Scrappy Houses QAYG-Combo Lap Quilt

I machine pieced this quilt on my Bernina 240.

Finished size: 47" x 59"

I first quilted the pieced blocks and borders on my Bernina 240, joining everything together using the Quilt-as-You-Go method. Then...I loaded the quilt onto my long arm to do more quilting and add some final decorative stitching. 

(click on photos to enlarge)

✫FINISHED QUILT:✫

Front piecing: Nine rows, each with 12 scrappy houses, plus a few trees mixed in. I followed the pattern of House Block #1 of Christine Graf's "Happy Home Table Runner". 

I surrounded the houses with a 4-patch border, and placed a solo house on each of the four corners. 

Then I added one more 3.5" wide border of scrappy yellow blocks.

All of this piecing was joined together, row-by-row, using the Quilt-as-You-Go process.

The front of the quilt is pieced using slightly softer colors and tones, while the backing is more vivid and vibrant.

Back: The backing fabric is the vibrant "Artisan Spirit Falling Leaves - Spring Rain" by Northcott. Since this quilt was built using the Quilt-as-You-Go process, the back is strips of quilted rows joined together with narrow bindings using the same fabric. It gives a phenomenal look to the back of this quilt!

The beautiful blue border framing the back is a fabric called "Sedona Wave".

Thread: The front is quilted with Superior Threads' powdery light blue thread called "It's a Boy" (So Fine 50 #435). The back is stitched with Superior Threads'  deep blue thread called "Out of the Blue" (So Fine 50 #433).

After being machine washed twice with dye trapping sheets (I like to use either Color Catchers or Color Grabbers), the quilt is soft and wonderfully scrunchy and wrinkled, ready to be used!

Label: Using my Brother PE700, I embroidered this quilt's label directly onto one of the quilt blocks before quilting.

Washed & dried, folded and wrapped in plastic, ready to be shipped.

The quilt in its home!

✫PROGRESS PHOTOS:✫

Making the houses provided a great opportunity to combine lots of scrappy fabric pieces!

 Using Christine Graf's "Happy Home Table Runner" pattern to piece over 100 scrappy houses and trees.

I was able to use several 6" wide strips of batting that were unused leftovers from previous projects.

Building the 4-patch borders.

Progression of joining the rows using the Quilt-as-You-Go process.

The floral calico fabric that is used to join the house rows together is called Structure and Innuendo by Fabri-Quilt #514.

Quilting: After joining the quilt altogether using Quilt-as-You-Go, I loaded it vertically on my Janome QMP18 long arm. I wanted to add more decorative quilting stitches.

I first quilted all horizontal rows that ran left-to-right. The outer yellow border and corner houses were quilted using a stitching pattern called "Serenity" by Christy Dillon. 

The 4-patch borders and all of the house rows were stitched using a repeat leaves pattern.

Then, to quilt the remaining four vertical borders, I removed the quilt from the long arm, rotated it and reattached it horizontally.

Immediately off the long arm - Loving the look of the quilting already, even before the scrunchiness that will come from washing.

Squaring up the quilt after taking it off the long arm, getting it ready to add the binding.

Binding:

I machine bind almost every quilt I make. I found a couple tutorials that helped me learn to get a really nice finish with a machine-sewn binding:

Easy Quilt Binding

Machine Bind Your Quilts

This quilt's binding is made of scrappy pieces of both "Sedona Wave" and "Bella Suede 2 Blue Scroll" by P&B Textiles.

First attaching the binding strip to the back of the quilt...

...then wrapping it around to the quilt front.

 For precise binding sewing, I use my Bernina 240's blind hem foot. 

Quilting finished, binding added - then I washed the quilt using Color Grabbers dye trapping sheets. Based on the look of those (once white) Color Grabbers, a good amount of the fabric dyes were removed.

✫QUILT SUMMARY:✫

I machine pieced this quilt on my Bernina 240.
I first quilted the pieced blocks and borders on my Bernina 240, joining everything together using the Quilt-as-You-Go method. Then...I loaded the quilt onto my long arm to do more quilting and add some final decorative stitching.

Finished size: 47" x 59"

Front piecing: Nine rows of scrappy houses and trees, surrounded by a 4-patch border, then a final scrappy 3.5" yellow border.
Back: Nine rows of "Artisan Spirit Falling Leaves - Spring Rain" by Northcott, in strips of quilted rows joined together with narrow bindings of the same fabric. Outer "Sedona Wave" blue border frames the back.
Binding: Machine sewn, from scrappy pieces of both "Sedona Wave" and "Bella Suede 2 Blue Scroll" by P&B Textiles.

Quilting: Initially built entire quilt using Quilt-as-You-Go method, then used long arm to add more quilting ("Serenity" by Christy Dillon and a repeat leaves pattern). Front thread is "It's a Boy" (Superior Threads' So Fine 50 #435), back stitched with "Out of the Blue" (Superior Threads' So Fine 50 #433).

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