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It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas in our woods. Last week we got a few inches of snow, so I headed out to take some pictures. This was my favorite:

Yesterday we brought the canoe into the barn just in time for more snow. The pond is now frozen over, the birds are loving our feeder, and it looks like we’ve had about 6″ more so far.  I think it’s beautiful!

This week’s post has nothing to do with snow, but I hope you enjoy it!

You may remember a post I did last Spring about rust dyeing (click here to read that post). My friend Ida created a couple of pieces of rust-dyed fabric when our group experimented with the technique. Well – she decided to do something with a piece of that fabric. She added a Seminole border in wonderful matching fabrics.

Our group had discussed the difficulty of quilting rust dyed fabric. The rust leaves enough metal in the fabric to make some areas impenetrable to a needle, thus making the quilting step a frustrating experience. Ida surmounted that problem by “tying/tacking” her quilt with brass staples!

Ingenious! And just when you think there’s nothing new under the sun. Leave it to my very creative friend Ida – to come up with the perfect solution.

Stapling your quilt… it might become the new, “in” way to quilt!

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An Exciting Update for quilters in and out of Wisconsin!

This past week I received good news about the Treasured Quilts of Wisconsin video on pbs. The entire show is now available on-line. So, even my out of State viewers can access it! Here’s the link!

http://video.wpt.org/video/2365906809/

Watch now: WPT Presents | Treasured Quilts of Wisconsin | WPT Video video.wpt.org Join host Nancy Zieman for this special featuring interviews, stories and quilts.

The generally accepted rule for getting borders to fit on your quilt is to square up the top, and then measure the length of two opposite sides and across the center of the quilt top. In a perfect world these 3 numbers should be the same, but only God is perfect, and most of us know that these numbers seldom match. If they’re way off I do some re-stitching. If they’re within a 1/2″, I split the difference and cut the border strips at this size – easing them to fit.

On smaller pieces I’ve discovered an easier way. It may sound like cheating, but it works for me – if the sides are close to the same length (1/2″ or less difference – I might try up to a 3/4″ difference, but more than that would be pushing it). Here are the step-by-steps:

1. Fold the quilt top in half and lay it on a table, with the edges you’re adding the borders to closest to you. I’ve left a 1/2″ underlap in the picture so you can see that both sides are aligned together. I then smooth these edges out so they are evenly on top of each other (trust me, even though the entire length isn’t in the picture, it is even on the right side too). If they aren’t exactly the same size I: place the corners on top of each other, hold them between a forefinger and a thumb on each side, and tug gently, placing it back on the table.
2. Make 2 border strips at least 1″ longer than the side of the quilt, and square off the ends on the left. Place these border strips on top of each other, and aligned with the left edge of the quilt top.
3. On the opposite end of the strips, rotary cut the borders even with the right edge of the quilt top. You now have two strips that are the same length as the quilt top.
4. Now it’s time to sew on one of the border strips. This is one time I do pin the pieces together! Place a border strip, right-sides-together with the edge of one side of the quilt top, and pin it even with the left end (red pin head). Pin the right end even also (pink pin head).
5. Grasp both ends, holding the quilt top and strip between finger and thumb, and gently tug until the strip lays flat (as directed in step 1). Place a pin in the center (middle pink pin), 
6. This is the trick to make sure the strips fit: Use the grasp, tug and pin method from step 5 to place a new pin between a center and end pin. Repeat this process of pinning in the center of every pair of pins until the strip is securely pinned to the quilt top.
7. Sew in place, and repeat for the opposite side. Attach the remaining sides in the same manner. (I just realized that I took these pictures while attaching the second set of green border strips, but you get the idea).

Give it a try, and let me know what you think!

And if you like the Seminole piecing in this border – stay tuned – I’m planning to do a blog topic on it soon!

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And now – a photo finish! Connie took my Spin Star class a few years ago and used my piecing technique to make purple blocks for her granddaughter (click here for more information on my Spin Star technique). Then she did something spectacular!

She brought this quilt to class last week and I knew you’d want to see it! What I love is the way she alternated the spin stars with bears paw blocks, but to make them fit and work together, she added the outer, “claw border” from the bears paw block around each spin star. Wow! What a clever idea! Great job Connie!

I recently learned a very easy way to get the look of a piped binding, with a lot less effort than the traditional method (it’s the little sliver of blue, next to the binding in the quilt above). The best part is that it is all done by machine – no hand finishing! I’m posting it for my friend Laura, who hasn’t seen it yet, and for any of you who are in the same boat 🙂 .  Here it is in 5 easy steps.

1. Cut binding strips 1 3/8″ wide (one and three eighths -sorry, the blog font looks wierd in odd fractions). Cut enough to go around the entire quilt and piece together, end to end. Cut piping strips 1 5/8″ wide (one and five eighths), and piece together as you did with the binding strips. It seems a little wierd that the piping strip is wider than the binding strip, but trust me – it works!
2. Sew the binding strip (black) to the piping strip(blue), with a ¼” seam allowance.
3. Press the seam towards the binding strip, then press the strip in half, wrong sides together.
4. Align the raw edges of this binding unit with the outer edge of the quilt, on the back of the quilt, piping side up, and attach with a 1/4″ seam allowance.
5. Turn the binding to the front of the quilt and pin or clip in place, mitering the corners. Stitch in the ditch between the binding and the piping, in a color thread to match the piping.Voila! A great look with only a little extra effort. Please let me know if you use this technique – and what you think!

Binding an Inside Corner

Every so often a quilt comes along that has an odd outer edge – the question is “how do you bind it?” This was a problem I had to overcome in the Lunch Bunch quilt I’ve been sharing with you. Because the quilt was done “quilt as you go” style, in columns, I ended up with an interesting bottom edge.

All the corners are right angles. The “outside” corners are easy – they miter like the corners on a square or rectangular quilt. The “inside” corners are a bit trickier, but not too bad if you know the “tricks”.

1. Begin by stay-stitching, inside the seam line, about 2″ from both sides of the inside corner “pivot point”.

2. Clip to the stay-stitching “pivot point”, stopping a few threads from the stitching.

 3. Attach the binding down one side of the inside corner, stopping with the needle down at the binding “pivot point”.

4. Leave the needle down, lift the presser foot, and pull the quilt straight (the clip will allow you to do this). Lay the binding strip even with this new edge and continue stitching the binding to the quilt.

5. The binding will be standing up on this corner.

To create the miter on this first side, fold one side flat, as in the picture:

Then fold the other side until a 45° miter is formed.

Pin or stitch this side of the miter to secure.

6.  Turn to the other side and fold this new miter – fiddling until it looks good. Repeat to pin all inside corners and then stitch the binding to this side of the quilt, using your preferred method.

It really is quite simple and the effect is worth the effort!

And now (drum roll please!) Here is the finished Lunch Bunch Quilt!

Almost 20 years in the making – and finished! It was even juried in to be featured at the in the Fine Furnishing Show held this weekend in Wauwatosa, WI. It was hung in the entry to the show and I was very pleased – praise the Lord!

So, are you considering sending me a picture of your blocks? I hope so!