Those of you who are local are familiar with Barb Schultz and her great patterns, offered both online at www.enchantedvalleyarts.com and through local quilt shops. Just recently her patterns are now available through Nancy’s Notions!  How cool is that!  Barb also teaches art and quilting classes locally and is our resident expert on Tsukineko inks.

Yesterday Barb took my free motion quilting class.  Not sure how much instruction she really needed, but she seemed to enjoy it and we had some great conversations.    After my class she gave me an impromptu mini-lesson about application of Tsukineko inks (I was having trouble getting a uniform color application; now I know what to do to fix the problem!).

Anyway, this reminded me of the class I took from Barb years ago, which involved use of Tsukineko inks and also fabric discharging.    Here is a photo of the quilt I completed in that class:

Leaf shadow quilt

In a future post I will be showing how to make those angled corners on the binding, because someone at my guild asked me about that recently.  It is covered in my binding book (the techniques work for any angle) but since this kind of corner is fairly common on tablerunners, I will put up a post with step by step photos for this specific corner.  Stay tuned!

And here is a closeup of the shadow and quilting detail in the leaf quilt:

Leaf shadow quilt detail

The detail photo shows the shadows behind the leaves ( a bleach discharge technique; see Colleen Wise’s book Casting Shadows for details) and also shows the very subtle veining in the batik leaves that was accomplished with Tsukineko inks, courtesy of Barb’s great lessons in her class.  I am also very fond of the free motion quilting in this one.  The gold rayon thread worked very nicely with the rusty orange discharged fabric (which started out as solid black before discharging; the black shadows under the leaves are the original fabric color).  And I am very fond of leaf quilting patterns, which can be done with no marking and almost always turn out great.

I don’t know if Barb is teaching this particular class any more, but it was one of my favorites.  Tsukineko inks are great for many things, adding both bold and subtle detail to a quilt.  Once ironed, the color is permanent.

Here are a couple of links if you want to get Colleen Wise’s book or need an online source for Tsukineko inks:

Colleen Wise’s book:  Casting Shadows: Creating Visual Dimension in Your Quilts

Tsukineko ink sets: Tsukineko All-Purpose Ink Workstation Set  This set is fairly expensive  ($100+) but does give you lots of colors and everything you need to get started, including an instructional DVD.  You can probably buy the ink and applicators through your local quilt shop to try them out without such a big commitment.  The inks are also sold as Fabrico markers, if you want the color in something more like a felt tip pen.  The markers would be great to add an accent color to a fabric — say you had a black and white print and wanted to add just a touch of color – a pop of red or yellow on a flower petal or inside a circle.  Lots of creative options to think about.

I recently finished a couple more class samples for display in the shops where I teach classes.  These show students what they will learn in my beginning quilting class.  This is the class most suitable for quilters who have either never sandwiched and quilted a quilt, or have done a few and not been satisfied with the results.

The first quilt is on a dark rusty brown fabric, mostly quilted with a copper colored rayon thread:

Beginning Machine quilting class sample

The other sample was done on an ombre fabric and I really like the result.  Thanks to Susan Travis from Creative Union for suggesting this fabric from her sale rack!

Green Beginning Machine quilting class sample

As I was doing research for my binding book, I found many methods for joining the ends of the binding together.  Some of them require a special tool and others require calculations involving the width of the binding strip, making 45 degree cuts on the end of the binding, etc.  When I discovered the method I include in my  book, I couldn’t believe how simple it was compared to all the other methods.

As I teach this method in class I have learned that I needed a little more explanation than I included in the book.  Someday I will update the book, but I have written a little tutorial with lots of extra photos for my students.  I am posting it here now so it will always be available.

Here is what a perfect end binding end join should look like.  The end join is on the right side, about in the middle.  Can you see the diagonal seam?

A perfect end join is nearly invisible

Often the other methods taught either leave an unattractive lump or straight seam. My method does not require special tools or measurements.  It works for all double fold (also known as French fold, or “flip and fold” bindings), regardless of width or seam allowance.  Details of this technique and a thorough explanation of all aspects of binding or edge finishing a quilt without bindings are found in my book, “Fast Fabulous Quilt Bindings” available for sale on Amazon.  Go to the “Books” page of this blog for a direct link to the book.

Don’t be intimidated by the length of this tutorial.  Once you learn the method, the whole process will take about five minutes.  It takes way longer to explain it here than it does to do it.  If you were sitting here with me, I could explain it quickly!  But for this post  I have to include way more pictures than you probably need, just so it is clear to everyone.

The tutorial does assume you know how to apply a “flip and fold” binding.  If you don’t, get a quilting friend to help you or, of course, you can purchase my book where it is all explained in detail.

A few notes to help you:

–          I have used one fabric (cream) for the beginning tail and a different fabric (soft green) for the ending tail, to make the photos easier to understand.

