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Project #2 - Custom quilting using line pattern. 2021.
1. Making the quilt.
If you wish to make this project, here are the directions. It is a small 40" by 40" finished quilt. The quilting will show really well on plain fabric, but of course, you can use whatever fabric you please. I just used some from my stash. (The two dots at the top are just pin heads.)
In this project we are using line pattern for the whole quilt.
Cutting and construction.
The picture shows where the pieces are located.
You will start in the middle with piece A and work your way out to the edges.
A – cut one 9” square.
B– cut one 10 ¼” square.
Cut that square in half diagonally in both directions - from the upper left corner to the lower right corner, and from the upper right corner to the lower left corner – making four triangles.
Sew the long edges of those four triangles to the sides of square A.
Trim this square in square piece to 12 ½”.
C – cut one 13 ¾” square.
Cut this square in half diagonally in both directions, making four triangles.
Sew the long sides of the four triangles to the 12 ½” square in square piece you made in the previous step. (Refer to picture for placement)
Trim to 17 ½”.
Sashing - cut two strips of fabric 1 7/8” by 171/2”. Sew them to two opposite sides of the 17 ½” square.
Cut two strips of fabric 1 7/8” by 21 ¼”.
Sew them to the remaining two sides.
D – cut four 7 7/8” squares.
Cut each one in half diagonally.
E - cut four 7 ½” squares.
Sew two D triangles to each E square. (Refer to picture for placement.)
The piece should now measure 28 ½” by 28 ½”.
Inner border – cut sixty 2 ½” squares.
Sew 14 squares together for each of two borders.
Sew these to opposite sides of the 28 ½” quilt.
Sew 16 squares together for each of the remaining borders.
Sew these to the remaining sides of the quilt.
Measure your quilt at this point. If your quilt does not measure 32 ½” by 32 ½”, cut the length of your outer border pieces in the next step to match your quilt.
Outer Border – cut two strips of fabric 4 ½” by 32 ½”.
Sew them to two opposite sides of the quilt.
Cut two strips of fabric 4 ½” by 40 ½”.
Sew these to the remaining two sides of the quilt.
2. Loading the Patterns.
This is a screenshot of the finished project.
We will only be using line pattern and clipping block for this project. All the patterns have been created by me and can be downloaded from this link line pattern project patterns
The pattern file includes the quilt map, which we will not be using for this project but I have included it because you might like to use it in the future for designing your own quilts.
Once you've downloaded the patterns to your computer, look for the quilt map which has the suffix .iqq. Move this to a folder titled quilts on your usb. If you do not have a quilts folder, just create one with that name.
The patterns have the suffix .dxf and should be moved into the folder named patterns on your usb.
I tried out several different patterns before deciding upon the ones shown in the screenshot - all my try-outs are included in the file.
This video should help with downloading the patterns and organising them on your iQ.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Check the patterns folder on your thumb drive - if there are patterns in it, either load them onto your tablet and then delete them from you thumb drive, or simply delete them if you've already loaded them onto your tablet.
3.The quilting begins.
This video instalment shows how to use a presentation clicker when placing patterns, and when changing patterns. If you do not have a clicker, you can, ofcourse, just touch the buttons. Touch 'ok' each time you have placed a pattern, and touch the button labeled 'pattern' when you want to change the pattern.
I use 'Flip Y' to change the orientation of the continuous curves - I am saying that on the video but I'm a bit quiet.
I find the clicker allows me to be more accurate because I am not running the risk of moving my machine slightly when I touch the on screen buttons. However, I used iQ for years quite successfully before getting a clicker so don't feel you have to get one.
In this video I stitch in the ditch, stitch the top border and part way down the sides, and stitch continuous curves in the small squares.
NOTE: A very good question was asked about how I decided to make one repeat of the border equal 4 squares of the inner border. I omitted counting the inner border squares in the video to show how I decided. There were 16 squares so I knew I could make each repeat of the swag border pattern equal to either 2 or 4 squares. 4 was best for this swag.
4. After the first advance.
This is part 4 of the project with the third video. I have advanced my quilt and am ready to stitch all the patterns within my reach. I start with the stitch in the ditch, which stabilises the quilt somewhat. I move on to add more line patterns.
In the square, 4 swags create a new motif. This could be re-created using a perfect block on iQ as a guide and then saved to be used as a block pattern in the future. Triangular patterns, or any point to point pattern can be combined in this way to make new patterns for blocks.
Marking the block helps in sizing the patterns correctly when I first place them. If my quilt is pieced pretty accurately, I will not need to mark any blocks after this.
Now, I can hear some of you questioning why I didn't keep the large triangle stitch in the ditch pattern and just convert it to a block for the clipping block. My answer is simply - quilt draw up. Once that stitch in the ditch was sewn, my quilt would have moved ever so slightly - it would have been drawn in. I also stitched several more patterns before getting to the clipping block, which would have also moved my quilt. It was safer to mark-on-quilt the block for the clipping block.
You'll also notice that I didn't pay attention to the heights of the patterns that I had carefully written down. I often just look at the patterns on my screen and guess which one is correct, but I need to get into the habit of referring to my notes in order to place the correct pattern. iQ will remember everything so I need to remove the patterns with the incorrect heights to avoid mistakes or confusion. Let's see if I remember to do that in the next episode.
