All Squared Up Quilt - Pieced Backing Instructions

One of my most popular sales last weekend at the Great Northern Quilt Show was my All Squared Up Quilt Kit in Japanese prints, so much so I've had to reorder some of the fabrics! It was also great to see people as interested in my pieced backing as they were in the front. So I thought this week I would include instructions for the backing - if you are one of the lovely people who bought this kit from me, and would like to purchase the fabrics for the back, contact me here and I'll send you the details.

Whenever I have a quilt around 60" wide, rather than joining two widths of the same fabric for the backing, I tend to use just one length with a pieced panel to make up the extra in width. So in this quilt I echoed the block used in the front, just on a larger scale - these squares are 6½”.

You will need:
• 60” x WOF (width of fabric) of main backing fabric (I have used the Red Geometric print).
• Three fat quarters in co-ordinating prints (I used a fat quarter of the Cream Geometric print, the Red Flower and the Cream Owls).

• One fat quarter of the solid you used on the front – in my case Cream.

Cutting instructions:

1) The cutting and construction of these three blocks is exactly the same as those on the front of the quilt, just with larger dimensions. So from each of the patterned fat quarters, cut the following:

* two 6½” x 18½” rectangles   

* two 6½” squares

Then from the Solid (cream) fat quarter, cut:

* three 6½” squares

* two 18½” x 3½” strips 

Piecing instructions:

2) For each block, sew the centre three squares together, with a cream one in the middle. Press seams towards the patterned fabric.

3) Sew a rectangle to either side of your centre strip to complete the block – again press seams towards the patterned fabric.

4) Sew these three blocks into one long panel, then add a solid (cream) 18½” x 3½” strip to the top and bottom.

5) Lay out your 60” of main fabric onto your cutting table, and trim off the selvedge with your ruler. Unfold the fabric so you’re only cutting through one layer, and use you quilter’s ruler to measure and cut off a 15” strip DOWN THE LENGTH of the fabric (not across the width). This will give you two panels to sew onto either side of your pieced blocks. Press seams toward the main fabric.

6) You are now ready to baste your quilt sandwich. To ensure your backing is straight and lined up with the front, fold your backing in half and place a pin at the centre mark of the top and bottom edges. Unfold, and fold again the other way, placing a pin at the centre mark of these two side edges.  Do the same with your quilt top.

7) Now find somewhere clean and flat, lay out your backing fabric, face down, and tape to the surface to keep flat. Lay and smooth out your wadding on top of this, and then finally place the quilt on top, face up, lining up those pins along each edge of the top and backing. Baste with curved safety pins and quilt.

A note on quilting: You could simply sew some stitch-in-the-ditch down and across each of your main seams. Or, if you’re feeling adventurous you could try some free-motion quilting over the entire top.

I chose to use my walking foot and stitch wavy lines across the top. To do this, start at the middle of one edge of the quilt and roughly following the centre seam, sew a gentle wavy line down the middle of the quilt. When you get to the opposite edge, break thread and pull the quilt back through the machine to start the next line to the right of first one.
Carry on working in this direction so you only ever have half the quilt rolled up under the machine. Try not to echo the previous line to avoid it looking too uniform, instead mirror the pattern in places, or go wide and come back and fill in later. If you go a little too wild, you will have the next line of blocks’ seams to guide you back to a ‘straighter’ wave.

I do love this style of quilting - it looks so fresh and modern!! For this kit and more, plus plenty of pre-cuts to inspire you for your next project, visit my shop at sewmotion.com

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