An Improv & LillyBelle Quilt { A Quilt As You Go Finish } : :

I am so thrilled to have this quilt finished! To say that I took my time with it, is a HUGE understatement, and definitely shouldn't signify that creating it wasn't fun! I really enjoyed it and I'm so glad I took my time! I think it's honest to say that the main reason it did take until now is simply because I was making this quilt just for me, and you know how those things get pushed to the bottom of the list!

Well, since sharing my Quilt As You Go How-to, I've received so many questions on finishing a qayg quilt! I took lots of photos as I finished, to share today and link to as a Part 2 of that tutorial. My intention was to make the finishing of this quilt as easy as possible and I think it was!

For starters, I used 505 Basting Spray for the first time. That's the only part I didn't photograph. My husband helped with the spraying, I laid the quilt right side down, he sprayed the batting that was already quilted to the quilt top in smallish sections, and I made sure the seams were all nice and flat while I smoothed down the backing fabric. All in all it took maybe 20 minutes!

About a week later, I finally found the time to add my final quilting stitches. When adding this stitching it IS recommended that you do use a Walking Foot. I haven't found it necessary now that I am using my Janome. Working my way down from the top of my quilt to the bottom, with my stitch length set at 3, I simply sewed about 1/4" to maybe 1/2" from the seam line.





I continued this for both sides of each seam running from the top of my quilt to the bottom!



Here's a good look at just how these stitches will look from the backside of your quilt!



Now working from side to side, I decided this time to add my stitches by stitching in the ditch. This is a way of quilting that minimizes how much thread shows on the top of the quilt. Even though stitching in the ditch is somewhat invisible on the top of the quilt, it does secure all three layers of the quilt sandwich!



You can add your quilting stitches either way -- by stitching along the seams, by stitching in the ditch, or combining them as I did.  Any of these will be enough to set that backing fabric to your quilt as you go quilt top!

Here's a look at how those stitches will look from the back of your quilt, once you're completely finished!



But first, you have to bind the quilt using your preferred method! I know there are about a million ways to do so, my go-to is exactly the same as Allson's of Cluck, Cluck, Sews Machine Binding method! She has a wonderful tutorial!!

I also love using this super smart, time saving trick!



If you have a foot on your machine or extension table, the binding unrolls neatly and slowly, and out of your way, as you add it to your quilt. No need for pins -- LOVE it!!



Seriously -- between the quilting as you go, the basting spray, and this little binding trick -- quilting doesn't get any easier folks!!

And, in the end you have a pretty, handmade quilt!!

Since this quilt is just for me, yay ! I went a little crazy with the super sweet and girly LillyBelle Garden Rocket border and used nothing but Bari J.'s Henna Stripe for the back! I love it!! It's so colorful and fun on the front and has such a Wintery back, and I do LOVE Winter!!



In the end I think we'll all agree, regardless of your fabric taste or even how you make a quilt -- that this is the very best part!



I hope you do give qayg a try! Be sure to let me know if you do, ok? Feel free to share on my Facebook page or in my Maureen Cracknell Handmade Flickr group, and of course you can share a link here or email me anytime, as well!

Thanks so much for stopping by!!   ♥,  Maureen