Alyssa Quilt: part 3 (finishing it up)

Today it's time to finish up this quilt!

You can check out Step 1 and Step 2 in prior blog posts

Step 1:

 Last time we pieced the blocks together so the first step today is add your border.  On this quilt I added a 3 1/2" border of a coordinating Miss Kate fabric.  On the twin Alyssa quilt I will be adding two borders, the inner border will be a 2 1/2" white border (my light color will be white on that quilt) and the outer will be a 4" colorful border.

Step 2:

Baste your quilt.  (I duck tape my individual pieces to the concrete floor in my basement and then pin them together.)

Step 3: 

Quilt your quilt.  

Step 4:

Bind your quilt (sorry on this post I'm not going into much detail on this)

Most quilts I stitch the binding to the front and then hand stitch the binding to the back, but baby quilts get washed more and need more strength so I stitch the binding to the back first and the stitch it to the front like this:

There you have it, these quilts are so easy to make!  

I made two of these Alyssa style baby quilts (and I still have fabric to make another quilt for a cousin having their first baby):

One had one floralish back and one has a polka dot back so they can be used for twins. They are both available in shop on etsy

I have linked up to:  Freshly Pieced // MyQuiltInfatuation  // Quilt Story // Free Motion By The River // Blossom Heart Quilts // Sew Fresh Quilts

Alyssa: part 2

Click here to get to Alyssa: Part 1

Click here to get to Alyssa: finishing it up

With the Miss Kate line, setting aside 8 strips of light fabric (I'm only using the brighter fabrics for this quilt) I created 72 strip blocks 4 1/2" x 8 1/2".  The current quilt I am making only needs 20 blocks, leaving me plenty for future projects.

Now on to our next steps

Step 6:

Our blocks are going to go together like this, one neutral strip sewn to each side of a strip block, making it a 8 1/2" square block.

 It will work much faster if you will chain piece them together.

 We create this by first sewing a neutral strips onto the edge of a  strip block.

After sewing one neutral piece onto each block, iron that side with the seam towards to neutral strip.  I left my blocks linked together until after I had ironed the.  It makes the process much faster and more organized.

Next, stitch in the other side and iron it just as you did the first side.

Step 7:

Square up your blocks to all be 8 1/2" square

Step 8: 

Lay your blocks out into the desired pattern

Step 9:

As you complete this step, you will have to iron as you go.  This will keep your seems laying flat and not making bulk behind your quilt.

Sew your quilt together in rows, 1 at a time.  Iron towards the neutral strip.  

Now you get to do the fun part :). 

Sew two rows together!

Here is my tips:  1: make sure the seams kiss when they meet 2.  When ironing I used the Eleanor Burns method, for the seam shown see how they are going counter clockwise, iron your row joining seam that way. Then 3: pop the seam and flatten it so that it will lay completely flat leaving no bulk and allowing you front to lay perfectly.

This is what the quilt looks like until Part 3, which is to come soon!

I have linked up to:  Freshly Pieced // MyQuiltInfatuation  // Quilt Story // Free Motion By The River // Blossom Heart Quilts // Sew Fresh Quilts

Alyssa quilt: part 1

Everyday I get an email from the Missouri quilt company, showing their deal of the day.  A few weeks ago, the deal was a jelly roll line made by Moda, Miss Kate.  Of coarse it was designed by Bonnie and Camelle and so I had to look into it, them being some of my favorite designers. 

Guess what I did, I had to order it!  The colors and patterns are so much fun!

I also knew the perfect pattern to make this quilt into.  I drew up a pattern in July to make with Riley Blake, it's a Beautiful Thing line, and called it my 'Alyssa quilt' as it's for my daughter Alyssa.  This Miss Kate fabric and my Alyssa pattern, will make a fun baby quilt for an upcoming baby girl in my family.  

 (Like how I'm using my old scrapbooking paper to design quilts on?)

Supplies for Alyssa quilt:

1 Jelly Roll

Neutral Fabric (need 5" for every 5 blocks) Baby quilt: 2/3 yd, Twin quilt: 2 1/2  yds

Border fabric: Baby quilt:1/2 yd;Twin quilt 1 1/2 yds

Background fabric:  Baby quilt 1 1/2 yds; Twin 4 1/2-5 1/2 yds 

Binding: Baby 1/4 yd; Twin 1/2 yd

Sewing Maching

Aurifil Thread

Batting

You can get to part 2 here

Step 1: 

Sort your jelly roll fabric into groups of 4 fabric that will go together.  Try to mix your colors up so for example green won't be on the outside edge of each strip.

Step 2: 

Chain stitch each group of 4 together

One of my favorite tools it The Cutting Gizmo by www.thegypsyquilter.com, that I found at a local quilt store.  It's a great way to cut all those chained pieces apart quickly.

Step 3:

Iron hour strips, I prefer to iron all seams in one direction

Step 4:

Cut your pieced strips into 4 1/2" strips

  

Each combined strip of 4 jelly roll strips sewn together, will give you 9 block pieces to work with.

Step 5:

First, cut your neautral fabric into 2 1/2" strips, so that they will be fabric with @ 44" long by 2 1/2" wide.

Second cut those 44" x 2 1/2" strips into 8 1/2" long strips, one of these strips will make 5:  8 1/2" x 2 1/2" strips

I'm linking this to Needle and Thread Thursday and Let's BEE Social

Sneak Peak of Alyssa Quilt Part 2:

WIP

Lately I've been to busy with my new relief society calling to do anything!  I need to take some time off from running here and there, having dinners, planning activites and do some quilting, my relaxation/fun time.

I saw a quilt online that I loved and decided I had to try!  (I'll link it to the original).  I have done flying geese a little, meaning one of my 4 templates was actually unwrapped from its packaging.  So, it did have me a little nervous.  It turns out that this quilt was so easy to put together, and now I just need to finish the  quilting and binding.   I used the Moda, scruptious line, fabric I've been dying to use since September, when I first saw it.

I absolutely love flying geese and they really are so easy.  They do make one of my favorite quilts.

 My good friend is having a baby any day.  It's been 12 years since she had her last girl, so she needed a girly blanket. 

I'm going to link this to WIP Wednesday from www.freshlypieced.com and Sew Fresh Quilts