Wednesday 18 December 2013

WIP Wednesday: Basting and backing questions


I basted Ruby's quilt last week and have two questions for quilters out there:

1. Do you baste beyond the top?  I usually baste to the edge of the quilt top, but recently wondered whether perhaps I should baste the back and batting together where they extend out past the quilt top.

2. Do you cut the selvedges off your backing?  I decided not to cut the selvedges off when making Ruby's quilt and this seemed cute smart because a) it meant less work, and b) it saved some fabric.  But I thought maybe there's a reason it should be cut off, like it may affect the give of the backing or something???  The selvedges end up being cut off with all the excess when binding of course, but I was hoping to cut down on some wastage. 

I've been having a little fun with some improv quilting, here's a sneak peak:


Apart from making my husband's cake and basting quilts, here's some other happenings from around here:


I'm picking lovelies like these fresh from the garden at the moment, usually they don't last long enough to be photographed as Ruby and Pepper-Mae eat them straight from the garden but these ones cried out to be shared with the world.



This is my husband's biggest WIP - building a chicken house. We picked up 6 point of lay pullets on Monday, but their house isn't quite ready so they're a bit crowded in a little A frame coop, this is the poultry equivalent of living in a caravan while your dream house is being built. 

Note the lack of Christmas sewing.  One week to go and apart from a superhero cape for Ruby I have yet to make any Christmas gifts.

Linking up to:
WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced

8 comments:

  1. The quilt is looking lovely! I don't baste beyond the edges of the quilt top - never thought about doing otherwise!

    As for selvedges - I do cut them off fabric. Mainly because I have a friend who collects them so I give them to her. She's made some gorgeous projects just with the selvedges!

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  2. I love that quilt! I have a Ruby too, great name. I don't cut mine off because it gives me more wiggle room and it helps prevent fraying.

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  3. Neat. Strawberries? Really, yumm. I don't baste beyond, never thought about it :-)

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  4. Your quilting looks so great and Ruby's quilt is gorgeous! I don't go beyond either and only cut selvedges if I want to keep them!

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  5. The strawberries look amazing - it is so cold here in the states right now! I do cut the selvedges off (at least where they will be in the seams in the finished quilt) just because they can be so densely woven. I'd rather have all similar substrates if possible.

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  6. Your quilt looks wonderful and those strawberries are mouth watering!

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  7. Oooh that quilt looks great! Awesome chicken coop!

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  8. I don't baste beyond the quilt top. I have accidentally stitched backing into the quilting, but I don't know if more basting pins would help that. Might just break a needle.

    And I trim only the selvage that will go into a seam (usually after the seam is sewn); I figure I'll be trimming the edges anyway, and like you, want to save at least one step.

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