Wednesday 25 March 2015

Freshly pieced stars


I've pieced my friendship stars marriage quilt,
but in four sections.
It will finish at 90 by 63 inches,
 a perfect size for two people to snuggle under
on one of those recliner/couches.

I meant to sew it into two equal pieces for ease of quilting.
but right now it is in four pieces.
If I sew it into two halves, each will measure 45.5 inches unfinished,
which is wider than the width of quilting fabric. 
I hate piecing backs,
so I'm thinking about it another way.

Should I keep it in four pieces?
I've shown three of them here.
The fourth part didn't fit on my design wall.
Each block is 9 inches finished,
which makes piece 1 and 4 18.5 inches
and pieces 2 and 3 27.5 inches wides.

With these widths,
I could use up fat quarters and half-metre cuts on the back.

I was planning on a pumpkin seed quilting motif
in the stars
and some stippling in the backgrounds.

I'd welcome your ideas and suggestions
on the best way to free motion quilt this on my Juki.
It has a 8,5 inch harp, so it can easily handle this size.
My issue is  that I don't have the table space to support a big quilt
so quilting it in parts makes it easier to handle.

I'm linking up with Lee at Freshly Pieced
and WIP Wednesdays at The Needle and Thread Network.

12 comments:

Stephanie said...

Big quilt! I will leave it to the more experienced to answer (-_-). Looks very lovely though.

Jayne said...

This is gorgeous! And big. I sort of did the same thing, having two sections and then piecing those together. Mine is a queen size and it seemed like the best way to handle all the bulk!

Good luck with the quilting! It will be amazing!

Brenda said...

I really like this quilt - you did a great job on making this. I have no advice on the quilting of it though, I just take mine to be done for me!! Then I bind it - well, at least I plan to!! ;)
As for backing, I love to sew backing and yes, piecing it is the best thing I think. I do not usually just do a whole fabric piece back, I find them boring. Piecing a back, two long strips of fabric sewn together, cut in half to be re-sewn as a large 4 patch is one of my favorite ways to create a back; use left over blocks from the front for the back, or many homeless blocks you have in the back - create something that you love.

As for when you do quilt a large item, do you have an extra surface (table or be near a counter (??)) that you could use to support your quilt?? I have not done quilting on my machine before, but I read about it and it works they say to make it easier for you to maneuver the item around. But what do I know???

Love your quilt!!!! Have a fantastic day and enjoy the quilting of this!!

Dresden Quilter said...

This is so gorgeous!

Scrappy quilter said...

Very pretty quilt. Love all the colors in it.

What Comes Next? said...

great looking quilt! yes, do a quilt as you go and then join the pieces afterwards, will be easy on your machine

Ann said...

What a pretty top, Brenda. I'm sure they'll love it. I've never made a QAYG. Your quilting plan sounds good, though. Using up leftovers on the back is my favorite. :-)
If you decide to quilt the entire top, set up some folding tables in an L in front and to the left of your machine to handle the bulk.

Barb said...

I love the nine patches and monkey wrench blocks.
I quilted my king sized quilt in 2 big sections, only pinning 1/2 at a time. I worked great for me.

em's scrapbag said...

Never quilted a quilt in sections. Would love if you share your process. Love this btw.

Quilting Stories said...

What a big and gorgeous quilt!

Glen QuiltSwissy said...

Inn think you have the right idea. Do share your progress.

Margaret said...

Love this quilt ... the colors & the subtle pattern changes in it. I've quilted in sections before & the end result was great.

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