JOINING BLOCKS WHEN YOU HAVE TOP, WADDING AND BACKING QUILTED.
This is a very old method I was shown many years ago and it is also explained very well with pictures in Sharon Pederson’s book ‘Reversible Quilts - Two at a Time’ This is a super book with some great quilts in it but it is worth buying just to have photographic instructions for joining blocks. This method is easy to do but not so easy to explain.
Cut strips 1.1/8” wide from one fabric and strips 1.3/4” wide from another fabric. Fold the wide strips in half longways, wrong sides together, and press.
On the top side of the quiltblock align the raw edges of the folded strip with the raw edge of the block. Right sides together. On the back of the quiltblock align the raw edge of the narrow strip with the raw edge of the block, right sides together. Sew a ¼” seam through all layers. (Folded strip, block beneath it, narrow strip beneath that)
Trim the ends of the strips even with the top and bottom of the block.
Sew the second block to the remaining raw edge of the 1.1/8” wide strip. It is helpful to put the two blocks down on the table in front of you side by side to check that when your seam is sewn the two right sides will lie side by side.. It is easy to sew it the wrong way round so that the wrong side of the second block is uppermost instead of the right side. The edges of the two seam allowances should meet in the middle of the sashing strip and fill the space between the two blocks. If there is a gap between the two edges, increase your seam allowance; if the two edges overlap, decrease your seam allowance. A perfect quarter inch seam allowance will yield a perfect result.
Continue sewing sashing strips between blocks until you finish the row. You now have three of the four edges of the sashing strips sewn by machine. On the front of the quilt, bring the folded edge of the sashing strip over to cloak the seamline and hem down by hand or machine. Doing it by hand gives the best result and is easy to do whilst watching t.v. at the end of the day!.
To join the rows or to add a border, follow the same directions as for joining block to block, except use longer sashing strips.
When joining rows line up the vertical sashing strips between rows.