5. After a second advance.
Another advance of the quilt. This time I place and stitch several line patterns together. It's a test to see if I get good results or if the quilt has drawn up too much. Practice projects like this are very helpful in building knowledge - mistakes are always good because we learn so much from them. I don't usually correct things on practice quilts. If this had been a customer's quilt, I would have picked out the stitches that weren't exactly where I wanted them to be - you'll see some in the ditch work that didn't hit the ditch. To make practice projects really useful for future reference, you can make notes about what you did and and how you might change the way you did things.
I do not finish the pass in this video because I think you should be able to do that now. After completing this pass, I then went on to complete the next section of my quilt, which included the rest of the center medallion. For me that meant another advance, but those of you with larger machines can probably finish this part without advancing, allowing you to stitch the center motif as one complete line pattern..
Before the next instalment, please stitch everything shown in this screenshot.
6. The final instalment.
This is the final instalment of the line pattern project.
I demonstrate a way to set the parallel line pattern in place so that all the sides can be clipped. These screenshots clarify that process.
I place my needle slightly above the top seam line of the triangle that will become the clipping block.
I move the machine to the center of the long side for one repeat of the pattern and I make sure that the pattern matches the horizontal needle line (the green line) making it perfectly straight. I do not follow the seam line's slight downward angle.
I then move over to the other end of the triangle for the second repeat, again making sure the pattern is straight. If that's not done, the lines will not be parallel.
The top of my triangle was not perfectly straight, so following the seam line would have made my lines crooked and the lines in the second repeat would not have been parallel to the lines in the first repeat, as shown below.
Making this pattern larger than my clipping block allowed all three edges to be clipped.
The video goes on to explain once again how to set the border pattern in place with a description of placing the corner lollipop.
I hope this project has shown the usefulness of line pattern. I didn't need to mark any blocks once I had determined the height of each pattern because I knew the piecing was good. If this had been a quilt where I could see that the piecing varied, I would have marked more blocks and changed the height of the patterns as necessary so that they sat correctly in the piecing.
If the borders had varied in width, I would have marked them all and changed the height of each pattern repeat to suit the piecing rather than keep all the patterns the same height, which would draw attention to the piecing, I look at the space between the top of the pattern and the edge of the quilt and try to keep that consistent. Any slight difference in the height of each repeat will not be noticeable.
There is one last thing to do after finishing the project, and that is to move the patterns into their final destination catalogs. If you want to keep them altogether but not at the top of your library list, simply rename the catalog without the spaces before the name. I will move individual patterns into other catalogs - for instance, I have one named Swags so all the swag patterns will go into that catalog so that they'll be easy for me to find next time I want a swag. Others may go into my P2P catalog, or just into the Patterns by Helen catalog. In the end how patterns are organised is a very personal decision. They just need to be easy to find.
This is a complete project that includes both piecing and quilting.
1. The Outline.
The finished project.
This project will begin with planning out the complete quilt on the tablet. We will create a quilt map then add block, sashing and border patterns.
We will be using patterns that are already loaded onto iQ and will modify some of those patterns to create our own variations. Path pattern will be used to place the border pattern.
When the whole quilt is planned, we will move on to stitching from that plan. iQ will be used to stitch everything.
For this project, we will turn the quilt to stitch the side borders. We will use distort and perhaps shape shift and magnet tool to modify our patterns to fit the real quilt. This is a simple custom project so we will not be doing any stitching in the ditch.
The small quilt measures approximately 47” square before quilting.
Cut 9, 10½” squares for the blocks.
Cut 24, 2½” x 10½” rectangles for the sashing.
Cut 16, 2½” x 2½” squares for the sashing cornerstones.
Stitch the rows together to complete the body of the quilt.
Measure your pieced quilt to determine the length of two borders on opposite sides of the quilt. Cut 5½” wide strips of fabric the length of those two sides.
After adding two borders, measure the length of the remaining two sides and cut the strips to the correct length, again 5½” wide.
NOTE: I do not usually plan out custom quilts in this way. This is just an exercise showing that option. It allows us to audition patterns and alter them to suit a project, and save a complete project for future use.
2. The Quilt Map.
When starting a new project, I have an idea about what the end product will be, so I need to think about the steps to achieve that end.
What will be the first step?I have no ready made quilt yet so In this case, the first step will be to think about the finished project and then create the blocks that will make up the quilt. The blocks will not be stitched, but they need to be on the screen so patterns can be placed in them.
This collection of blocks is called the quilt map. It is an empty template that can be saved and re-used. It will be saved at the size for this project, but that does not limit you – a quilt map can be re-sized, or scaled, to any size you like or need.
Our quilt needs blocks, sashings, sashing cornerstones, and borders.
So, let’s get started. The tablet can be away from your machine for these first installments. Setting your tablet on its stand close to your computer will make it easier to complete this installment if you prefer not to print out the instructions. Every button you need to touch, or action you need to take is listed here, step by step.
If you have printed out this installment on paper, it might be helpful to check off each section as you complete it to avoid confusion.
I do a couple of steps a little differently in the video, so don’t try and follow the written steps along with the video – watch the video then either create the quilt map as I do there, or just watch the video to get an idea about what you’re going to do, then follow the steps written here. They are just minor differences but might be enough to confuse new iQers if you try and watch the video at the same time as reading these steps. There are a couple of times when I clear my throat, sorry about that.
