Hi everybody! and welcome to Week 3 of the Quiltsew Along for the Quilted Nutmeg Jacket :)
This week we will be making the 'quilt sandwich' for each pattern piece and I will talk about basting and quilting techniques, while doing both tasks. Shall we get on with it? Let's go!
PREPARE YOUR 'SANDWICH'
A quilt sandwich is what quilters call the three layers of a quilt. The 'sandwich' consists of the quilt top, the wadding or batting and the backing (in this case, it would be the lining), which we need to secure using safety pins or a baste-stitch. In the case of our jacket, it would be a similar process.
Starting for example with one of the front bodice pieces, place the lining with the right side facing down on the floor, table or on a flat surface after being pressed and making sure there are no wrinkles. Pick up some cello-tape or painters tape and secure all sides to the chosen flat surface.
Then, place the wadding on top, again, making sure it is flat and there are no folds or wrinkles and finally, the outer fabric you have created for that pieces sewing 9-patch blocks and solid squares together. You can check again that the pattern piece fits nicely inside of all layers.
You will need to repeat this process with all pattern pieces minus the collar. You only quilt the upper collar plus the correspondent wadding / batting piece, without the lining. We will be adding that last layer (the under collar piece) at a later stage.
YOUR QUILT DESIGN
Now, before we move onto the securing the three layers together or basting part, you need to think about the quilt design you want to make, in case you need to do any markings on your outer shell fabric.
In my case, I went for a simple design of straight diagonal lines, 1'' wide. I used a Frixion pen (it goes away with heat from your iron but it is best to test it) to mark them as well as my long quilting ruler.
I'd encourage you to go for a simple design as well and use a fabric pen or chalk to mark your design. If you are not sure about how to quilt your jacket, sit down, grab a piece of paper and start doodling. Then test your design on a mini 'quilt sandwich' to see if you like it.
Do this to all pieces.
SECURING THE THREE LAYERS - BASTING
After marking your design, you have two options to secure your three layers together:
1. You can baste (temporary type of stitch) by hand the three layers together using thread. Go for a bold colour that you will see easily when quilting and that you can remove afterwards. You need to start at the centre of your 'quilt sandwich' and head to each corner in turn, always coming back to the centre. Then, head to the sides and top and bottom edges. This way you are securing the three layers temporarly together for the quilting part. (The example below is from a different quilt design but that applies here as well).
2. Your second option would be using curved safety pins (specially designed for quilting) to secure the three layers together. You will spend quite a bit of time with your safety pins depending on the size of the 'quilt top', as you need to place one every 4''/10cm, securing the three layers.
Find more tips here.
TIP: Don't close your safety pins when you store them after you have finished, so that they are ready to use next time (your fingers will thank you!). Some people don't close them even during quilting.
To make the job easier, if you do close them, you can use chopstitcks or a special quilting tool called Kwik Klip Brass Tip. I didn't close mine this time, as the mini quilts created for each pattern piece were not that big.
Repeat this process of creating the 'quilt sandwich', marking your design (if chosen) and securing the three layers with all of the pieces of fabric that will become your pattern pieces.
QUILT IT
You are finally ready to start to quilt all of your 'quilt sandwiches' and I have a few tips that might come in handy:
- Needle: go for quilting or topstitch types and sharp. Recommended sizes are 80/12 or 90/14.
- Tread: choose a weight of 40-50 wt. (wt stand for weight which is actually length measurement. A thread is labeled 40 wt. when 40 kilometers of that thread weighs 1 kilogram). Use the same colour for top and bottom. If you don't have much experience, opt for lighter tones to hide mistakes.
- Use a walking foot (unless you are doing free motion quilting) and go slow.
- Stitch length: between 2.5 and 3.0mm.
- Thread tension: loosen if necessary to avoid the creation of winklers.
- Pressure presser foot: lower it as you have more layers to go through. The more pressure, the more chances for the fabrics / layers to move.
- Start outside of the quilt top, on the batting, so that any thread is nested out of the quilt top. Don’t reverse stitch.
- Try to work on a big table to have enough space.
- Sit correctly and take breaks.
- Enjoy the process! 🙌
On the picture below, I am wearing quilting gloves, which help moving the quilt along.
Find more quilting tips here.
Now, breath! Don't worry about timing as you can always catch-up with next week's post later on. They will always be available so take your time for this part :)
Thank you so much for following along and see you next week!
PS. You can contact me at any time on Instagram or by email at hi@cocowawacrafts.com if you have any doubts.
Ana
xxx