Blanket help, pretty pretty please?

[operamommy]

Hi all,

So I've been lusting over this blanket for awhile now.

I lusted.

I bought the fabric.

Then I realized that I don't really know what the heck I'm doing.

I've quilted before, so I understand that she basically just made a quilt top and then tied it instead of quilted it. But...how did she finish the sides? It looks like she would have just sewn the sides/ends together inside out and then turned it right-side out, but then how in the heck did she put the batting in there?

And, do I *really* have to wash my fabric first? I know, I know, it's like some kind of quilting sin not to do it...but geez, it would be sooo much easier to just sew it up since I already have the fat quarters. What do you think?

Thanks!

Edit: Hmm...maybe this will work: http://www.soulemama.com/soulemama/2...-of-color.html

[MittensKittens]

Link not working but I'm really curious now

[operamommy]

Link fixed at the bottom.

[saphire]

I LOVE Anna Maria Horner! ( she's got a great blog too )
You can sew the fat quarters together, then sandwich that, the batting, and the backing and sew, turn inside out like you described. I'd topstich the border afterwards though. I'd also pre-wash. You don't want to go to all that work to make a blanket you love, just to wash it and have it shrink a bit and get all wonky. Plus, the fq are easier to wash anyways.
I hope it turns out beautiful!

[operamommy]

Thanks for the advice, saphire! That makes perfect sense.

But, man, I HATE cutting fabric. The thought of having to cut all those fat quarters makes me want to run away and hide. Whenever I wash the fabric first, it always comes out all unraveled, etc. on the edges, so first I have to make cuts just to even it up, and then more cuts to get it to the correct size. Is there an easier way to do it that I've missed all these years?

[saphire]

The blanket you linked to looked like pretty big squares. Aren't they just fq cut in half?
There is another way to cut them down. Wovens will tear with the grainline of the material. ( So from top to bottom, and not side to selvage.) First you measure where you want the piece to be, then make a tiny snip where you want to tear. Tearing usually results in a very straight edge. I did both my dd's comforter tops that way. (It's both satisfying and nerve wracking to tear spendy fabrics like that- I used Heather Ross's Mendocino).
BUT do not go tearing into your gorgeous AMH material unless you make sure that the tearing will result in the finished squares you want.
If it were me, I'd serge or zigzag the edges of the fabric, then wash and dry, then cut (or tear) into my quilt top squares.

[ecoteat]

There might not even be any batting in that blanket. It looks pretty lightweight. I've made blankets like that with no batting, and it works really nice when one fabric is something heavier, like the linen she used. Just email SouleMama--she'll probably help you out! I wonder if she's on MDC. I bet she is hiding around here somewhere.

Do you have a rotary cutter and mat? It's pretty easy to straighten out those edges after washing then. And yes, definitely prewash. Really, it's worth the trouble.

[operamommy]

Yes, I do have a rotary cutter and mat. Please explain to me how you do it easily, cause every time I do it it's a huge PITA. I hate doing it, seriously. Maybe I'm doing it wrong? I swear I really do know how to sew!