Starting at the main menu, touch Design/Sew Quilt > Start New.
If a pop up window appears answer the questions appropriately.
Add Block > Enter Rectangle Manually.
Width: 10”, enter
Height: 10”, enter
Continue.
Turn the grid on. Using the grid will help with making the quilt map and placing the patterns later.
If the block isn’t already centered on the grid, turn snap on (look for that button in the ribbon below the image)
Move the block so that it snaps to the grid. Grab one of the reference points and move it close to a grid intersection. The block will snap to that intersection.
Finished.
Add Block > Standard Block > Enter Rectangle Manually.
Width: 10”, enter
Height: 2”, enter
Continue.
Move the sashing block so that it snaps to the top of the 10” block. You may have to zoom out if you cannot see the top of the block.
Finished.
Copy Block > touch the sashing block. It will turn red. Continue.
The copy will be slightly offset from the original – it will be red.
Rotation.
Tap the degree button in the ribbon until it reads 90º.
Touch the rotate arrow to rotate the block.
Move. Grab the block and move it until it snaps to the side of the 10” block .
Finished.
Add Block > Standard Block > Enter Rectangle Manually.
Width: 2”, enter.
Height: 2”, enter.
Continue.
Zoom out, or touch zoom full, so you can see the whole quilt.
Move the 2” square block to the upper left corner.
Finished.
Repeat Block(s) >Touch each block in turn until they are all red.
Continue.
X Repeat(s) > tap the plus sign twice.
Y Repeat(s) > tap the plus sign twice.
Finished
Repeat Block(s) > Touch the vertical row of sashing and sashing cornerstones on the left.
Continue.
X Repeat(s) > tap the plus sign once.
X Distance > touch the key pad and put in 36, enter.
Finished.
Repeat Block(s) > Touch the horizontal row of sashings and sashing cornerstones at the top.
Continue.
Y Repeat(s) > tap the plus sign once.
Y Distance > touch the key pad and put in 36, enter.
Finished.
The body of the quilt is finished, now we need to add the borders.
Add Block > Standard Block > Enter Rectangle Manually.
Width: 38”, enter.
Height: 5”, enter.
Continue.
The full image with the grid turned on isn’t easy to see, so turn off the grid.
Move the border block to the top of the quilt.
Finished.
Copy Block > touch the border block > Continue.
Move the copy to the bottom of the quilt.
Finished.
Copy Block > touch one of the border blocks > Continue.
Rotation > touch one of the rotation arrows > Move
Move the block to one side.
Finished.
Copy Block > touch the side border block > Continue.
Move the block to the other side of the quilt.
Remember to always grab hold of one of the reference points then it will snap to another on the adjacent block. I like to grab the middle side reference point.
Finished.
Now we just have the border cornerstones to add. I am going to add two triangles rather than a square because I want to see a diagonal line across the corner. It will help me to position corner patterns accurately.
Add Block > Standard Block > Load From Block Catalog > Geometric
Select triangle > Continue.
Zoom Full
Move the triangle to the top left border cornerstone. It is much too big. Grab the reference point at the right angle and move it until it snaps to the top of the left hand side border.
Stretch. Touch that same reference point for the anchor (the one that won’t move).
Grab the snappoint (reference point) at the lower right point of the triangle and move it until it snaps to the top right corner of the left hand side border. Zooming in will help.
Finished.
Copy Block > touch the triangle > Continue.
Zoom in so you can see the triangle more easily.
Flip X > Flip Y, move the triangle into place next to the original triangle to complete the cornerstone of the border.
Finished.
Copy Block > touch one of the triangle blocks > Continue.
Move the block into position at the other top corner.
Rotation > touch one of the rotation arrows.
Finished.
Copy Block > touch the triangle at the top right > Continue.
Flip X > Flip Y > Move. Move the triangle into place.
Finished.
Repeat Block(s) > Select all the triangle blocks > Continue.
Y Repeat(s) > tap the plus arrow once.
Y Distance > touch the keypad and enter 43, enter.
(Look at the diagonal lines – they are going in the wrong direction)
Flip Y.
(Now they are correct)
Finished.
Finished > Save Quilt/Pattern > Save The Quilt
Touch Clr to get rid of the existing name and call this PROJECT 1. Enter.
New Catalog is highlighted so touch select and name the catalog PROJECT.
The quilt map is now saved and can be recalled for the next installment of this project.
Did you notice where I did something differently in the video? That’s o.k. – I still ended up with the quilt map I wanted. In the end it doesn’t really matter which steps you use to create the quilt map.
By the way, I am not using the latest update in this instalment.
3. Preparing the Patterns.
The next step in this project is to find all the patterns we are going to use and place them into in a project catalog. This will be a temporary holding catalog, created simply to make finding the patterns we are going to use easier. At the end of the project, it will be deleted. The new patterns we create will be placed in this catalog. If you want to keep the new patterns, they need to be moved to another catalog at the end of the project, or at any time during the project.
All the patterns we use in this project are on your iQ.
