I feel like I've talked about this simple technique about a million times! Maybe not that many, but I like this technique because it's fast, it provides good coverage, and it's really easy.
Nothing fancy needed, just a walking foot, a sewing machine that has a needle-down function, and a quilt border that needs some quilting. I call the technique "Three Times Around."
And here is the targeted border for this particular application. A wide swath of purple fabric slapped on the last of the five quilt tops retrieved from the laundry/drying rack to be finished and donated to Sleep in Heavenly Peace. There are more quilts on that rack, but these were the 'low-hanging' fruit that could be completed quickly with some quilting.
The center of the quilt is now quilted. And since my sewing machine has been acting up with all this quilting action I've put it through recently, it badly needs a tune-up/spa day. So a simple border treatment is just the ticket.
To start, I put the walking foot on the machine, set the stitch length for about 3.0mm and sink the needle in the border fabric at the outer edge of the quilt. And then I point the foot at an angle toward the border seam. Any angle will do.
I remove the pin-basting on my projected path, and sew a straight line and stop, with needle down, at the border seam.
I pivot the quilt under the needle (keeping the needle immersed in the quilt layers) and choose another random angle. I remove the pins in my path, and then sew, stopping with needle down when I reach the outer quilt edge.
Lather, rinse, and repeat.
In other words, I continue quilting the border from the outer edge to the seam edge with a series of straight quilting lines at whatever angle feels right - short and skinny, long and wide, or somewhere in the middle.
Eventually, the quilting lines will pass the starting point and cross lines of quilting thread. Round 2 overtakes round 1. Keep selecting angles that will fill in the spaces so no one area of the border is overly 'puffed.'
Wave to the starting point as you begin Round 3.
Carry on with the straight line segments, outer edge to border seam, at varying angles, and plan the last round of lines to fill in any spaces that need it.
Eventually, you'll see the beginning point as you approach it at the very end of the third and last round. I like to plan the final line to more-or-less intersect at the starting spot, so the quilting line feels continuous. This isn't critical, since the binding will cover those pivot points anyway.
As many times as I've done this, three times around the quilt seems to be just enough. Two times isn't enough, and there are too many gaps between the quilting lines. Four times is one too many.
This is also a great technique to calm down busy piecing or quilting lines in the quilt center. And as mentioned earlier, it's fast, and easy. And quite appealing (in my humble opinion).
With the binding attached. Here's one more look at the front and the back of the quilt.
Interesting back story on this quilt. I didn't follow a pattern. It started as a counting mistake. This is the second quilt I made featuring flying geese units made from these fabrics. The first one is mid-way through being hand quilted. The main blocks for the other quilt are sawtooth stars. When I made the star blocks, I mis-calculated the number of flying geese units needed--by a LOT! And had enough to make the blocks for this second quilt.
Time to get my hoop and thimble out to finish #1. . .
Happy Stitching!
Head Hummingbird
Hummingbird-Highway.com
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