–          I have oriented the quilt and binding tails in all the drawings and photos so that the quilt edge is vertical (lined up as if about to be stitched in the sewing machine).   If clipping or pinning in this position is awkward for you, rotate your quilt temporarily to accomplish the desired step.  Then re-orient to match the pictures. 

–          The binding attachment process will be easier if you use an open-toe walking or dual-feed presser foot.   The open toe feature helps you see better.

–          For step 5, handling the binding will be easier if you pleat the quilt along the edge, as shown in the photos.  You can hold it with a clothespin or a large straight pin if needed.

1. Step  One.  When you attach the binding, leave a 12 inch unstitched tail at the beginning, as shown in the photo and drawing below.  NOTE:  (first side) in the drawings means the quilt side you attach the binding to first – usually the quilt top, but for machine applied  bindings some quilters attach to the quilt back first.

Leave a 12 inch unstitched “tail” at the beginning of your binding

2. Step Two.  Leave about 12 inches of unstitched gap where the two tails come together. Do not skimp on this distance!  If you are using an extra wide binding, make the gap even larger – 15 to 18 inches. In the photo below, the cream color is the “beginning”  tail of the binding; the soft  green is the “ending” tail.

Place ending tail on top of beginning tail along quilt edge

3. Step Three.  Trim the tails so that they are within the unstitched area and lay flat together.

4. Step Four. Line up the two binding ends perfectly, one on top of the other.  Pinch the two binding tails (four layers of fabric) between your fingers  (about in the middle of the unstitched gap) and clip a 1/8 inch deep notch in the raw edges of all four layers, as shown in the drawing below.  DO NOT CLIP the edge of your quilt;  just the four layers of binding.

Pinch all four layers of the binding tails between your thumb and forefinger

5. Step Five – Make a pleat in the quilt edge (this makes bringing the binding ends together easier) and then open up the binding tails.  Place the beginning tail right side up and the ending tail wrong side up on top of it.  Line up the notches.  Shown at the top where the two binding tails come together, you can see a notch in each tail.  On the left, a notch in the ending tail lines up with the edge of the beginning tail.  On the right, a notch in the beginning tail lines up with the edge of the ending tail.

If desired, draw a line along the diagonal stitching line as shown in the photo below.  The proper diagonal is parallel to the edge of the quilt.

Mark the stitching line along the diagonal parallel to the quilt edge

Place one pin on the marked diagonal on each side of the binding center fold.  Keep these pins clear of the binding fold.  Remove any pins in the binding that are not along the marked sewing line.

Pin along the stitching line and remove any other pins

6. Step Six.  Test the binding by smoothing out the quilt edge (unpinning if you pinned it)  and folding the binding on the center fold.  The binding should lay flat without any twists.  If it doesn’t, you have probably twisted one of the tails.  Go back to Step Five and proceed with the steps again.

Test the pinned seam line by folding it in place along the quilt edge. It should lay flat except for the extra fabric inside the fold

7. Step Seven. Open up the binding again and stitch along the marked line.  Remove the pins as you stitch; or relocate the pins away from the stitching line before you sew.

Sew along the marked line, carefully removing the pins as you sew (or put additional pins to the side)

The stitched line is shown below:

Completed stitching along the join

8. Step Eight.  If desired, test the binding by smoothing out the quilt edge again.

Testing the stitched seam against the quilt edge

9. Step Nine.  Trim the tails to a ¼ to ½ inch seam allowance.  The exact seam allowance isn’t critical. Press the seam.  then press the binding fold.

Cut the loose ends to make a 1/4 to 1/2 inch seam allowance

10. Step Ten.  Pin the binding to the quilt edge every 1-2 inches.  Use the closer spacing if you do not use a walking foot.  With a walking foot, pins every 2 inches should be sufficient.

Pin the binding to the quilt every 1-2 inches

11. Step Eleven.  Sew the binding to the quilt between the previously stitched areas.  Backstitch at each end.  Your binding join is complete!

Completed binding end join

If you try this method, I would be interested in hearing your feedback.  If you have questions, email me at shirley@mysterybayquiltdesign.com and I will try to answer them.  Your questions will help me understand where my explanation needs to be improved, so please do not hesitate to write.

I have worked with the local shops where I teach and finalized the 2014 spring teaching schedule.  I will be teaching at Creative Union, Karen’s Quilt Shop, Kingston Quilt Shop, and Quality Sewing and Vacuum.  See the calendar page for specifics on the classes, and contact the stores directly to sign up for a class.

I finished assembling my quilt top with all the bamboo-themed Japanese famiily crests.  This is my first try at a taupe/brown color scheme for a quilt, and I am pleased with the result.  Now on to the quilting!

Bamboo Kamon Quilt