BLOG 274

BLOG 274

I battled on with the Picket Fence lap quilt, adding a 2 ½” border all round.

           Border

           Top with border

I chose a coordinating fabric for the back

          Backing

I trimmed some of the off-cut triangles to audition on the edge but I didn’t think that they added any appeal to the finished top (nothing to do with the fact that I didn’t have enough and I would have had to prepare several more!!)

            Auditioning triangles

          Chivers assisted

 I just decided to add wadding and a backing and quilt it vertically and horizontally in the ditch of the seams. I then used a decorative stitch and variegated thread to sew round the inner border. Binding completed the quilt and here it is in situ. I may return to hand quilt more detail on this quilt over winter; it will be good to have it across my lap to warm me as I work on it!

          In situ

          Detail

 

PROJECT: CHRISTMAS TREE WALL HANGING 15” x 18” (or 18” x 21” with borders)

This machine-pieced wall hanging will make a welcome addition to your Christmas decorations. It is easy to make so it could also be made as a gift for special people. Simple construction techniques are used, and as long as you work in a logical way, it goes together fine, with no matching of awkward angles. (NB this wall hanging is not original to me; I cannot remember who designed it originally to acknowledge them, so sorry about that.)

               Simple

              With borders

REQUIREMENTS

Tree trunk: 2” x 7” green strip

Background: fat quarter

Tree: ½ m Christmas fabric

Star: 3 ½” square of both gold fabric and fusible

Low loft wadding: 20” x 24” (includes border)

Backing fabric: 20” x 24” (includes border)

Sewing machine: with a dark neutral thread, ready to sew a straight stitch.

General sewing kit: with pins, scissors, ruler and marking tool

 

PREPARATION The success of the wall hanging starts here! These strips need to be accurately cut and labelled.

Cut the following strips accurately and pin them together as lines with the appropriate label.

           Cut and label the strips

LINE 1: tree trunk: cut 2”x7” green, background: 2 strips of 2” x 6”

LINE 2: tree: 2” x 14”, background: 2 strips of 2” x 2 ½”

LINE 3: tree 2” x 13”, background: 2 strips of 2” x 3”

LINE 4: tree 2” x 12” background: 2 strips of 2” x 3 ½”

LINE 5: tree 2” x 11” background: 2 strips of 2” x 4”

LINE 6: tree 2” x 10” background: 2 strips of 2” x 4 ½”

LINE 7: tree 2” x 9” background: 2 strips of 2” x 5”

LINE 8: tree 2” x 8” background: 2 strips of 2” x 5 ½”

LINE 9: tree 2” x 7” background: 2 strips of 2” x 6”

LINE 10: tree 2” x 6” background: 2 strips of 2” x 6 ½”

LINE 11: tree 2” x 5” background: 2 strips of 2” x 7”

LINE 12: background 2” x 15”

METHOD

For lines 1 to 11: place the 2 background strips, with RS together, on either side of the tree fabric as shown.  Mark a sewing line from the top corner of the background fabric diagonally to the bottom corner of the tree fabric.

 

          Mark sewing lines

 

Sew along the marked lines and trim away the excess fabric at the corner.

             Sew and trim

Place the lines back in sequence once they are completed. More next week!

           Sequence