They are : intf2 (Keryn Emmerson)
CQfeather square 7 (Keryn Emmerson)
Heart (Patterns by Helen)
Lob, or Lob cont. (Patterns by Helen)
Spiral 2 (Patterns by Helen)
Simply feathered border, and border corner (Wildflower Quilting)
I will not be writing complete step by steps for this installment, but just an outline of the steps. You will need to watch the video for a complete description of how to move the patterns and how to create the variations.
First, search for and move copies of each pattern in turn into a catalog named (space)Project. Putting the space before the name places the catalog at the top of the library list, which makes retrieving the patterns faster.
Return to the main menu and start new. Block pattern. Go to the preferences (local configurations) and set both to disabled.
Make a10”x10” block.
Choose heart. Reduce it to 100%.
Move the start/end point.
Copy the heart, reduce the copy to 80% and move it so that both start/end points match.
Combine, and save.
Delete double heart.
Add simply feathered border corner. Copy. Rotate 90º. Move the copy so the start matches the end of the original.
Copy both. Rotate 90º twice, move them into place, making a complete motif.
Combine and save.
Delete simply feathered motif.
Add lob. Add pattern, select arc-2 from the geometric catalog.
Place arc-2 on top of lob. Move it by grabbing the start point and matching it to the S/E of lob. If arc-2 isn’t the same length as lob, use stretch – anchor the start point, then grab the end point and snap it to the right hand end of lob. (this isn’t in the video)
Combine. NOTE: if you see a pink line when you combine these two patterns, you need to swap the start/end point.
Save.
This instalment is now complete. There is no need to save the block, just exit out. Additional Note: A new user reminded me that new IQ's have some included patterns saved in the catalogs in a different orientation to mine. Arc-2 is an example of that. I have it saved as a horizontal pattern so when I selected it to make lob cont. it came into my block horizontally. In most iQs, arc-2 is at an angle in the catalog so that's how it will be placed in the block. If that happens to you, touch the start point of arc-2 and move it until it snaps to the start/end of lob. Select stretch and select the start point as the anchor.Then touch the end point of arc-2. Zoom in, then move the end point so it snaps to the right hand end of lob. Hope that helps.
This post does have some step by step written instructions to follow but please watch the video first.
If you are new to iQ or new to doing custom quilting with iQ, watch it three or more times before working on your own project. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask me.
I do not write every single step (I omit telling you to touch the finished button, for example) but give you a good guide. It should be obvious when you have to touch finished or continue.)
There is one place in the written steps that improves upon the way I do something in the video – you might want to follow the better method note rather than copy what I do in the video at that point.
So, let’s get started!
At the main menu, choose Design/Sew Quilt, then Edit/Sew Existing and retrieve your quilt map.
Add/Edit Pattern > Block Pattern > Select Block- touch the top left hand 10” block.
Select the project pattern catalog and touch the feathered heart.
Zoom in and turn your zoom lock on.
Finished > Add Pattern> Block Pattern > Use Current Block – select the geometric catalog and select line.
Move line so one end snaps to the top left corner of the block.
Stretch. Touch the end you just moved to anchor it in place. Grab the other end of the line and move it until it snaps to the bottom right corner of the block.
Select – touch the feathered heart. Rotate 45º.
Move – move the heart until it is centered over the diagonal line. Note that this pattern is not symmetrical so ignore the bottom feather when moving the pattern into place. Turn on the grid to a quarter inch to help you place the pattern and equal distance from all 4 sides of the block. Scale it up if necessary.
(Note – the pattern has to please you – if it’s a little different to mine, that’s o.k. You may not want it to be quite as big, that’s o.k.)
When you are happy with the placement and scale of the pattern, touch finished > Add Pattern > Block Pattern > Use Current Block > select project catalog and choose double heart.
Scale it down, rotate it and move it into place using the diagonal line and the grid to help. Zoom in when necessary.
Finished > Delete Pattern – select the diagonal straight line and delete it.
(Better method note: it might be easier to leave the diagonal line in place and copy it along with the other 2 patterns. Then, at the next step, after rotating the patterns, you can simply make sure the diagonal is snapped to the upper right and lower left hand corners of the block for perfect placement rather than having to move just the 2 patterns around as I do in the video. Delete the two straight lines after doing that step)
Copy Pattern(s) > touch both the patterns, or select all.
Rotate the patterns and move them into position using the grid as a guide. Zooming in really helps too.
Copy Patterns > Select All > rotate. Grab the center reference point that lies between the 2 patterns and move them until that point snaps to the center point of the middle block of the bottom three.
Add Pattern > Block Pattern > Select Block – touch the top middle block.
Select CQ feather square 7. Move it into position, matching a corner reference point with a corner of the block. Scale it up to fill the block.
Copy Pattern > select CQ feather and move the copy into place in the left hand side empty block.
Copy Pattern and select both CQ feather square patterns.
Move them into place.
Add Pattern > Block Pattern > Select Block – touch the center block.
Choose Simply Feathered motif and move it into place. Scale it up if you feel it’s necessary.
Add Pattern > Block Pattern > Use Current Block – select spiral and scale it down to fit in the center of the simply feathered motif.
Look over everything to make sure nothing needs modifying, and that everything looks good to you, then select save quilt/pattern > save the quilt. Give it a name and save it in your project catalog.
Next time we’ll add the sashing and border patterns.
