June QAL-week 4

Welcome to week 4-the final week-of the June QAL! It's been fun to see your work popping up on Instagram. If you would like to check out the instructions from the previous weeks, I've added the links below for easy reference:

week 1
week 2
week 3

This week we are going to assemble the quilt top and talk about quilting options.

The first step is to lay out the pieces according to the diagrams below. I would recommend using a design wall, if you have one. If not, the floor works, too. :)

baby size layout

lap size layout

assembly diagram

The June quilt is set on point (the blocks are placed at a 45 degree angle, rather than a 90 degree angle), so the quilt will be assembled in diagonal rows. The assembly diagram above illustrates how the rows are pieced together. It may look a bit complicated, but it's not difficult if you take it one step at a time. Arrows indicate pressing directions.

When adding an outside corner setting triangle (piece C) to a string block, use this method to align and sew the triangles:

When adding a small setting triangle (piece E) to a string block, use this method to align and sew the triangles:

When adding a large setting triangle (piece A) to a string block, use this method to align and sew the triangles:

Yesterday I took a bunch of photos to illustrate the steps above, but as I was working on the post this morning, I realized that I was assembling the quilt from a different corner than the instructions in the book, so it would have been super confusing. (Blergh!!) So, hopefully these illustrations will get the point across. 

This is when it gets exciting!!! I put the pieces up on my design wall, (minus a few string blocks, because they weren't all finished at this point) and I was delighted to see how this version is coming along.

 I really, really like it!!!

Here's a closer look at the patchwork. I like that I ended up using two different kinds of aqua for the cornerstones. It's not disruptive at all and it adds a lot of interest to the quilt. Plus, I was able to use what I had, which was key. Making do with what you have can be a very good thing!

It's amazing how different it looks from my first layout, isn't it? This really (!!!) illustrates the importance of editing. It's fun to see the progression by comparing the two side by side. It will be fun to sew the quilt together and see the finished product.

Now, let's talk quilting ideas.

For the original June quilt in the book, I sent it off to Steffani, who quilted it on her long arm. She helped me pick out this all over loop pattern. I still love this choice of quilting! I was especially happy to not have to wrangle an 85" square quilt through my machine. Ha!

My friend Katherine did a great job quilting her version of the quilt. Scroll down to the bottom of this post to see the fabulous quilting that she did on her domestic machine. It's really quite incredible!

One other quilting idea I had was to use a walking foot to do some concentric square quilting in the larger squares, but I am not sure how I would quilt the rest of the areas. Maybe you have a good suggestion for that?

One last thought....if you take a photo of your quilt and print a copy onto paper, you can practice drawing quilting designs to audition your ideas before you turn on the sewing machine. Hopefully the sketching ahead of time can help you avoid a lot of stitch ripping!

There you go! This post wraps up the June quilt along! Please remember to hashtag your photos with #junequiltQAL on Instagram or Facebook, so I can see your progress. Thank you so much for quilting along with me!