Week 5 Quilt assembly

“May I have your attention please for a service announcement. All penguins, will you please waddle to your spot on the quilt top. Make sure to line up in rows of three. Thank you!”

With all nine penguins ready, it’s time to assemble your quilt top!

You’ll find the exact measurements for the sashing in the pattern. In this blog post I’ll walk you through the steps of assembling this quilt with some additional tips.

Sashing

I like to cut the all the strips for the sashing and turn it into one looong strip first. Then I can cut the lengths that I need from there. 

The sashing and the borders for this quilt are all the same width.

Short sashing

Start with sewing the six vertical sashing pieces in between the blocks. (Eight pieces if you’re making the 12 penguin quilt.) Measure some of your blocks to see if they turned out 15 1/2 inch (unfinished).

If they all ended up a little smaller, or a little bigger you can choose to cut the short sashing pieces according to your block size.

Long sashing

With the longer pieces of sashing, I like to first measure the width of the rows. In theory they should measure:

15 + 2 + 15 + 2 + 15 + 1/2 inch seam allowance = 49 1/2 inch.

But more often then not my rows aren’t exactly the length they should be. And that’s no problem at all!

Just measure your rows and cut the sashing to that length.

Pinning

While sewing, I mostly just hold things in place with my hands and don’t use many pins. Only for joining sections of a FPP block, sewing on sashing or borders I make an exception :)

There is less chance of wobbly rows when you take the time to sew on the sashing nicely.

Fold the row and make a little crease in the middle. Do the same for the sashing.

Now place the sashing on to of the row of penguins. Place a pin at both ends of the row. Line up the center of the sashing with the center of the row and place a pin.

Add some more pins along the row and you’re ready to sew the sashing in place.

Pressing

Karen, from Just get it done quilts, once mentioned to first finger press your fabric and then press it with an iron. I find that that makes a difference in how neat the sashing turns out!

When I use my iron to open and press my fabric, it sometimes distorts the fabric a little bit, which results in slight wobbles in the sashing.

Such a lovely view, freshly pressed sashing!

Border

In this quilt, the border is just some extra sashing on the outside. Same width, same fabric.

After placing the horizontal sashings, you can add the outer borders on the left and right side of the quilt. For this you can do the same as for the horizontal sashing. Measure both sides of the quilt and use that length to cut the border strips.

And there you go. Your quilt top is all done!

Next step: basting and quilting. But before that, first there is a giveaway :D

Giveaway

A finished quilt top, the end of week 5, that means the end of the Penguin Parade QAL!

Next week we’ll continue with a bonus week with suggestions and tips for quilting your penguin quilt.

If you’d like to participate in the give away, make sure to finish your quilt top before the 12th of December. (That means you’ll have two weeks to finish your remaining penguins and assemble your top.)

I will randomly draw three winners and announce them on the 16th of December.

Prizes

Little reminder to what you can win by finishing your quilt top:

First prize 
a half meter rainbow solids bundle + an Angela Walters machine quilting ruler of choice.

Second and Third price
a fat quarter rainbow solids bundle + five Sulky Cotton Petites.

How to participate in the giveaway

Here’s what you have to enter the raffle for the prizes.

• Make a picture of your finished quilt top (Yayyy you did it!!)
• Post it to Instagram tagging @sugaridoo and using #PenguinParadeQAL
• If you don’t have a public Instagram account you can send your entry to [email protected] with PenguinParadeQAL as subject.
• The applique part of the pattern is optional, you only have to finish your quilt top to participate in the give away.
• Post or email your picture before the 12th of December, winner will be drawn randomly and will be announced on the 16th of December.