5. Placing the Border and Sashing Patterns.
In this installment, the quilt map and plan is completed. This is the last time we will be working in demo mode.
I am not writing every single step because by now I think you should be able to know when to touch finished or continue. However, if you get lost, watch the video again, and if necessary, write down all the steps I take.
There is one place in the video where I could have done things differently so watch the video, then read these instructions to decide what you will do.
Starting at the main menu, retrieve your saved quilt map with the block patterns in place. (Hint: edit/sew existing)
Add pattern > block pattern > select the top border block.
Path pattern will be used to place the border pattern. Path pattern is a fast way to put a border pattern in place because it automatically combines all the repeats and they can be customized as a group to fit the border pleasingly.
First we need to place the pattern that will be the path that the pattern we want to sew will follow.
Select line in the geometric catalog.
Move the start end so that it snaps to the center reference point of the border block.
Stretch > anchor the S > touch the end point and move it until it snaps to the center reference point of the left hand end of the border block.
Finished > add pattern > path pattern > touch the line (the path)
Select Simply Feathered e2e from the project pattern catalog.
Note that iQ always puts in 20 repeats as the first choice. That’s too many for this project.
Reduce the number of repeats to 4.
Flip Y.
Notice how the pattern is placed too high up in the border. That’s because the start and end point of a pattern is always placed on the path. There are a few ways to move the pattern into the correct position but in the video I use modify path. This moves the path, but I cannot see the path pattern so it’s a bit of guess work as to how far I need to move the path. I tap, tap, tap the down arrow until I think it looks about right.
Alternatively, I could have selected Offset on the path pattern screen and moved the feather pattern down into position.
(Note: try both methods to see which one you prefer. If you see the pattern distorting at the start end when using offset, turn warp off. With warp on, iQ is trying to make the start and end point stay on the path.)
Pay attention to the end of the feather at the border cornerstone – it should not cross that diagonal line.
Finished > add/edit pattern > delete pattern, and touch the line to delete it.
Modify pattern, and touch the feather border pattern.
Use the grid, set to a quarter inch, to fine tune the position of the feather pattern. Zoom in and pan to see how it appears at the cornerstone end of the border.
Move the pattern until its position is pleasing to you. Make sure the start point is at the center of the border block and the end feather doesn’t cross the diagonal line in the cornerstone.
When you are happy with the pattern’s placement, touch finished.
Copy pattern. Select the feather border pattern.
Flip X. Move the copy so that the two start points snap together.
(Note: we will be stitching the border patterns from the center out to minimize fabric draw up.)
Copy pattern > touch both border patterns.
Rotate 90º and move them into position in the side border. Zoom in and pan around to check the position.
When you are happy, touch finished > copy pattern > select all 4 border patterns.
Rotate and move them into position.
Zoom in to check the corners and use the grid to check their distance from the inner edge of the border.
After placing all four border patterns, touch finished.
Add pattern > block pattern > select block and touch the top left sashing block.
Choose lob cont.
Use move and stretch to position it at the left hand end of the sashing block.
Finished > repeat pattern > touch lob cont.
X repeats > tap the plus sign until the top sashing is filled. Zoom in to check the intersection between the repeats. There should not be a gap or an overlap. (Note: if you see either, touch X distance while you are zoomed in, and alter it until the repeats match perfectly. iQ alters every repeat so you only need to stay zoomed in to one intersection. There’s no need to check the others.)
Y repeats > tap the plus sign until you have 4 rows.
Y distance > 12” > finished.
Add pattern > block pattern > select block > then get lob pattern again.
Move it and rotate it into position.
But wait – what could I have done differently at this point?
Think about the other choices I had on the add/edit pattern screen.
Yes, I could have selected copy pattern and simply copied one lob from the top sashing and rotated and moved it into place, then used repeat pattern as I did in the video.
I also could have copied the whole row, rotated it and repeated that row.
Or I could have copied all the lob patterns and rotated them all then moved them into position.
You can see that there are several different ways to get the end result you want. No one method is right or wrong, it’s simply what works best for you and, sometimes, which method is fastest, or which one you think of at the time. It was only after finishing the video that I realized I could have used any of these other methods.
If you want to try out each method, follow what I do on the video, then delete all the lob patterns and try another method.
The final step is to place the double heart pattern in each corner of the border.
Copy the double heart and move it into position, altering its scale to fit the space. The diagonal line and the grid will help position the pattern to your liking.
When you like it, copy, rotate and place the copy in the second corner. Use the grid and snap grid to position it.
Finally copy both the hearts, flip Y and move them into position.
Save the quilt with a new name. This allows you to keep a copy of the quilt with only the block patterns so you can audition other border and sashing designs.
We will start stitching in the next installment so if you want to sew along with me, you need to have the quilt top ready. It might be a good idea to mount the quilt sandwich and completely baste the three layers together so that you can take the project off your machine between installments. Ofcourse, you could also wait until the end to do the stitching.
6. Stitching the first border and sashing.
The quilting begins in this installment and you’ll see that my stitching is far from perfect. I’m not worried because this is just a project – it’s a practice piece. If yours looks like mine, then I hope you’re encouraged to just accept it. If yours looks better than mine – hooray!
