Creating the patchwork top of a quilt is only the first step towards a quilt that is ready for a bed. Below is a summary of the tasks that could be part of the finishing process.
Quilt Top
Blocks –Trim all blocks to the same size and ensure they are square. This is best done with an appropriate sized square ruler and rotary cutter. Lay the trimmed blocks on a sheet over a bed or on a design wall to find the best arrangement.
Sashing and Cornerstones – Sometimes the quilt top will look best if the blocks are just joined together (top quilt opposite). Other designs can be achieved by bordering each block with one fabric (sashing). Sometimes the sashing is broken up with corners of a different fabric (cornerstones). Quilt two opposite has only sashing. Quilt three has both sashing and cornerstones.
Borders – Most quilts have a border or even a few different borders framing the quilt top. Borders can be attached to the two short sides then the two long sides – square joins as in the quilting sandwich picture on the right. They can be joined diagonally with mitred corners. Or they can even have cornerstone features as shown in the first quilt opposite. See separate notes on Corners on Borders.
Quilt Sandwich
Once the quilt top is complete it needs to be padded (called batting) and backed (called backing). Identify these layers in the photo beside the descriptions (hint: they appear in order from the bottom right hand corner.
Quilt Top – The size of the quilt top will be determined by the size of the bed you are working towards. Batting and backing materials also need to be considered and may limit the finished size of your quilt top.
Batting – There are choices here that include loft or fluffiness, fibre used and even whether or not a batting is needed. Polar fleece is used in the picture above as the batting but can also be used without a backing fabric. Even just an old sheet can be used if no padding is required.
Backing – Usually a matching fabric is used to back the quilt. The quilting will show best on a plain fabric or a small print or tone on tone fabric. If the backing fabric chosen needs to be joined, rather than having an ugly join make a feature of the join by inserting a complementary strip of fabric or strip of blocks echoing the quilt top. The back of the quilt can also be made entirely of patchwork blocks.
Tacking, basting, pinning – Before the quilt sandwich can be quilted all three layers should be tacked together. Curved safety pins are also available for this process but can mark the quilt top so beware. Tacking lines should be about 6” apart and to about 1” from the edge of the quilt top.
Quilting – There are as many quilting designs as there are block designs. This photo shows a quilted wave pattern around the border of the quilt and quilting rows about ¼” inside some of the shapes (echo quilting). Quilting “in the ditch” is a line of quilting hidden in the join of two pieces of fabric. Quilting can be done by hand or by machine. If quilting by machine use a large stitch size to keep it softer. Tying with coloured thread or attaching buttons through all three layers can be an effective alternative to quilting the top.
Binding
An easy way to bind the quilt to hide the cut edges is to use a folded strip attached by machine to the quilt top and hand hemmed to the back of the quilt as seen in the photo below.
Keeping Records
Labels – All quilts should have some sort of label stating who made it, when it was made, materials used, why it was made and washing instructions.
Photographs – A quilt is not finished until you have a photograph of it. This is not only to keep a record of those you give away but is also useful for insurance purposes.
Scrapbooks – As many quilts are given away it is useful to keep a record of the quilts you have made. Keep a photo, label, block design and other records in a scrapbook, portfolio, diary or blog.
Helpful Resources
The internet is a fabulous, accessible resource for your quilting. Images, videos of techniques and webpages can be found that deal with all aspects of finishing a quilt.
Handy books to own are “The quiltmaker’s gift”, “Quilts from the quiltmaker’s gift” and “The quiltmaker’s journey”. These books can be purchased online.
A simple internet search on “quilt finishing” finds many helpful sites.
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