It’s time to put it all together for week 5 of the Garden Harvest quilt along!
TIP: use fork pins to pin blocks at seams to ensure everything stays lined up nicely. I like these Magic Fork Pins by Taylor Seville. These pins have two prongs. They are super sharp, easy to grip and work great for keeping seams lined up. I pin them so one prong is on either side of the pin and I wait to remove them until just before they get to the needle so everything stays pinned as long as possible.
I pin them so one prong is on either side of the pin.
I wait to remove them until just before they get to the needle so everything stays pinned as long as possible.
Everything lines up nicely!
They work great for pinning blocks together to sew into rows AND pinning the rows together to assemble the quilt top.
Congratulations!! You have a completed quilt top!
Tips for Preparing Your Quilt for Longarm Quilting
Sandy of Thai Charm join us for week 5 of the Garden Harvest quilt along by sharing her tips for preparing your quilt for longarming:
Preparing a quilt for a longarm quilter is important. Here are some tips to help you prepare your quilt for a longarm quilter. Here are some helpful tips:
- Press your quilt top and trim any loose threads. A smooth and wrinkle free quilt top makes it easier for your longarm quilter to work with.
- Square up your quilt. Please make sure your quilt top is square and straight before sending it to your longarm quilter, this will ensure that the longarm machine stitches evenly.
The easiest way to do this is to:
– Take your quilt top to the floor with your cutting mat under your quilt top.
– Lay the mat along the edge of the quilt.
– Spread your quilt top out as flat as possible.
– Check that it is not pulled in any direction. Use your square ruler (12.5” is my favorite) to line up with one corner.
– Make sure that each corner is cut at a 90-degree angle, with consistently straight edges in between.
– Repeat these steps with the other three corners.
- The backing and batting should be at least 4 inches bigger than the quilt top on all sides, so that the longarm quilter has enough room to secure your quilt onto the frame. If you use directional fabric, and you have a specific direction that the top needs to be, make sure you let your longarm quilter know.
- Pick your quilting design (pantograph) before sending your quilt for longarm quilting. It is recommended to talk about your design preferences to ensure that you get the design you want and that your longarm quilter.
There is not really a secret sauce when it comes to quilting design, it’s all about personal preference. I usually pick a design with more intricate elements when the quilt top is made with all solids, that way the design will show better than the quilt top using prints. But it doesn’t mean that you can only use a simple design with a quilt top with prints. Like this Garden Harvest quilt using fabrics from Gayle Loraine Collection, we decided to go with Starlight pantograph by Karlee Porter instead of simple orange peel design. The extra lines in Starlight just give it extra textures for the fabric and the quilt itself to shine.
If you are struggling with picking the design for your quilt, don’t be afraid to ask your longarm quilter for help and suggestions. I usually find a couple of different designs for my clients to choose from, and work from there to find the perfect design for each quilt. You’ve spent a lot of time making your beautiful quilt top, I promise that you won’t regret spending a little extra time to find that one design that makes your heart sing!
We are excited to see what you are working on for week 5 of the Garden Harvest quilt along, so please share on social with the hashtags #gardenharvestqal and #quilterscandy!
PRIZES BY THE WEEK:
Week five – Sewing machine
BONUS PRIZE FOR MEMBERS: Week five MEMBERSHIP – 1 year free membership
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Did you enjoy this post? Be sure to check out the previous weeks of the quilt along:
Week 1 of the Garden Harvest Quilt Along