I am using a high contrast thread that shows both the good and bad clearly. I chose to use it so that the stitching would show up well on the video. You can choose whatever thread you wish. My small quilt is made with old fabric that I don’t care about. I can see my finished project will be a very good, and elegant, pet bed or small picnic rug.
This is a longer video because it shows everything I do. It is nearly 40 minutes long. If there are parts you need to refer back to when working on your project, make a note of their time so you can quickly find them. For instance, I start working on the sashing at about 25 minutes. I talk about the dwell settings starting at 21 minutes.
There are a couple of places in the video where the image breaks up a little but they do not interfere for very long so I chose not to edit them out. They do not make you miss anything. Also, you may here me speaking softly once or twice – this is of no importance either because I am just talking to myself, saying my thoughts out loud, so don’t worry about trying to hear what I’m saying.
So let’s get started with the notes. As before, I am giving you a basic guideline, not every single step. If you have questions, you can refer back to the video, comment here, or e-mail me.
Start up your iQ and retrieve your project, using add/edit existing.
You are asked to touch a reference point on the screen – I touched the top right hand corner of my project. When asked to move the machine to that reference point on the real quilt, I did not move my machine to the top right corner of my quilt. Instead I moved my machine to the top left, beyond the edge of my real quilt.
I do not want to work with my project map directly over my real quilt. I want to be able to copy the patterns from my project map and move them onto my real quilt blocks. The real quilt will not be perfect. If I try to mark my real blocks on my project map, I will become very confused.
Add/Edit block > add block > standard block > mark on quilt.
Mark the top border block, tracing along the seam line between the border and the sashing and making a diagonal line, or miter, at each corner. Mark as many points as necessary to truly reflect the block on your tablet.
Add/edit pattern > copy pattern(s). Touch the two feather patterns in the top border.
Move the copies over to the border block, using the arrows to move them precisely into position.
Use the measure tool to check the distance between the bottom of the pattern and the seam line.
Use zoom true size to get a good visual of how the pattern is sitting in the border block.
Pan to each end to make sure the pattern isn’t crossing over the miter.
In the video, I only had to move my patterns. If you find that when your pattern is the correct distance from the seam line, it overlaps the miters, touch width and then the minus sign to shorten the pattern. Stay zoomed in to one end as you do this. Pan over to the other end to make sure it’s correct.
When you are happy, touch finished > finished > sew quilt.
Touch the pattern on the left as the first one to stitch, then touch the other half of the border. Choose stop to cut threads as the transition.
This border will be stitched from the center outwards. This minimizes the fabric movement. However, before stitching the second half, touch realign and follow the directions to make sure the pattern will start exactly in the center. In the video, I let the machine move to the center before realigning. If it had moved to the correct starting position on the quilt, I would not have needed to realign.
I made some changes whilst iQ was stitching. I had not checked my tension before starting so it is less than perfect. I also found that my quilt was vibrating, which was probably due to the fact that my machine has been moved from its normal position recently.
After completing the top border, add/edit pattern > delete patterns. They’ve been stitched so they are not needed anymore.
NOTE: do not ‘select all’ when asked which patterns do you want to delete. Selecting all will delete all the patterns on your project map!
Leave the block for now.
Finished > Add/edit block > add block > standard block > mark on quilt.
Take a marking tool, and mark the center of each cornerstone of the top row of sashing on your quilt.
When you mark on quilt the sashing block, mark it so that it dips down to the center of each sashing cornerstone. This will help when placing the patterns.
When you have finished marking the sashing block, look at the screen. Has it overlapped the border block? If it has, that’s showing how the fabric moved when it was quilted.
You can delete that border block now.
Add/edit pattern > copy pattern > touch the first row of sashing patterns – you need to touch all 6 because they are not combined.
Move the copies to the sashing block. Zoom to true size and pan along the row to check their position. Use move and/or stretch to move the patterns into place.
Stitch the sashings from the center outwards. Watch as they stitch. If the double stitched line doesn’t seem to be perfect, press down on the quilt slightly to move it to make the stitching go where you need it to be.
There is no need to save this quilt when you exit out and shut down. Your complete project has been saved already.
7. Stitching the first row of block patterns and vertical sashing.
In this installment, I use distort and shape shift to modify the patterns so they fit in the blocks on my real quilt.
You’ll see that I have a serious tension issue at the start that cured itself. I have found that with the change of seasons, and thus temperature and humidity, my elderly machine does this. I had stitched a bit before making this video and thought the machine was warmed up enough, but surprisingly that was not the case. I chose to ignore the bad tension. You might also notice that my machine’s speed changes - that’s because I accidently brushed against the speed dial when I was working on modifying the patterns. I did not check the dial’s position before starting to stitch. The lesson here is to always glance at your speed setting when iQ prompts you to do so before touching that start button on the sew quilt screen. I changed the speed slightly whilst iQ was stitching.
Now onto the instructions.
Retrieve your complete quilt map and align it away from your real quilt, just we did last week. This time I aligned it off to the right hand side.
I marked the centers of the next row sashing corner stones, then did these steps :
Add/edit block > add block > standard block > mark on quilt.
I marked points around the block as many times as necessary to show the true block on the screen. This is important.
(My remote clicker has a small usb receiver plugged into one of the ports on the top of my tablet.)
