Layered Transparencies

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1 Layered Transparencies by Susan Stewart 2 AMRICAN QUILTR July 2008 H MISTY GARN, 35" x 35", by Susan Stewart eirloom sewing techniques and fabrics have much to offer contemporary quilters. When combined with quilting cottons and simple piecing, the characteristic fi ne natural-fi ber fabrics and intricate details traditionally used for children s clothing translate into beautiful quilts. MISTY GARN features and reverse done with heirloom sewing fabrics cotton batiste, silk organza (or cotton organdy), and handkerchief linen to create a unique layered look of varying transparency. Organza is sheer, batiste is semi-sheer, and handkerchief linen is nearly opaque. When these fabrics are combined in simple shapes and then layered over colorful quilting cotton, the result is a lovely mix of colors and shadings. To make this quilt, you will use turned-edge and reverse techniques to prepare the overlays. Water-soluble stabilizer serves as a facing

2 fabric needed to create the required pieces from the transparency fabrics. irections for both techniques follow. It s a good idea to make a practice sample of each one using scraps of the fabrics you will use for the fi nished quilt before trying them on your quilt blocks. inished quilts made with heirloom sewing techniques and fabrics are best suited for wallhangings and special occasion quilts rather than for those destined for heavy daily use. If necessary, they can be washed on a gentle cycle. or more detailed information on making quilts, including mitered borders, see the AQS Quiltmaking ssentials & Tested Tips at www. AmericanQuilter.com. Getting started Prewash, dry, starch, and press all fabrics before cutting. To make a complete guide for the Y blocks, trace the, reverse motifs, and the center lines (page 9) onto tracing paper. Rotate the paper and trace again to make a complete guide. old the cotton batiste A patch in half both ways and lightly crease to mark the center lines. Center the A patch over the guide and trace the and reverse motifs with a water-soluble marking pen. Mark the 4 A patches. To make an guide for the border, trace the center marks and border motifs (page 8) onto tracing paper, following the instructions on that page. old each batiste border strip in half both ways and lightly crease to mark the centers. Aligning centers, place the batiste border strip over the guide and mark the motifs on the border strip. lip the guide over and mark the reversed design on the other half of the border. Repeat to mark all 4 borders. Making the transparent layers ollowing directions on pages 6 7, stitch the s ( patches) and reverse motifs on each of the 4 batiste A patches (fi g. 1). Stitch the s ( patches) and reverse motifs on the border strips (fi g. 2). Set aside the corner s ( patches) to apply after the mitered border seams have been stitched. A B Remove the water-soluble stabilizer as directed on page 7. Allow the pieces to air dry, and then starch and press each piece. Centering the designs, trim the July 2008 AMRICAN QUILTR 3

3 d batiste A patches to 9½" x 9½", and trim the d border strips to 3½" x 33½". Assembling the quilt Use ¼" wide seam allowances. Place each trimmed batiste A patch over a print B patch and pin the layers together to complete the 4 Y blocks (fi g. 3). In the same way, layer and pin the batiste border strips over the fl oral print border strips (fi g. 4). Treat each two-layer piece as one during the quilt assembly. Join the fl oral and gold strips to make a strip-set, pressing the seam allowances in the directions of the arrows (fi g. 5). Repeat to make 7 strip sets. rom three of the strip-sets, cut a total of 12 sashes 9½" wide. Trim the 4 remaining strip-sets to 33½", and set them aside for border #4 strips. rom the leftovers, cut 13 units 1½" wide. Sew a C patch to opposite sides of each unit to make 13 Z blocks (fi g. 6). Referring to the assembly diagram on page 5, arrange Y blocks, sashes and Z blocks. Sew them together in horizontal rows. Join the rows. Adding the borders Press the quilt top well. or border #1, measure the vertical length of the quilt through the center and trim 2 of the burgundy border strips this length. Sew these borders to opposite sides of the quilt and press the seam allowances away from the quilt center. Measure the width of the quilt through the center, including the borders you just added. Cut 2 of the burgundy strips this length and sew them to the top and bottom of the quilt. Press as you did before. Matching centers, sew the layered border #2 strips to the quilt edges, ending the stitching precisely ¼" from each end of the narrow burgundy border strips. Tip: Borders that are cut ¾" wide result in finished borders of ¼". To ensure that they are precisely ¼" wide along their entire length, stitch the fi rst side of the narrow border strip to the quilt top using an accurate ¼" wide seam. A ig. 1 ig. 2 ig. 3 ig. 4 Strip-set Make 7 ig. 5 Block Transparency Make 4 ig. 6 Block Y Make 4 C 9½" Cut 12 sashes 9½" Cut 4 borders 33½" Cut 13 units 1½" C Block Z Make 13 Border Transparency Make 4 Border #2 Make 4 When joining the next border to the narrow border, stitch with the narrow border on top and use the fi rst seam line as the guide for the second stitching. Press the seam allowances toward the narrow border. Miter the border #2 corners and trim the seam allowances to ¼". Add the burgundy border #3 strips to the sides and then the top and bottom of the quilt, measuring and trimming as you did for border #1. Measure the quilt through the vertical center and trim 2 of the strippieced borders to this measurement for side borders. Measure the quilt through the horizontal center and trim 2 of the strip-pieced borders to this measurement for the top and bottom borders. Sew the trimmed side strips to opposite sides of the quilt and press the seam allowances toward the burgundy border #3. Sew Z blocks to the ends of the top and bottom border strips, and sew them to the top and bottom of the quilt. Position and stitch a corner teardrop () on each corner of the mitered border #2 (fi g. 7). Quilting and finishing Layer the backing, batting, and quilt top. Baste the layers together. Quilt as desired. To duplicate the quilting in the featured quilt, use mono- 4 AMRICAN QUILTR July 2008

