How to Tie a Star Quilt With Gingham Fabric
There are a few ways that quilts can be finished, with the most time consuming being stitching decorative patterns through all three layers of quilt top, batting and backing. However, tying a quilt with decorative knots -- evenly spaced or randomly positioned -- is a traditional way to quickly finish a quilt. It also makes the body of the quilt feel looser, which many prefer, and, for a quilt made with a time-honored, complex pattern such as the star, and made of colorful fabrics, like gingham or calico, choosing a tying medium in complementary color adds to the beauty of the piece.
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- Quilt pieces (quilt top, batting and backing)
- Masking tape
- Several yards of tying medium (yarn, embroidery floss, twine or ribbon)
- Ruler
- Scissors
- Curved tapestry needle
Instructions
-
-
1
Lay the quilt backing, battinga nd top on a flat surface. Center the 3 pieces, smooth out wrinkles and tape in place using masking tape.
-
2
Cut about 50 lengths of the tying medium approximately 4 inches long (use the ruler to measure). Set aside.
-
-
3
Determine the placement of the ties across your quilt. You can place according to the design or at regular intervals. The important thing to remember is that the ties will hold the quilt layers together, so plan for enough ties to securely keep your quilt together as it is used.
-
4
Thread the needle with a length of the tying medium.
-
5
Push the needle through the quilt, right (quilt top) side to wrong (backing) side, at a tie placement spot. Pull some of the medium through, then push the needle back though, wrong side to right. Slip needle off medium.
-
6
Tie the two ends of the tying medium into an overhand or surgeon's knot. Do not clip ends.
-
7
Repeat Steps 4 though 6 for each tying spot on the quilt.
-
8
Tug each knot to ensure it is tight, then clip off excess medium (if desired).
-
1
Tips & Warnings
If you'd prefer the knots to not distract from the quilt design, you can tie the knot on the wrong (backing) side instead.
References
- Photo Credit Comstock/Comstock/Getty Images
