Let's start at the begining

After I posted yesterday I realized that while what I posted helps but it doesn't cover the very basics.

When I start a quilt I start with a center. It can be anything from a square to a set of squares, any design you want. The center of the quilt I am working on now consists of all the squares surrounded by a rectangular border (which I am almost finished with) It is the largest center I have ever done.

Seams- All seams must be the same size. I don't like huge seams so what I do is to pick a reference point on the foot (the thing that holds the material down) and use that same reference point for all seams. I also backstitch (use the back button or lever) the beginning and end of all seams. Another thing I do is double stitch all seams meaning that I sew them twice. This isn't absolutely necessary but I want these quilts to last.

All sewn seams must align exactly so that it looks like they are one straight line. To do this sometimes I start sewing right at the seam and then I sew the rest and if I don't get it exactly right I rip out the seam and start over (I hate ripping seams).

Sometimes, well most of the time what I do to help with getting the seams right is to piece the quilt together one square at a time instead of sewing several squares together and then sewing them onto the quilt. The piecing method works better for me but not necessarily for everyone.

To give the quilt that straight edged look have an iron handy and iron each square as you sew it. Don't wait until after you sew several of them because it is much harder that way.

Once you have the hang of all this start sewing and see what happens. I don't always know what a finished quilt will look like when I start it and a lot of times I am pleasantly surprised.

Now back to the quilt in progress:

First I measure using the quilting rectangle to find out how many rectangles I need to go across the top and how long they have to be. I discovered that I need two twenty inch rectangles and one four inch for the middle.

I only have an 18 inch rectangle so this is how I do it:

I place the rectangle close to the edges of the fabric I need to cut then cut the bottom and two sides.

Then I move the rectangle two inches up from the end of the top cut. There are lines on the rectangle so this helps. Finish cutting the top sides and the top.

And this is what you will have - a 20 inch rectangle.

That's all for now, sleep is calling. I'll post more later.