After much thinking and decision making, I decided to quilt the inside block borders following the fabric. I actually had fun doing this and using my dual feed walking foot. I was able to fly up and down these borders with just a few slow downs for deciding how I was going to cross the center squares and make them interesting.

Originally I was thinking of putting a motif in the cornerstones but decided I like the modern more organic stitching of crossing.

This quilt is NEVER going to be visiting any quilt show or other place where a critical eye will be seeing it. It will only be at a guild for 'show and tell' or friends will see it. As such, I gave myself permission to not rip out little issues and just test different threads and design choices.

I can definitely see that I was not as accurate with my seams as I thought I was. The good news, I have gotten better over the years. I am mostly having fun with it and enjoying the mental gymnastics I am having to go through since I don't usually quilt out traditional blocks.

​I am quilting different designs in each block since they are very different from each other. I am still trying to keep the quilting density similar over the whole quilt so it is a bit of a challenge.

When I post the final pictures, be kind...

This will be my next UFO to work on. I do think this was the very first quilt I did. Can you tell it is from the 80's? I took this class from Arlene Stamper and what a great teacher she was/is. Very patient and tolerant of my color choices. I learned all the basics you need to know to make a great quilt, either art or traditional from her and Sharyn Craig. I took the feather star block class from Sharyn during the sampler class because Arlene didn't think you could do a 12 inch feathered star. It wasn't easy, but I did get it done.

These classes were great. Arlene Stamper taught all the basic skills. How to piece curves, triangles, set in corners, applique and most important, how to sew a 1/4 inch seam.

I am not sure this will be my actual next project. I have an idea for an art quilt that I am going to start sketching out. If I get really inspired and excited about this new quilt, this older one will have to wait a bit, but it will be on the list for completion.

What quilters influenced you when you first started?

This is a step I do on all my quilts. This makes them lay very flat with no wavy edges. This gives your quilt a professional and polished look.

If you have steam dryer, you can put it in and steam it for several minutes but pull it out before it starts the drying process. If you don't have access to a steam dryer, you have two other easy options:

• You can wet the quilt and spin it out in your washer. The less drippy wet it is, the faster it will dry.
• You can dampen it by using a spray bottle. I also use this technique if there are a few drier spots from the steam dryer.

The goal is to have an overall, even dampness in the quilt.

I have a foam core design wall where I pin my quilt. I space my pins about every three inches but it really depends on the the quilt and how much you are stretching it. I usually just slide my hand across the surface of the quilt to ease out any wavy areas or edges.

After I get the first pinning done, I measure across in several places, both in the horizontal and vertical direction. I then make any pinning adjustments to get them to match. My final measurement is from corner to corner, diagonally across the quilt. Whether the quilt is square or rectangle, these dimensions should be the same.

If you don't have a design wall, this step can be done on carpet or other area you can pin into. In the past, I used foam board that I taped together and used in the garage or outside on a patio.

Finishing up the binding is an awesome feeling. This part goes pretty fast with just a few areas of concentration.

• Photo 1: I verify that the ruler and needle are in the proper alignment. I start stitching in the middle of a side leaving about 10 inches of tail. I don't use the binding joining tool but if you have one, follow those instructions.
• Photo 2: When I get to a corner I fold back the binding and crease it so I know how far down I can stitch. 
• Photo 3: I then fold the binding so that it is aligned to the edge of the quilt. I fold at a 45 degree angle to align with the bottom edge of the quilt. I stitch from the corner along that next edge. After working my way around the quilt I leave another 10-12 inches of tail to join the two ends of the binding together. Of course I forgot to take pictures but there are lots of great YouTube videos on how to do this.
• Photo 4: I flip the binding to the front and stitch in the ditch in the flange area. If I am being very particular, I press the binding on the back towards the edge so that I have an even fold-over to the front of the quilt. Again, there are great YouTube videos on using this technique to turn the corners and continue stitching around the quilt. Here is a link so you can pick your favorite.

https://www.google.com/search?q=flange+binding+youtube&rlz=1C1SQJL_enUS776US781&oq=flange+binding&aqs=chrome.6.69i57j0l7.13079j0j8&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

This is how I prepare my binding for pressing.

