meg Posted May 7, 2011 Report Share Posted May 7, 2011 hi all - well, i've really done it this time. somehow i got roped into assembling & quilting a baby quilt whose blocks were made by different people within an office. just shoot me. anyway, many of the blocks are embroidered on that kind of woven material that one uses for cross stitch. w wish i knew that name of it, but i don't. i am not a needlepointer, i'm strictly a cut up cotton and sew it back together kinda girl. so, my questions are: 1. should i use some kind of stabilizer when i assemble this so that when i put it on lola-baby to quilt in the sashing it will hold up? 2. also, can i use a 1/4 seam allowance on this material when sewing the sashings onto to it? or should i use a larger seam allowance? any help would be greatly appreciated...you guys are the best! meg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustSewSimple Posted May 7, 2011 Report Share Posted May 7, 2011 HHHmmmm! That fabric is tricky! I would put muslin behind it because it has so many "pores!" Then I would probably use a larger seam allowance because it is so easy to fray. However, having said that, that fabric is thick and could cause you problems being able to see the seam allowance through the cotton. Still, I'd use about 1/2" allowance or overcast if I used 1/4" allowance. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ffq-lar Posted May 7, 2011 Report Share Posted May 7, 2011 Great questions, Meg! This same issue was discussed about six months ago and it was said that the aida cloth (that open-weave material) can stand up to longarming, but the ravel-y edges need to be dealt with. A very light stabilizer will do the trick nicely. That will tame the edges but a slightly wider seam allowance can't hurt either. See--you answered all your own questions!!;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quilting Heidi Posted May 7, 2011 Report Share Posted May 7, 2011 I've sewn aida cloth into quilts many times. Just use a open zigzag stitch over the edge to keep it from fraying and then piece it just like any other fabric. I wouldn't use any stabilizer on it. It will hold up no problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonnie Posted May 7, 2011 Report Share Posted May 7, 2011 I vote for stabilizing with an iron stablizer....because once it is washed the starch will come out of the Aida cloth and it will become floppy and will bubble up and become uncontrollable even if you do a zigzag on the edges the threads will come out of the seams with time and more washing... I would use a very light weight iron on stablizer and go to the edges of the block then zigzag the edges that way it will have something to cling to and it won't come back out....then I would use a regular straight stitch in the actual seams. Most often something that is made with Aida Cloth it is washed before it's stretched and framed, so I'm not to sure I wouldn't actually zig zag the edges and then wash those block by hand and then flatten out and stablize....before making the quilt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meg Posted May 7, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 7, 2011 thanks for the speedy replies! this forum and you all are the best!!!! i'm hoping to get this assembled this weekend so it can be the next on lola-baby, and it can be out of my life forever. i'm afraid no matter what i do to it, it will never be very attractive. i was at a company party and had 2 glasses of wine when this little cutie that works at dh & ds' office asked me about it. i misunderstood her and thought she just wanted me to quilt it - but no - she wanted me to assemble and quilt it. i know i could say no, but she is a sweet girl and has this cutest little 9 month old boy. can you say SUCKER? oh well, it will be a good learning experience for me and keep my brain from atrophy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meg Posted May 17, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 17, 2011 well, i pieced the top using the materials the girl sent me and i am trying to figure out how to quilt it. it is not the most attractive top i have ever assembled, that's for sure. what i would like to do is an all over so that at least the back of the thing is nice. i could quilt around the areas that were embroidered or otherwise decorated, but the sizes of the embellished areas are not uniform, i cut away as much aida cloth as i could, which made it less weighty, but leaves me with uneven areas. i think an allover would kinda balance things out a bit. my latest questions are: can i quilt over the aida cloth/embroidered parts? can i quilt over the top of ironed on patches? i should add that some of the blocks were embellished with charms and some were heavily embriodered, others less so, some had iron on patches...it's a real potpourri. i appreciate all the advice....you guys are the bestest! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quilting Heidi Posted May 18, 2011 Report Share Posted May 18, 2011 Meg I'd be sure to miss any of the embelishments and go around any heavily embroidered areas. Can you freehand something from the front? If you want a panto you can mark the areas with embelishment on the panto using the laser light and just go around them. As for the ironed on patches it depends on the type of material used. If it is really stiff I'd stay off of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kay Anderson Posted May 18, 2011 Report Share Posted May 18, 2011 I know you are about done, but, when I have this kinda of a project, I stabalize and I use my serger to tame those raveling edges. That thread will stay in the quilt and keep them in check when washing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fabric007 Posted May 18, 2011 Report Share Posted May 18, 2011 Another important step is to make sure each block is the same size..square them up....maybe do your stableizing with the light weight interfacing first..then square up Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merryjo2003 Posted May 18, 2011 Report Share Posted May 18, 2011 I would serge the blocks together. I have one customer who always sews her quilts together with her serger. Their simple quilts and the good thing is, they quilt just fine! I thought it might be a problem, but it hasn't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meg Posted May 18, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 18, 2011 that's what i thought - i think i will do a loose meander and meander around the designs. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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