How to make a Patchwork Quilt Step By Step 2/3

Now you're ready to start sewing all your squares together! This stage involves forming the front and the back of the quilt and attaching them together...

Take your first set of ten squares from your pile.

Take the top square from your pile and lay it right side up.

Pick up the second square from your pile and lay it right side down on top of the other square. Line up the edges and pin along the right side. The two patterned sides of fabric will be facing each other.

Begin to sew along the right edge. Make sure you backstitch as you cast on. You should aim to be as close to the edge as possible, I would advise about half an inch.

Finish the line and cut the threads. When you fold out the seam it will be invisible and neat and the fabrics will look like this.

Do the same with the next square, make sure you are attaching it to the right square.

Sew along the edge.

Do the same for the rest of your first batch of ten squares. When you have finished you will end up with a row that looks something like this one above.

Do the same for all your batches of ten squares. You will end up with several long rows of attached squares. Lay them next to one and other and check that you are happy with your final pattern of squares. It isn't too late at this point to rearrange your rows.

Pick up row one and row two. Place row two ride side down on top of the right side up of row one. The patterned sides should be touching. Try to line up the seams like the picture above.

At this point it is a good idea to cut the excess threads on each seam you line up. There will be quite a few and it is easier to cut them now to prevent them being trapped in the seam.

Pin the rows together with the seams in line.

In the same way as you sewed the individual squares, begin to sew down the ride side leaving approximately half an inch seam allowance.

Unfold the seam and you will have another invisible seam.

Grab the next row (row three) and pin it in the same way to row two. Stitch down the seam. Do the same for all the rows. You will end up with the basis for your top side of quilt.

Iron the top side flat. You can part the seams from the inside to make the side extra flat. It isn't 100% necessary, however, it does look neater from the topside.

Do the same for the bottom side.

Lie the bottom side on the floor pattern side up.

Lie the squared side on the top so that the patterned sides are facing each other.

Pin each edge and then sew along the sides. Leave half an inch to an inch seam allowance and make sure you ONLY sew THREE SIDES! This is so you still have one open edge for adding the wadding.

Turn the quilt the right way out (it will be inside out by the time you have finished sewing the three sides. And now... make yourself a big cup of coffee ready for the next stage! ...

RKG

How to make a Patchwork Quilt Step By Step 1/3

So, I've been busy making patchwork quilts this week. It's really fun and simple to do, yet I cannot find a simple and easy to understand method online. So here you go... This first stage involves preparing all your materials ready to be sewn together. It's not as boring as it sounds, in fact it's the part where you get to be the most creative! This is what you will need.

A ruler, cardboard, fabric cutting scissors, pins, tailors chalk in a colour that contrasts your fabrics, a large piece of fabric for the underside and several other pieces of fabric for the squares.

 Firstly, you will need to create a cardboard square template - it is much easier than measuring out the squares with a ruler each time. I've been using a 7 by 7 Inch, however, you can make yours a size that suits you. You have to remember that you will loose about an inch via seam allowance and a 7x7 will usually end up being 6x6 when the quilt is finished. Seam allowance basically refers to the fabric that finishes on the underside of the seam that holds the seam in place.

 When choosing the fabric for your quilt, there are a variety of different methods you can use. Most traditional patchwork quilts give the impression that the colours are a hotchpotch of random choices, however, there is usually a underlying theme. For this quilt I chose a blue polka dot underside and for the squares I have used blues, pinks, peaches and pale green. It can be good to include a couple of squares that match the underside but it is not essential. I like to include a variety of different prints in addition to plain fabrics, but again you have freedom of choice. If you are using a floral underside or a fabric with a variety of different colours in it, it can be good to pick out the colours from this to use for your squares. This helps to tie the two sides together.

 When cutting out the fabric for the underside of your quilt, you need to consider the dimensions. I've discovered that a lot of fabric off the roll isn't usually wide enough, so I will sew two pieces together lengthways. You can do this with an invisible seam. Basically, put the two sides of the fabric together with the pattern sides touching, pin along the edge and sew in a straight line about half an inch from the edge. As with all seams, make sure you backstitch (as you start, run the needle backwards by pulling the the handle thing on your machine for a few stitches, then let go of the handle and continue sewing your seam on the top)

NB- When opting for a size of quilt, consider the area the quilt will be covering eg. if you are wanting to cover a single bed, check what the size is first to avoid disappointment.