When I got to the end of marking my block, instead of taking the needle back to the start, I simply touched close block.
Finished > add/edit pattern > copy pattern. I copied 2 vertical sashing patterns. It didn’t matter which two I copied as they are all the same. I zoomed as necessary.
I moved the copies into position in the sashing block. I snapped the start point of the pattern to the top reference point of the black, then touched stretch. I anchored that start point, and then moved the end point until it snapped to the bottom reference point of the block.
I used true size zoom to inspect the pattern and saw that it needed some modifications.
I touched the double arrows to find shape shift.
Look at the size button – I changed that to 3” before the video started because I had been working on the other sashing patterns. After checking the preferences, as I do in the video, change your effect circle size to 3 inches. Modify your pattern – if you don’t like your modifications, touch undo. Change the size of the circle and try again. Sometimes it can take a few tries to get the result you want – try working with a large effect circle and a smaller effect circle to see which modifies the pattern to your liking. You can undo up to 10 steps so don’t worry if your pattern starts to look really bad. If it gets completely out of shape, you can always delete it then copy the patterns from the quilt map and start again.
If your shape shifted patterns looks very strange, check that you have smooth on. If it’s off, touch the button then touch the plus or minus sign to change it to on.
Note: when you get to the next sashing, copy the patterns from the quilt map, not from this sashing which has been altered and thus will be more difficult to modify for the new block. Always start with an unmodified pattern for the best results.
As you watch my machine stitching, this is where you’ll see that terrible tension. It didn’t happen again. You’ll also see that that first double stitched line wasn’t right on top of the previous stitching. This shows how my quilt had moved because I had my hand on the surface.Lesson number 2 – do not touch the quilt until you are absolutely sure you need to!
Don’t worry about making mistakes like this – we learn so much from our mistakes (and I’m obviously still learning!)
Having completed the first vertical sashing, go on to the next. Mark the sashing block, copy the patterns from the quilt map, move them into place and modify them as necessary. Stitch them. Move on to the next sashing, then the final sashing. Always work on one block at a time – mark the block, place the patterns and sew them immediately.
After completing all the sashings, delete the sahing patterns and the sashing blocks, and then move on to the 10” blocks.
I started with the block at the right hand side. I marked on quilt the block, and then added a diagonal line to help me position the heart patterns. I copied the two heart patterns for that block and moved them into place.
I studied how the patterns related to the diagonal line and found I only needed to rotate the patterns. If your patterns need more modification, use distort and/or shape shift. Just play around – if you make horrible mistakes, simply delete the patterns and copy them again.
Before stitching, I needed to check that my preferences, or local configurations, were set for backstitching because there are some jump stitches built into this pattern.
I sequenced one pattern then touched sew quilt to get to the page where I can alter those settings.
I set my back stitching length quite long so you can see the machine doing them. Personally, I don’t like that double backstitching, especially with this high contrast thread. If this were a piece I needed to look really good, I would have modified the pattern and eliminated the backstitching. I’ll show how to do that in an additional video.
After setting my preferences, I backed out of the sew quilt page so that I could sequence all the block patterns I wanted to sew.
I choose jump stitch as the transition between the two patterns.
I moved onto the center block next, marking the block and copying the center pattern.
This time I used distort. I always go to true size when modifying patterns with distort and use the little reference points of the distort box as guides. This gives me consistent spacing from pattern to pattern.
After using distort, I panned around and used shape shift to alter one side of the pattern where it came too close to the seam (edge of the block).
The image on the video is zoomed in at this point so you can clearly see what happens to the pattern. What you can’t see is that I chose shape shift, and then altered the size of the effect circle (you can just see me altering it by using the keypad).
This allowed me to move that part of the pattern away from the block.
On the stitching sequence page, I swapped the start/end points so that the pattern would stitch the outside first before going to the wreath.
Note: Look at the close up of the pattern at the end – the tiny circle in the center should have touched the petals. Mine doesn’t probably because I was going too fast. I think slowing down iQ would have improved this stitch out considerably, so that’s lesson number 3 for this installment.
Let’s see if I remember those lessons in the next installment.
This video doesn’t need many notes. I mark on quilt the sashing block, and then copy the horizontal sashing patterns. I use stretch and shape shift to make them fit nicely in the sashing block. I also talk about when I use distort, shape shift and magnet tool.
After completing this part, I think everyone should be able to complete all the sashing and block patterns, but if you have questions or need me to clarify something, please ask here or e-mail me so I can make another video before getting to the bottom border.
There’s no video this time because I think there’s no need to demonstrate modifying the border pattern to fit the real quilt, but here are the steps with reminders about which tools to use to make your pattern fit the real border. I am not including complete step by step instructions, but you can refer back to the first installment where we stitched the top border for help.
1.Retrieve the quilt map and align it off to the side of the real quilt.
2.Mark on quilt the real border block. Remember to mark the ends on the diagonal just as we did in the first installment.
3.Copy the border patterns. There are two with each one starting at the center of the border.
4.Move them into place, matching the center of the pattern to the center of the block. Use the down/up arrows to move it into the correct position, close to the inner seam line. Use the measure tool to check the distance.
5.Zoom in and pan along the whole length of the border to check the distance between the seam line and the border. Move the patterns up or down as necessary to get the majority of the pattern in the correct position.
