Scrappy Autumn Couch Quilt
I machine pieced this quilt on my Bernina 240.
I quilted this quilt on my Janome QMP-18 long arm.
Finished size: 70" x 79"
Finished size: 70" x 79"
(click on photos to enlarge)
🍁FINISHED QUILT:🍁
Front piecing: A 12x14 grid of 168 – 5” squares in reds, oranges & yellows. Each square has a contrasting 1” strip of fabric inserted on the diagonal.
Border: 7¾" wide burgundy polka-dotted cotton (brand new yardage I purchased from a going-out-of-business sale of a closed Etsy store).
Quilt Stitching, Pattern: Quilted using edge-to-edge "Fall Leaves 2" from Intelligent Quilting.
Quilt Stitching, Thread: I used "Cashew" (So Fine 50 #405) thread on the front of the quilt, and "Chianti" (So Fine 50 #529) on the quilt back.
Label: I sewed on a purchased custom label, made from textile ink printed on cotton fabric & backed with a laminating layer.
🍁PROGRESS PHOTOS:🍁
Construction - Fabric Choices:
To create this autumn-themed quilt, I pulled from my extensive collection of scraps. Every 5" block is either left over from a previous quilt I've made, or from my scrap stash (built from fabric I've purchased at estate sales, downsizing fabric businesses, and online destash sales). Less fabric in the landfills, more fabric in a gifted quilt!
The1" wide strips of fabric inserted in the blocks are also from my stash. Since the quilt blocks are red, orange and yellow, I chose "strings" (narrow fabric strips) that are green and blue (opposites on the color wheel) to provide the greatest contrast.
Construction - Blocks:
I began with a 5¼" x 5¼" square of red/orange/yellow fabric, plus a 1" x 7" strip of contrasting blue/green (and every once in a while, an ivory or white) fabric.
Then I cut a diagonal line, starting at 1.5" in from the upper right corner, and ending 1.5" up from the lower left corner. This created two separate sections of the square, a smaller corner and a larger main piece.
I first attached the 1" strip to the larger piece, and then reattached the corner piece to the other side of the strip. (I ironed a fold in each piece to be sure everything was centered when I sewed the square back together with the inserted fabric strip).
I pressed and starched each finished block, then I silver-cut all of the blocks down to exactly 5" x 5".
The final block is ready to be joined with three more blocks...
...creating a single unit of 4 blocks. Each 5" square is rotated so that the strips align to form an equilateral diamond when the blocks are sewn together.
This quilt has 42 units (made of 4 blocks each = 168 blocks).
I like to chain piece and sew in batches, so I get more completed each time I can sit down to work on a specific project.
Construction - Layout:
I alternated every yellow block with either a red or an orange block, creating a checkerboard effect.
Once I determined the final layout, I joined the blocks together into rows, being sure to use several pins to match and align the seams in between each joined 5" block.
After every row was joined to another, I starched and pressed open the seams to keep all the fabric layers as flat as possible.
Here I laid the pieced quilt center on a queen-sized bed to determine its finished size. I was very happy with the resulting size, so I then focused on adding a border.
Construction - Borders:
I selected a burgundy polka-dotted cotton for the border, and cut 8" wide pieces for the 4 sides. First I joined the left and right sides onto the pieced center, then I added the top and bottom sections.
Quilting:
I began by loading the backing fleece fabric (face down) onto my longarm, and then repeatedly rolled it back and forth between the front and back bars, eliminating any folds in the fleece and reducing uneven tension.
I then draped one layer of 100% natural cotton Mountain Mist Cream Rose batting over the backing.
After the backing and batting were loaded, I floated the pieced quilt top as a final layer.
I then basted through all 3 layers of the quilt sandwich, stitching down one side, across the belly bar, and back up the other side, advancing and repeating, before it was finally ready to be quilted.
I used my ProStitcher software to resize, repeat, and wrap the edge-to-edge "Fall Leaves 2" from Intelligent Quilting.
Beginning the first of 7 rows (I scaled the rows to 10.5" tall).
Checking tension on the back before continuing with the 1st row.
End of row #1.
On row #2 of 7 - I'm happy with the choice of using the very neutral "Cashew" (So Fine 50 #405) thread for this quilt's front. The pattern and movement of the stitching is still quite visible, but the lovely fall tones of the blocks are not overpowered by the thread's color.
A little over half-way done.
It was late in the evening as I finished up the final row, #7 of 7.
The following morning, when I came in to remove the quilt from my longarm, I really admired the texture of this stitch pattern. First time using it, and I'll definitely stitch with it again.
Trimming:
I lined up my ruler to trim 7¾" from the outer edge of the 5" blocks. This keeps the quilt much more square than if I used the outer edge of the border fabric itself to measure (sometimes the quilting process will slightly warp or stretch the outer edges of the border fabric).
Binding:
I chose Riley Blake's "Love You S'More" by Gracey Larson, new yardage that I purchased from an estate sale in 2022...it's been waiting all this time just for this project! I joined together 2.5" strips to make a total of 310" of binding. Then I ironed the binding fabric in half lengthwise.
First I attached the binding strips to the back of the quilt, using my sewing machine and a 1/4" seam.
I joined the binding ends on the bias to reduce bulk.
With the binding sewn all the way around the back of the quilt, I then ironed on the custom label, and proceeded to press the binding out, away from the quilt back.
Once I was done pressing the binding away from the quilt, I turned the quilt over and wrapped the binding around, sewing it to the front.
When machine sewing bindings onto quilts, I aim for precise edges by using my Bernina 240's blind hem foot.
I use old-fashioned, thick corsage pins to assist me in making neat, mitered corners.
Label:
Although this custom label attaches using iron-on lamination, I always include additional stitching by hand-sewing it on with embroidery thread.
Washing:
To absorb much of the red and burgundy fabric dyes and prevent any bleeding, I machine washed the finished quilt (cold water, no bleach) using dye trapping sheets (I use either Color Catchers or Color Grabbers).
After washing, the quilt is extremely soft, wrinkly, and very cuddly. The stitching pattern is beautiful, and its drape is perfect.
🍁QUILT SUMMARY:🍁
I machine pieced this quilt on my Bernina 240.
I quilted this quilt on my Janome QMP-18 long arm.
Finished size: 70" x 79"
Front piecing: A 12x14 grid of 168 – 5” squares in reds, oranges & yellows. Each square has a contrasting 1” strip of fabric inserted on the diagonal.
Backing: Burgundy minky-like fleece (using a brand new blanket).
Quilting: Edge-to-edge "Fall Leaves 2" from Intelligent Quilting. "Cashew" (So Fine 50 #405) thread on the front, and "Chianti" (So Fine 50 #529) on the back.
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