Things I learned while making the Queen size Whole Cloth Quilt:
BTW, I used a Northcott Stonehenge fabric, which is 44” wide, not including selvedge.
1. INCLUDE the selvedge when cutting the panels. (Not with the blocks)
2. I don’t like to attach strips - (4) front and (4) back joining strips need to be at least
88” long. That means attaching many strips. Yuck. To avoid this, for the BACK
fabric, I cut (3) 31” panels NOT width of fabric, but width of yardage instead. I
can get (2) 1 3/8” by 93” strips per set of (3) panels. For the FRONT fabric, I
need to cut (4) 25.5” panels. If careful, I can get (2) 1” by 100” strips per set of
(4) panels, plus (6) 8.5” blocks per panel.
3. FRONT Fabric - If possible, cut 1” wide strips from what is left over from the
panel/block combo. These 1” by 25.5” strips will be perfect for attaching a set of
(3) blocks to a panel. 12 strips of this size are needed. (See #9 for BACK fabric)
4. DON’T cut strips (unless out of scraps) until later. You may be able to get away
with less than the directions indicate.
5. Not a lot of wiggle room on blocks – The blocks are trimmed to 8”, and you are
asked to place an 8.5” section of fabric in the hoop and on the back. Be accurate
when centering. Or, cut the blocks larger. However, keep in mind that if you cut
the blocks larger, you will require a LOT more fabric.
6. Ruler makes rehooping panels much easier - I place the back of the hoop under
the quilt. Then, I place the top of the hoop approximately where it should go. I
place a 4’ by 12” ruler on the fabric. For the center hooping, I place the ruler on
the vertical chalk or pressed line, 1.25" to the left of it. I center the ruler so that
the horizontal line is at 7". I place the top hoop on the quilt, and maneuver it
against the ruler. The node on the hoop lines up with the 7" mark on the ruler
(and the horizontal line). I hold the ruler against the left inner side of the top
hoop with my right hand, firmly. With my left hand, I move the bottom hoop into
position. Sometimes I need to lift the quilt to see where to move to. The bottom
hoop should be loose. I push it so that the top corners fit. Still holding the ruler
and top hoop in place, I use my left hand to clamp the quilt and top hoop into the
bottom hoop. This is easier than it sounds. Rehooping was a snap. Plus,
sometimes my rehoopings were so accurate (thank you, ruler), that I didn't need
to use Design Positioning!
7. More hoops, more better – Having (2) hoops for the panel and (2) hoops for the
blocks means that while one is stitching away, you can be rehooping for the next.
I did all (9) panels at one time. This also saved time, because I used the same
design (9) times before changing it.
8. More machines, even better – Talk about a relay race! One machine stitches out
the block, the other the panel. You will be hopping, but, you can crank out all of
the panels and blocks in about 13 hours. Good news – assembly takes only
about 9 to 10 hours, and is easy.
9. Make the Panels first – After trimming the panels to a 24” square, you will have
wide scraps of back fabric. Trim these to 1 3/8” wide. They work great for
attaching a set of (3) blocks to a panel. (12) 1 3/8” strips this length are used.
10. Working in threes is nice – I attach (3) blocks at a time. (3) go in between the
panels, and 3 sets of (3) go between the rows of panels.
11. My world is not perfect – When I measured my sets of (3) blocks, I expected
them to be 24”. They were not. They were about 1/8” too short. (???) So, I
tried to “ease” the row of blocks to the panel. Disaster. The panel became
crumply. Word to the wise… measure the length of all sets of (3) blocks. Cut all
sets to the smallest measurement. Recut all (9) panels to this size. Easing is not
an option, trust me.
12. 15 Yard Bolt – If you don’t mind the fabric being the same on the front and the
back, and you are judicious about using scraps for joining strips, this queen sized
quilt can easily be made with a 15 yard bolt. I urge you to talk to your local quilt
shop about ordering you a bolt, and giving you a deal on it. The owner should be
pleased to see an immediate profit on an entire bolt, and should give you a good
price.
13. Batting – For the best results, I use Floriani Quilt it Soft Bamboo/Cotton batting.
The 5 yard package is perfect for this project. It has the best drape and loft of
any I have used. However, IF the back fabric is hooped, absolutely any batting
can be used. Keep in mind that the back fabric has to fit in the hoop… 12.5” by
13.5” for my hoop. So, a whole LOT more back fabric would need to be
purchased for this option.