A new year represents all our dreams and aspirations, while also celebrating our accomplishments. Looking back at 2014, there were a handful of lows, but numerous highs to counteract them. Regardless of how you count your blessings, it's important to show them recognition. Welcoming in 2015 isn't just about a calendar year, but rather an opportunity to celebrate who you are, to your very core.
As you may know, this blog is still in its infancy. Despite this, at the mere age of 8 weeks old and thanks whole-heartedly to you, it has reached a milestone. Today, we celebrate 1000 blog views! While it may not seem like much, it's been an incredible kickoff to something that is bigger than ever dreamed at this stage. To continue the momentum, here's a wonderful tutorial to help you welcome 2015 into your homes and hearts.
Important information to know before you begin:
If this is your first time sewing, please note that when stitching, a 1/4" seam allowance is standard practice and recommended for this piece. Likewise, remember to stitch right sides together. For this blanket, ironing is optional. To save time, this design was ironed before cutting each piece, but not during any step after.
To begin, cut 24 pieces of fabric measuring 11"x14". This measurement can vary, and could even be cut square as opposed to rectangular. Lay your pieces out, making sure no two pieces of the same material are touching.
Use a marking pen (or painters tape as seen in the photos) to number your rows. This will be very helpful during the assembly process.
Next, it's time to begin assembly. Stitch together individual pieces from the same row. Do this for each row until all rows are complete. Next, you will assemble the rows together.
When sewing, take great care to ensure your corners align. As you can see from the photos below, there are a handful of corners that do not line up in this blanket. Since it's going to be used in my own home in a reading nook, perfection isn't important. If this were to be a gift, or listed for sale, then I would use my seam ripper and adjust accordingly.
correct alignment
misaligned
misaligned
Once your rows are sewn together, you have a finished quilt top. At this point, you can quilt it in a traditional sense by using a backing and batting. This is the most advanced option. If you prefer a slightly easier method, still use batting and a backing, but tie the pieces together using embroidery floss (or other sturdy material, such as yarn). The easiest method is to use minky or fleece fabric as your backing. With this heavier fabric option, batting is not necessary. Quilting or tying the blanket also becomes optional as the static produced from the synthetic fibers is enough to naturally bind the two sides together.
I made sure to lay my blanket out on the sofa it's intended for. Although I was certain 4.5'x5.5' would be big enough, it was nice to confirm. Now on to binding...
For the back of this blanket, I chose a sherpa minky. It's dense fibers leave the thread nearly invisible, it's durable enough to withstand children, pets, and anything else sent its way, and it's both warm and soft. I prefer to leave enough backing to also use it as my binding. I use this method when quilting in other projects as well. Be sure to lay your backing right side down, your batting (if using) in the middle, and your quilt top right side up on top of the backing and batting. Use a marking pen, or other writing tool to mark the dimension for your binding. In this project, there is a 3 inch difference between the top and bottom all the way around the project. If I were using cotton fabric as my back (with batting), I would only leave 1" because I prefer a tighter binding. Since the minky can be hard to work with, I prefer to leave plenty of error space.
Minky isn't exactly my favorite fabric to work with. It moves. The sewing machine doesn't like how thick it is. Sometimes, it gets bound up in my presser foot. If it wasn't so darn cuddly, I would be happy to never work with the stuff again. It's just so synthetically soft! Like snuggling with a kitten, it's irresistible. So here we are. Ready to bind our pieces together and get on with the day. To bind your back fabric to the front, you essentially turn the overhang into bias tape (without detaching). Fold in half so the edge of the fabric touches the edge of your quilt top. Next fold over so the former edge is now a middle fabric. Do this all the way around, pinning every couple inches. You will find that you need to pin more frequently to prevent the binding from unfolding. Use care and consistency with your corners.
If using the sherpa fabric referenced earlier, please note that it's thick enough your pins will be easily disguised. I like to stitch around the entire piece two to three times. Once you have finished stitching your binding, trim any thread that remains and enjoy.
Remember, 2015 is going to be an exciting year! Caught Red Threaded is excited to share it with you.
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