Once you have decided on the size of you under fabric, you can begin to cut out your squares. To do this, draw around your cardboard square with chalk and cut the squares of fabric out. You can choose how many duplicate squares to do. I usually do between 4 and 6 or each fabric but it depends upon how big your quilt is.

Assemble your squares in the pattern of your choice on top of your backing fabric, using it as a guide for the sizing. Here is your opportunity to be creative and you can spend a while playing around with which square goes where. Do remember that your squares will be smaller, as mentioned earlier, so it does not matter if there seems to be too many squares in comparison to backing fabric.

Once you have cut and arranged all your squares, you need to organise them ready for sewing. Starting with the first row, pick the squares up into piles and lay them in a pile at the end of each row. You need to make sure that if the square on the top of pile one is the one from the far right, this needs to be the same for row two and so on. This is so you collect the squares in an order.

Pin the corner of each pile to hold all the squares together.

After this you can put all the piles on top of each other in an order. This way your sewing doesn't end up covering your whole house and you can come back to the sewing part at a later date. So now you're all ready for the next stage! Stay Tuned...

RKG xxx

Dream Totes and Petty Quotes.

Just a couple of things I've been working on...

RKG xxx

A Dress For A Fifties Wedding

A couple of months ago I was faced with a dilema - What to wear to my friend's 1950's wedding? Having discovered that there was nothing in my wardrobe that fitted the brief, I decided to make my own. I decided on a simple full circle skirt with a fitted bodice and halter neck, fastening with a zip up the back in a pale green polka dot curtain fabric. I chose curtain fabric because generally it is thicker and helps to define body shape and give added support. This proved very effective on this dress because it had a particularly sinched in waistline to create a perfect hourglass shape, not to mention the support as I filled my belly with wedding cake!

The gentleman to my right is my lovely partner Darren Purdy, I think he looks great in his new trousers and blazer! The Bride Sarah wore a lovely Fifties inspired dress with matching fascinator. She added other quirky touches such as red shoes, lipstick and nails and held a hotchpotch of bright coloured flowers. She looked beautiful and so did her new husband Dan.

The dress was made of satin or other similar material and had an over layer of polka dot lace. It was covered in hundreds of tiny little pin dots of white which I thought was a great alternative to the more popular traditional looking lace. But, the most amazing thing about the dress was that it doubled up as an evening dress! The over layer of polka dot lace detached and a satin halter neck strap was added.

This concept of two dresses in one got me thinking about some of my handmade creations. I'm considering adding couple of dresses to the existing Red Kettle Girl collection that can be worn in more than one way, maybe even three! Overall, the hot sunny Sunday wedding was a huge success. My favourite part was the 'cake parade' whereby guests paraded their homemade cake creations and added them to a cake stand that Sarah and Dan used as their tiered wedding cake! Large quantities of cake in addition to my obsession with spinning my circle skirt round on the dance floor meant that before long, I put my dizzy Red Kettle Self to bed and woke up in the morning wearing a very very creased dress! Disgraceful!!

RKG xxx

Pack all your troubles in your old kit bag...

Look who's back.

Sorry about the recent delay, I have been the busiest woman on earth.

I've been totally side tracked by my handmade bag collection. When I close my eyes all I can see is bags. In fact I swear if I see another tote bag I will ring my bloody neck with it!

But, besides bag making, another reason for my lack of blogging is a recent escapade over to Norfolk. Every year my friends and I chuck on our 40's gear and visit a war weekend in Sherringham, North Norfolk. This year was no different and in between munching on spam and singing 'roll out the barrel', we posed for about 100 photographs - seriously it was like the 1940's paperazzi! Here's a couple...

And then look what little gem came home with me...

RKG xx

Charity Shop Chic

Look at my lovely new fabrics!

I usually find shopping a chore. Thousands of delightful dress shapes in the wrong print alongside an array of weird and wonderful 'fashion' items of the season, hideous besides their lovely prints. I don't know why but I never seem to find a garment which ticks both boxes!

This is why I enjoy charity shopping for new fabulous fabric. I can let my eye wander the room for a second and instantly spy a dozen must have fabrics from night dresses, to frumpy skirts. The joy is that item itself doesn't really matter!

The linen section never lets me down. You are always guaranteed a beautiful vintage print on an old bedspread or table cloth or a nice pair of curtains. So unique and authentic and you get so much more for your money than you would new on the roll. (Just make sure you wash it first!)

I also came across some nice old blouses and shirts and I was drawn in by the lovely buttons.

And a lovely old Laura Ashley dress with a unique floral print, it was only £1.50!


RKG Loves Charity Shopping!

xxx