strip sewn

6. Trim excess batting and fabric on the diagonal at the corners (about 1/8" inside the corner). Do not cut away top facing.
7. Turn the corners, poke them out nice and sharp. Fold facings to the back and turn the edges under, press a crease and pin closely. 

Turn corners to back. Poke out corners sharp.

Pin corners, fold under long strip edge, pin

Whole back pinned

 The strips should now be about 3/4" wide. Hand stitch all the edges down. 

Hand stitch detail

Hand stitched back

 Turn over and enjoy your work.

Final Quilt with facing using two orphan blocks and Rayna's thin strip method

If this seems complicated, it is because I did not explain it simply enough. It is simple and looks great. Let me know if you have questions or suggestions!

Welcome to the studio

Through the years, I have made many studios for doing all different kinds of artwork. Two years ago, I was blessed to be able to turn my unused living room into a studio. I use it for quilting, drawing, painting, card making and everything except my silkscreen work which I do in the basement. I added Kraftmaid cabinetry on two sides of the room, a sitting area on stools by the window, a writing/laptop desk, and shelves with undercounter lights.
Here are some shots of the studio-

I recently sold my new sewing machine and have purchased vintage singers because they piece and quilt exactly as I need them to and they are a joy to use. I use the 301s for free motion quilting and have a project on each one. I use the 401 for zig-zag and the 403 for straight piecing. This way each machine, the right foot, the right stitch plates and controls are ready to use. I just bought a 99 and a Spartan which I will show later. I found a lot of links that helped me select and clean them up like blog.sew-classic.com

1st 301 I found

403 for piecing

Just the nicest 301!

The mighty 401