6.Look at each end. Does the pattern reach the diagonal line at the ends of the border block? If it overlaps, and it probably will, alter the width. Do not use stretch here because that will alter both the height and the width and could change the scale of the whole pattern too much. Change the width and keep panning from one end of the border to the other to check the pattern. (Refer back to the video of the first installment if necessary.)
7.Pan along the whole border while zoomed in to find places where you might need to use shape shift to move parts of the pattern. Alter the size of the effect circle to suit the size of the piece of pattern you want to alter.
8.Check that the pattern’s center is still at the center of the width of the border.
9.Pan along one more time when zoomed in. Zoom out to look at the whole border – does it look good?
10.Once you are happy with the way your pattern looks, proceed onto the stitching sequence page and set the patterns to stitch out from the center, first one half of the pattern, and then the other. Select stop to cut threads as the transition.
11.When the first half has stitched and the threads have been cut, let the machine move to the start of the other pattern but watch where it stops to take the single stitch. If it’s not exactly where the first pattern started, touch the realign button. Select the start of the pattern on the screen as your reference point, and then move your needle to where you need the pattern to start. (I had to do that in the first video)
12.When all the stitching is completed, remove the quilt from you machine. Turn it 90º and re-mount it so the unquilted borders are at the top and bottom.
There will be a video for the next installment where we will finish the quilt.
If you need to watch the video to remind yourself how we quilted the first border, scroll back up to part 6.
10.The final 2 borders and the border cornerstones.
The quilt has been turned so that the final two borders can be stitched.This makes it easy to adjust the full length of the pattern and stitch it in just two parts.
Having turned the quilt, it’s then necessary to turn the image on the screen. This project was a square quilt so it wasn’t really necessary to turn the image – if it had been rectangular it would have had to be turned. Whether it’s turned clockwise or counter clockwise is up to you. Pay attention to the way you turn the quilt on the frame and turn the image the same way. This is a good habit to get into for those times when a quilt isn’t symmetrical, for instance when it may have piecing on one end of a border.
Align the quilt map off to the side.
In the video I mark on quilt the top border with diagonals at the corners. Don’t do this– follow the better method below.
The video does not show the pattern being stitched although I do talk about the different ways to sequence the patterns. Upon stitching I discovered that my quilt moved quite a lot so that made me think of a better way to both mark my blocks and how to sequence the stitching. Follow this new method instead of the way I do it in the video.
A better method for marking and stitching the border block on a turned quilt.
Add/edit block > add block > standard block > mark on quilt.
Start at the top left corner of the quilt. Mark along the top raw edge then come down the side raw edge until you are in line with the seam. Mark in towards the left and when you reach the stitching, mark points along the stitching, as shown here. (The green lines are my needle crosshairs.)
Mark along the seam line until you reach the stitching at the left hand end. Mark along the stitching out to the raw edge, as shown here.
Here is the completed block.
Copy the feather patterns from the map and move them to the new block.
Modify them as necessary, just as I did in the video. Match the center of the feather pattern to the center of the block and then move it down into position. Zoom in to check the distance between the seam line and the pattern.
Look at each end. Make the pattern to be stitched meet up with the marked end of the borders.
Change the width then use stretch, as shown in the video.
Here are my screenshots of the pattern in the new block, before and after modification.
The left hand end needed more modification than the right hand end. I changed the width then selected the left hand feather and used stretch to match it to the previous stitching. The distance was too great between the border and the pattern so I used shape shift to bring that portion down.
I only needed to use stretch at the right hand end after altering the width..
Stretch can alter the scale of the pattern but when you use it to make minor adjustments such as this, the difference in scale is very small and not noticeable.
Here is the whole border.
In the video you’ll see I have trouble using the measure tool. Since I was working at an angle, it was hard to see exactly where I was touching the screen and I didn’t get it right. When standing in front of the screen, I touch slightly above the measure tool’s end crosshairs in order to drag them to the places I want to measure. (I did do this successfully in an earlier video)
Sequence the feathers. After stitching one half of the feather pattern, align to the center (as done in the first video about stitching the top border) then move the needle to the stitched side, placing it over the stitching where it needs to match the yet to be quilted pattern. Set zoom to true size and look up at the screen to see if it is where it should be. (I do this in the video when modifying the pattern) If there is a big difference, back out to the modify pattern page and alter the pattern. If there’s only a tiny difference, be prepared to move the fabric slightly as the stitching approaches the end, Remember, the fabric will draw up.
Stitch the second half of the border pattern.
After stitching the feathers, back out to add/edit pattern > delete pattern > touch the feathers that have been stitched to get rid of them.
Add/edit block > add block > standard block > mark on quilt. Mark along the stitching and the outside edges of the corner.
Add/edit pattern > copy pattern > move the heart into position. Refer back to your quilt map to see the way you originally placed the heart so you can match that on the real quilt.
This screenshot shows my marked corner block. You can see how many points I marked along the stitching – each small green square is where I clicked to mark the block. (That green vertical line is part of one of my needle crosshairs)
Stitch the heart.
Back out and mark the other corner block, move the heart pattern and stitch it.
Advance your quilt and mark and stitch the bottom border in the same way.
Here is the video. Ofcourse, it's the last part of the project - not what I say in the video!
