THE QUICK QUILT SANDWICH
Many of the lesson projects are stitched on what I like to call “Quick Quilt Sandwiches”. I have a stack ready at all times, and hope you will too! Make 6-12 quilt sandwiches to use for the projects and for anytime practice. Over the course of 25 weeks, you will likely use 30 or more quick quilt sandwiches. Use them! Don’t save them!
The quick quilt sandwich is made of:
- 1 fat quarter of solid fabric for the top (18 x 21″)
- Layer of 100% cotton batting (18 x 21″)
- 1 fat quarter of coordinating print for backing (18 x 21″)
The fat quarter size (approximately 18x 21″) is perfect to practice free motion quilting. It is neither too big to be difficult to maneuver within the harp space, nor too small to be able to maintain good hand position.
Solid fabric is ideal for showing off your quilting line. We want to see those stitches and we will learn how to make them pretty, pretty, pretty! Use solid for all of your practice quilts.
Cotton batting has a textured surface that grips fabrics slightly. When you press the layers of a small quilt together with cotton batting in the middle, the layers hold together without spray or pin basting. Quick and easy!
Print fabric for the backing. I often use print backing fabric. Avoid fabrics that are white-on-white or have a painted textured surface. The paint is harder for the needle to penetrate and causes slight imperfections in the stitching line. Also, avoid tightly woven fabrics like batiks for the same reason.
Press basting is a quick and convenient way to create fast quilt sandwiches. I do not recommend press-basting quilts larger than a fat quarter and other battings do not work for this method.
