Welcome to week 4 of the quilt-along! This week we are focused on the quilt top assembly.
For some people, assembling the top can seem like a monumental task.
But, quilt top assembly isn’t difficult. If you take the time to ensure all your blocks are the right size, and pay attention to aligning the right seams, then you should be able to assemble your quilt top without too much stress.
Preparation:
This particular quilt top is assembled on the diagonal.
Follow the pattern instructions and cut the side and corner triangle pieces as directed. This ensures the outer edges of your quilt are cut on the straight grain and not the fabric bias. As a result, the outer edges will not wave and stretch.
Once you have sewn the blocks into diagonal rows, press as directed in the pattern. By doing so, all your seams will nest together. And nesting seams make for happy quilt tops!!
Once you begin to sew your diagonal rows to each other, you should check, then double check, and then pin the intersections to ensure the alignment is correct.
With this particular quilt it is very easy to align the wrong seam if you aren’t being careful!!
Pressing Matters:
I have not indicated in the pattern the direction in which to press the final diagonal seams, as it is not vital to any further steps.
However, I found the final pressing of the diagonal seams to be ‘happiest’ when creating the outer ‘dog ears’ as you can see below.
This means that the top half of the quilt will be pressed away from the centre towards the top, and the reverse for the bottom half as shown.
How to trim your corner triangles:
The pattern gives detailed instructions on how to trim your quilt top once the body of the quilt has been assembled.
For visual reference I have included the image below to simplify the idea.
Depending on how accurately you have pieced together the side and corner triangles, you may or may not have much to trim.
Although my side triangles extended beyond the seam intersection more than 1/4-inch (see the image above), the triangle outer edges are consistently aligned, and as such, all that is required is to trim the corner triangles to align with the sides.
However, if necessary you can trim your quilt top back. Just aim for at least 1/4-inch extended beyond each of the external intersecting seam points.
To finish this week, remove all ‘dog ears’ from the sides of your quilt top and your assembly is complete.
Next week we will discuss the quilt’s final borders.
This week’s sponsor:
This week The Fat Quarter Shop is offering each participant in the QAL a chance to win a $50 USD gift voucher.
So, if you would like a chance to win, all you need to do is share your progress on Instagram.
And, don’t forget to use the hashtags #dmlqal or #downmemorylanequilt
If you missed the start of the quilt-along you can still purchase the pattern here.
And follow along for tips and tricks…
Happy stitching…
Samantha
xoxo
Week 1 | Cutting |
Week 2 | Piecing the blocks |
Week 3 | Continue piecing the blocks |
Week 4 | Quilt top assembly |
Week 5 | Borders |
Week 6 | Backing and binding preparation |
Week 7 | Quilt Parade |
Rachelle P. Smith says
Thank you so much for all of your tips. I’m pretty new to quilting. I’ve been sewing for over 20 years, but quilting is very different so I’m really grateful for all of your knowledge that you’re sharing.
I’ve got my quilt top pinned together. Now I just have to find time this week to sew everything together. Why is it that every time I get down on the floor to lay a quilt out I end up hurting from head to toe the next day? I need to get into shape just to quilt! Lol! 😆
Jeanne says
I am really loving this quilt-a-long and this pattern! I can definitely see myself making this one again!