Caper Quilt Along Week 4: Laying Out the Quilt Top
Welcome to Week 4 of the Caper Quilt Along!
Welcome back to Week 4 - Quilter Bees, this is where the magic happens! We lay out our quilt. Now, because this is a controlled improv, there is really no “set” way to lay it out. Instead, we will use the color theory method for controlled improv to determine the final placement of our blocks.
While the images below aren’t super great, they do serve to show you the process for laying out the quilt top.
TIPS & TRICKS
TIP No. 1: You need a play where you can lay out the entire quilt and see it before you sew it together.
TIP No. 2: Don’t get married to any single position. Often in this process, I move things around and around. Also, trust that you have done most of the hard work in your HST matching from last week.
TIP No. 3: Start in the upper-most left corner of your design wall and work your way down and to the right filling in each new color as you go.
TIP No. 4: I like to “clump” the colors or keep them in a line and then have some of the rectangless “burst” into other colors as explosions. However, with this color palette that didn’t feel like it worked super well, so I ended up going back and moving them closer to their base.
TIP No. 5: I like to have a darker color in the bottom of the quilt as a foundation or anchor of sorts. I feel like it weights the quilt if it will be hung.
TIP No. 6: Take pictures as you go. You can see a lot more in an image about color placement than you can by looking only at your design wall. I also, if you have time and space, like to walk away from my design for a bit and come back to it. Ask others what they see so you can keep tweaking until you are ready…that said, there is a point when you have to call it done! It is controlled improv…there is never a true finish until you sew it together.
TIP No. 7: I like to sew my quilt together in rows. First, I put a pin in all the blocks on the left most side of the row so that after I sew them together I know which direction the row goes. I also like to pull down one row at a time and clip the blocks together along the seam I need to sew. Then I sew each block to the next keeping the rows as a whole. I press all the seams open and put the row back. I repeat this until all the rows are together. Then I sew rows together by 2.
POST YOUR IMAGES
Show us your pretty stacks! It will keep you moving forward on the Quilt Along! Plus HSTs are so lovely in little piles!
Use #caperquilt #jitterywings #caperquiltalong so I can see them!
Still Need the Pattern?
JOIN THE FACEBOOK HIVE GROUP
The HIVE Group is BACK! While I am not a super fan of Facebook, as I launch this new Caper Quilt Along, I must be honest that the most fun I ever had in a quilt along was the All the Good with the Facebook group. So, here we are! Welcome!
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The Jittery Wings HIVE group is a place for quilt encouragement + support! A place for all-level quilter bees. While we all have our favorite ways of doing things as quilters - and humans, there is no one way to quilt - or live. Here we strive to teach new skills without being quilt police. Here we make new quilters. As you are working on quilt patterns - specifically, but not limited to my Jittery Wings patterns - post your images, ask questions, pat yourself on the back for a finish or for learning a new skill. We can't wait to see your makes!
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NOT ON FACEBOOK? That is totally okay. You can tag me on IG using @jitterywings or send me an email for help. I try to respond in 1-3 business days as I often travel for my day job.
Weeks of the Quilt Along
April 16th: Tutorial on Color Choices
May 7: Begin Cutting Fabrics
May 14: Make your Half Square Triangles
May 21: Quilt Layout Using Color Theory for Controlled Improv
May 28th: Quilt Ideas