A DIFFERENT WAY TO JOIN QUILT AS YOU GO (INDIVIDUALLY QUILTED QUILT BLOCKS)

My daughter asked me to teach her to quilt. 

I was making half square triangles for another quilt, so I gave her some to "play with", to let her discover how many different blocks you can make with half square triangles.

Then I taught her how to use the sewing machine to sew a 1/4" seam, and another quilter was born!

We used the tube method for making the HSTs, so she got plenty of practice sewing the 1/4" seam while making the tubes. After completing the blocks, she sewed background fabric around each block. This makes the joining sashing blend into the front of the quilt.

This is her first quilt, made on a standard sewing machine with a small  harp. She cut and sewed all the blocks, cut the backing and the batting, made the sandwiches, and pounced the quilt patterns. I then quilted most of the blocks one at a time.

 I tried a new method of joining that worked very well, so I thought I'd share it. It may sound a bit strange at first, but the results speak for themselves. 

This is the method I used to join the blocks:

1) Quilt all the blocks and trim to the same size.

2) Butt 2 blocks together. Make sure the quilt design is right side up. (Ask me how I know, lol).

 Using a wide and long zig zag stitch, zig zag the 2 blocks together.

 

3) Make yards of  sashing strip, ironed with both edges to the middle, like binding, but flat. The sashing  only needs to be wide enough to cover the zig zag with 1/4" on either side, to firmly secure the blocks together.

4) Sew a strip of the sashing FLAT over the zig zag, sewing both edges to the blocks.

Then repeat on the other side. You will see the stitching lines from the first side of the quilt to guide you in placement of the reverse side. The photos show the first sashing sewn, and how both look when done.

 Zig zag, and then immediately sew on the sashing. This way there is only one block to the inside of the needle.Join all the blocks in one row this way.

It makes for very easy sewing, and a remarkably flat and cozy quilt.

5) Join the first 2 rows together with zig zag. 

Make sure the sashing strip is long enough for the entire row. I used a few drops of Elmer's glue on these long strips. 

Everything is really flat, so it is easy to straight stitch the sashing over the join.

 Then repeat on the other side.

Join the rest of the rows just as the first one, until the entire quilt is together. Then bind it, and it's done! See how nice and flat the blocks lay, even without pressing?

The end result is a lovely reversible quilt.

This is the easiest method I have ever used for joining a sashed quilt.

What a great beginner quilt, right? She even free motion quilted 2 of the blocks herself. Her first quilt, and already free motion quilting.

The signature is something that makes it special, and I could never have done it if not on an individually quilted block.

The quilt tester approves.

If anyone else has come up with another trick for joining, please share!

Thanks for visiting my blog.

Happy quilting!