If you have followed all of Tutorial One you should now have 36 of these 5 inch square units ready to piece together
Arrange these 36 blocks into 6 rows of 6 , so that they look like this.
When you are happy with the arrangement of your blocks, take a digital photo. Refer to the photo to make sure you keep the order correct when you join the blocks together. I do this for all my quilts - just in case of a mix up !
Now join the blocks together in horizontal rows, ( sets of 6 blocks each) working from left to right.
When joining the blocks together, nest the seams together carefully and pin to secure before stitching.
When all sets of 6 blocks have been stitched together to make 6 rows, press seams for rows 1, 3, and 5 towards the right, and press seams for row 2, 4 and 6 towards the left.
Now join the rows together one by one. The seams should nest neatly. Pin carefully before stitching. Well done! That is the hard part done.
The First Border.
Take 1 of the cream 2 1/2 inch width of fabric ( WOF) strips and sew to the side of your quilt , extending just a bit past the corners at the beginning and end. When done, trim to square up the border corners. Repeat on the other side with another cream 2 1/2 inch WOF strip.
Take the remaining cream strips (2 1/2 inch WOF) and stitch to the top and bottom of the quilt. Trim to square up.
The Second Border.
Repeat as for the first border, but using the coloured WOF strips. It is always so interesting to see how effective a bright, bold border can be . It can lift a lovely centre to sensational ! Borders are really the frame for your quilt - choose fabrics with care, just as you would choose a frame for a much loved picture/ print.
Your table topper top is now complete.
The next step is to prepare the top, batting and backing for quilting.
Find a flat space to work on. Tape down backing right side down onto a clean, flat surface. I use a table tennis table and painter's tape, ( masking tape works just as well.)
Next, smooth down the batting on top of the backing . There should be no bumps or wrinkles.
Carefully place the top onto the batting , right side up, and smooth out from the centre. Using safety pins, secure the pins through all three layers , starting in the centre and spacing about an open hand width between each pin.
You are now ready to quilt! The choice is yours as to whether you hand quilt or machine quilt. The design possibilities are endless. My next blogpost will show how I have quilted the table topper.
Thank you for joining me in this tutorial. I hope you have enjoyed it. You are always welcome at Sewmiriam!
Happy Sewing, Miriamx
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