• Photo 1: First, I verify that all seam allowances are within tolerance. In the first picture the top seam allowance for the red fabric is within a couple of threads of the stitch line. The bottom binding is out of tolerance. There is too much of the red fabric showing and will need to be ripped out and sewn again.
• Photo 2: I then press open the binding with the seam allowances toward the smaller strip, this is the strip that is folded over. The red fabric will be laying flat on the ironing board.
• Photo 3: I verify that the press line is next to the stitch line. The press line is exaggerated to show it is not pressed properly.
• Photo 4: Shows the press line right next to the seam stitch.
• Photo 5: I use two large pins about 14-16 inches apart to anchor my binding as I press. This makes pressing easy as it controls the binding from sliding and enables me to micro adjust the edges as I press.
• Photo 6: I can control my pressing all the way to the tail using this two pin method.

I generally pillowcase my quilts but some quilts just beg for a binding, especially if they are more traditional in nature. Here is my prefered way of attaching a traditional type of binding as it requires no hand stitching. 

I used a 1-1/2 red binding and a 1-1/4 inch blue binding that I then joined together. This will give me a small flange of red (1/8 inch) when done. An easy way to remember what will be the flange is the larger fabric will be the smallest showing on the front.

I first overlap the strips and verify by folding open that the stitching is in the correct direction. Long tail to the back and front, right sides together and stitch across the angle. I then chain piece the other strips and use the first set to verify they all are in the correct orientation.

I then pink the seams and trim the ears off the strips. I use a chopstick to make opening the seams easier. I finger press or use another tool to press open the seams to reduce bulk when joining the strips together. Be aware that you do not want two of the joining seams to match up when joining the two sets together. There will be a lump if you do and it will show on the binding.
​
I have found it handy to tape down a see-thru plastic ruler to keep my stitching accurate. This will keep the finished binding from having wavy areas when it is flipped to the front for the finishing step. The ruler can be flipped out of the way if needed, then flipped back to the same spacing/position to complete the process.

I first learned this method of flange binding in a class I took at Road to California from Ricky Tims. This is a great way to stitch on a binding that requires NO handwork. Speedy and effective at adding just a sparkle of color along the edge.

What is your favorite way to bind a quilt?

This is what happens when you don't verify a needle for a particular thread. I normally use a 90/14 while machine quilting and have no problems. The Superior thread I used for this stipple quilting requires a 100/16 needle for a good stitch result.

I will now be going back and tearing out a few of the skipped/shredded thread areas and quilt them back out. Since this was an old project that will just be living at home, I will not be 'reverse sewing' the whole section affected. If this was bound for a show, I would replace each and every affected area. I have not had issues with other 35 wt thread with a 90/14 so I don't know what the difference is with this particular thread. Perhaps it is a twist difference or the actual fiber from which it is manufactured.

Lesson learned: check for needle recommendations on threads. I had stitched out a test piece, but the problem didn't manifest in the sample.

What thread lessons have you learned through experience?

Here is some of the quilting that I decided on for this project.

For the body of the quilt I quilted on the diagonal for the pinwheel blocks. I then did stippling in the corner and center blank areas. I struggled for days trying to design something that I liked for those areas but just was not happy with anything I came up with. So back to the basic stipple.

In the corners I used my walking foot and a guide to do the aligned rows in the corner quadrants. I first went from corner to corner to create the center 'X'. Next I used my walking foot, adjusted the needle position to center and used my laser on the machine to verify that I was at least keeping it close to the width I had decided on. My walking foot has 1/4 inch marks so I was also able to use these marking for my spacing check.

For the outer border I basically followed the flower shapes. Since this is a cotton batting, I tried to keep the quilting close so shifting would be kept to a minimum if it got washed in the future.

What would you have put in the larger open areas?

Here are a couple of my projects that require a thimble and needle. Lucky for me I already have most of the quilting done, then binding and sleeve requirements. I should be working on these when I am vegging on the couch binge watching something!