4 Z Z Z sash Z sash Z sash sash sash ig. 7 filament thread to quilt the piecing and in the ditch. If you used a pin stitch, stitch in the row of holes created by the needle. With matching silk or cotton thread, quilt rows of diamonds in the center strip of the pieced border sashes. Quilt a diamond in the center of each setting and corner block. Quilt the layered blocks by stitching ½" inside the and reverse d motifs and again ¼" outside the motifs. Quilt the layered borders by stitching ¼" outside the d motifs. Gently wash the quilt to remove any markings and the remaining watersoluble stabilizer. Machine dry on low heat to slightly damp and then allow to completely air dry before proceeding. Sew the binding strips together with bias seams to make 150" of continuous binding. inish the edges of your quilt with double-fold binding. To display your quilt on a wall, make a sleeve and sew it to the back of your quilt. Z Quilt assembly Z July 2008 AMRICAN QUILTR 5

5 Appliqué Trace the motif onto linen, matching grain lines. Place water-soluble stabilizer on top of the linen. Adjust the machine for a short-length straight stitch ( ). Stitch through the fabric and stabilizer on the drawn line. At very sharp points or angles, take one tiny stitch across the point rather than making a sharp pivot (photo 1). Photo 1 Trim away the fabric and stabilizer beyond the stitching line, leaving a 1 8" wide seam allowance. Clip the curves and make a small slit or X in the stabilizer only (photo 2). Photo 2 Carefully turn the right side out through the slit, rolling the edge so the stitching lies right along the seam edge. inger press the edges, making sure any points are pushed out as much as possible (photo 3). Photo 3 6 AMRICAN QUILTR July 2008 Note: With small s, the stabilizer sometimes tears to the seam allowance. As long as the seam allowance is turned under, you should be able to sew the in place on your quilt block or border without any problem. If your stabilizer will allow it, press the from the fabric side, but not from the stabilizer side. Pin the to the batiste where indicated by the traced lines. Stitch the to the base fabric using a pin stitch, blind stitch, or zigzag stitch as described in Stitches. o not trim the batiste away behind the. Remove the stabilizer as directed on page 7. Reverse Using a water-soluble marking pen, trace the reverse design onto the batiste. Cut pieces of water-soluble stabilizer at least ½ larger all around than the actual size of the motif. Pin the stabilizer to the right side of the batiste over the marked motif. Adjust the sewing machine for a very shortlength straight stitch (1.5). Stitch all the way around the motif on the drawn line, taking only one stitch across points (photo 4). This adds stability to the fi n- ished shape and actually makes it easier to turn smooth sharp points. Photo 4 Cut out the fabric and stabilizer layers inside the stitched shape, leaving a 1 8" wide allowance beyond the stitching. With small, very sharp scissors, clip curves and points all the way to but not through the stitching line (photo 5). Photo 5 Turn the stabilizer to the wrong side through the center of the motif, rolling the edges to make sure the stitching lies right along the edge. inger press the edges fi rmly in place (photo 6). Photo 6 Tip: o not moisten your fi ngers to assist with this step as the water-soluble stabilizer will dissolve. If your stabilizer can be pressed without shrinking (test fi rst or check the manufacturer s directions for details), you may press the turned edge from the fabric side. o not touch the stabilizer with the iron. Place and pin the silk organza under the faced opening with grain lines aligned. Thread the machine with very fi ne cotton thread (60- or 80-wt.). Stitch around the s turned edge (see Stitches below for appropriate stitch options). Stitches If your machine has a pin stitch, an airy hallmark stitch of heirloom sewing, set it for a stitch length of and a stitch width of Use a 100 or 110 Universal needle. If your machine does not have a pin stitch, use fine thread, a size 70

6 Universal needle, and a tiny blindstitch with a length of 0.5 and width of (fi g. 6). You may substitute a tiny zigzag stitch for the blindstitch if you prefer. or turned-edge, stitch so that the straight stitch portion is in the batiste (background fabric) and the zigzag portion bites into the fabric, linen in the case of this quilt (photo 7). If you do not have a pin stitch, use a straight or zigzag stitch as outlined above. Tip: Additional stabilizer should not be necessary, but if you do have problems with puckering, use an additional layer of water-soluble stabilizer under the batiste. On the wrong side of reverse, trim away the excess organza close to the stitching. Removing the stabilizer After stitching all s and reverse s, remove the stabilizer, following the manufacturer s directions. In general, water-soluble stabilizer is removed by soaking the piece in clear water without soap or detergent. The stabilizer will become sticky and then dissolve in the water. When the stabilizer has disappeared, rinse again with clear water and then gently squeeze out the water. Roll the piece in a towel to remove excess water and lay it fl at to air dry. Lightly starch and press the piece before applying it to your quilt block or border. Take care not to distort the grain line as you press. Photo 7 or pin-stitched reverse, stitch so that the straight stitch portion is in the organza only, and the zigzag portion of the stitch bites into the batiste. The large needle, repetitive stitching, and fine thread combine to form a series of very tiny holes along the stitching line (photo 8). Photo 8 July 2008 AMRICAN QUILTR 7

7 Mitered corner seam Reverse Reverse Match dotted lines to form complete ½ border design MISTY GARN by Susan Stewart 2008 Add ½" seam allowance all around each shape. This oversized seam allowance is for ease in handling sheer fabrics. Corner of border

8 Appliqué for Y block ½ Reverse MISTY GARN by Susan Stewart 2008 Center of A ½ Reverse Add ½" seam allowance all around each shape. This oversized seam allowance is for ease in handling sheer fabrics. July 2008 AMRICAN QUILTR 9