Help me w/Advise on sewing my quilt together..

[kathryn5kids]

Hello I'm having my 6th baby due in April. I don't necesarly need or even want a baby shower, but I would like to celebrate my baby. Ya know what I mean? I feel bad that with my first my family made a big fuss over a big shower and etc, but now with my 6th (actually started with my 3rd) that act of celebration just died off. My mom use to crochet each of her grandchild a special blanket, well with me being her last child and her last grandchildren to come out, that tradition stopped after my second child was born. Sad. So I wanted to sew my own quilt for my 6th baby. I was thinking to involve the family by asking them to decorate a square. To get my family involve should I go ahead a cut out a square for them (ask the to decorate it) and to make sure I get them back invite my family over to dinner all at once? Or should I visit each relative seperately for a "visit" day.
BUT the real question on "advise for quilting" would be: When I sew all my blocks together what should I do next? I never sewn a quilt before.
Thanks a million ladies!

[june'smom]

first, great idea!
second, i would cut each square before giving it to them because it is sooo important for them to be the SAME size or your seams will be crooked.
next sew your blocks together with a 1/4 inch seam, sew the row first then the rows together, then turn the right sides together and sew three sides. then turn right sides out anbd sew up the last edge.
i hope that that makes sense. if not, just ask.

good lick with this project and the wonderful arrival.

louise
mama to juniper
wife to ben

[kathryn5kids]

Thanks june'smom, your instructions sounds clear. If I run into trouble trust me I'll let ya know, I'll post my finish blanket in the near future! Thanks again!

[LdyBluNH@aol]

usually a quilt has something in the middle so that when its sewn its quilted

i havent heard of leaving a side open and turning on a quilt, i think if you do use a batting it wouldnt turn quite the way you'd like


often times you make the top, make the bottom and sandwich them together around whatever you want in the middle (some folks even use flannel) and then put a binding of some sort on

[kathryn5kids]

Thanks for the help!

[heatherdeg]

I've also never made a quilt using the "turn inside out" method either!

I would also not only cut the square for everyone, but mark off (using fabric marker--made to wash out) the box they have to stay in so that you can be sure there's enough room for you to sew your seams without losing anything they put on the block. 1/4" seams are fine if you're comfortable with your machine. I help newbies and go 1/2" or 5/8" with them because it's easy for them to line up on their sewing machine.

And the first poster is right: sew your blocks together to form a row, and then sew the rows together. You'll have the best chance at lining up the blocks this way.

When all the blocks are sewn together, that's your quilt "top". You then have the filler that goes under it, and the quilt "back" underneath that. Put them all together, pin them to stay in place, and enclose the edges with "binding" (I find this to be easily done with ready-made bias tape that's wide if you can find the right colors). Essentially binding is a strip of fabric that is folded in half, and then the rough edges are folded in towards the center crease. You wrap this around your quilt's unfinished edges and stitch along the edge of the binding that's furthest into the quilt--catching the top of the binding strip, quilt top, filler, quilt back and the bottom of the binding strip.

It's actually a LOT easier than it sounds!

--Heather

[kathryn5kids]

Thanks a million! Love the advise!