Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Did ya ever have one of those days?

I am working on a quilt that was a last minute decision to make. In about a two week time frame, I hope to have a queen/king size quilt done. That is from fabric choices, to cutting, to sewing, to quilting, and binding, done done done. I even drafted the pattern from scratch, using EQ6!

As I've been working on this quilt, I discovered something I should have known all along. I *think* I know why SO many of my border strips end up wonky! It isn't because I sewed them on wrong. It isn't because I cut crooked. It is because I cut the border strips like I cut up most all my material. I cut from selvage edge to selvage edge on the fabric. You see, as many of us quilters/sewers know, fabric stretches one way more than it does the other. I have always known this. I was taught in Home-Ec class that you can stretch fabric into true grain lines by pulling opposite corners.

While sewing this quilt's borders on, I had a "duh" moment!!! Because of the fabric I was using, I had to cut my border strips the long way on the fabric. The long way does not stretch like the selvage to selvage edge way does! How did I not realize this before???

In one week, I have pieced the top and the back and put borders on the back. I am about to put borders on the front and hope to have the whole thing mounted in the quilting frame tomorrow. Then my next challenge begins. Can I quilt this, without mucking it up? Stay tuned my pretties! :)

3 comments:

Jaye said...

Do you have any of Judy Martin's books? She talks about this a lot.i

Unknown said...

Do you know how much I love reading your blog and seeing how far you have come??? :-)
(((hugs))))

Sherri said...

Jaye, I don't have any of her books but I do go to her web site. She's a great lady!

Linda, why thank you m'dear! You are so sweet! You know I am now both the membership chairman AND newsletter editor of that guild now, don't you? I blame YOU for all that. :D