Tuesday, March 25, 2025

Quilt-As-You-Go Tutorial

Day 164: A couple of people asked for more detail on this quilt-as-you-go project, so I've put together a little tutorial.

First of all, you will need to cut your fabric and batting. It won't matter if you want to use larger hexagons. The stipulation is that the sides of the large one are an inch longer than those of the small one so you can turn a 1/4" border. I have used a 3" hexagon for the backing and a 2" one for the center. The batting should be cut to the same size as the center (top left image).

Turn the large hexagon face down. Center the batting on top of it, and place the 2" hexagon fabric on top of that (top right image).

Begin by folding one edge of the large hexagon to meet the edges of the batting and center. Crease it with a fingernail. Turn it again and place a clip in the middle of the side temporarily. Turn the second edge of the large hexagon to meet the edges again, then turn it a second time and crease it as before. You will notice that the corner automatically mitres. Place a clip on the corner. Repeat the process all the way around (left middle image).

When you reach the last corner, remove the clip from the middle of the starting side and place it on the corner. Now you're ready to sew the border in place (middle right image).

Take tiny stitches through the center fabric and just catch down the border with each one. Do NOT stitch through the large hexagon backing! At the corners, take a few stitches out to the edge, then pass the needle back through the fabric to emerge at the inside corner. When you have stitched all the way around, you're ready to quilt the centers. I prefer to poke down, poke up through all three layers as if I was doing needlepoint, but you can use a running stitch if you like. It's faster to use a running stitch, but the stitches on the back will be smaller than those on the front. When you've finished quilting your hexagon, stitch it together with another one, using an overcast stitch with the front sides facing each other. The quilting stitches will be more visible on the reverse side of the piece. Build your quilt as large as you like!

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