Milky Way

Here's another quilt for another aunt, quilted sometime ago but the documenting left for another day. Today. Calling it 'Milky Way'. Looks apt, no?

'twas my first try with curved seams.

 

For those of you who asked for a tute, see if this helps:

Step1 - Choose 2 coordinating/contrasting/absurd main fabrics. Prints/solids/whatevers. Add a couple more for borders if you like.

Step 2 - Lay the main fabrics (A & B) right side together and pin baste to avoid shifting. 

Step 3 - Mark 4 dots at irregular distances on the top edge and identical ones on the bottom edge. Draw smooth waves connecting the corresponding dots the across the length of the paired fabrics and gently cut along the lines. (I did 4 such cuts, giving me 5 sections of wavy strips. But you can do more if you want a smaller grid) Be careful to not disturb the placement of the strips. You can number the strips on both fabrics if it makes your life easier.

Step 4 - Remove the pins and gently separate out the 2 fabrics. Now replace every alternate strip of fabric A with its sister strip of fabric B. This will give you two similar but not identical Sets 1 & 2.

Step 5 - Now gently sew the strips to make 2 separate sets. No tugging, no pulling. Its easier to sew accurately if there are points to match at short intervals. I just drew 1" cross lines with tailors chalk. You can see them if you look closely inside the 'O's.

Step 6 - Now again draw gentle waves, this time across the width of fabric. On both Sets 1 and 2. Now this is where I got lazy and did a stupid thing. I cut it into 4 cross sections instead of 5. Remember you need an odd number of cross sections for this to work. 

Step 7 - Again, number strips, replace alternate strips on Set 1 from Set 2, sew. You dont need to mark points to match this time coz you have the previous seams doing the job. On sewing, you will end up with finished panels 1 & 2. Now all you gotta do is sew the two panels together and voila !

You see the part in the middle where the grid is kinda elongated? Thats coz of my blooper with cutting an even no. of cross sections instead of odd. Oh well, one lives and learns. Or is it learns and lives??

Step 8 - Well, the tute part is over. The rest is just to accommodate all the excessive photography that I seem to have done. Anyways, step 8, add borders as per your fancy, prepare sandwich and quilt. I quilted 1/4" along either side of every seam.

Step 9 - Attach binding. Or just roll over the backing to the front and top stitch it in place.

Step 10 - Photograph quilt. More than necessary. Most important part of the entire quilting thingamajiggy :-).

Step 11 -Bundle it with much love and send it off to whoever you made it for. Coz thats what quilts do. They take our love and all that is good with this world to their new owners.

Step12- Blog about it ! Be sure to include all cute puppy/kitty/budgie pics.

Happy quilting ! And all the associated joys.