Down Under Quilts - Issue 134, 2009

form a gentle oval. Press with a hot iron and then remove papers.

Prepare the four small pentagon flowers in the same manner, press, and then remove the papers.

Central panel

Find the centre of the cream rectangle by folding and pressing the fabric in half and in half again.

Place the pentagon oval onto the central panel, using the fold lines to assist with an even placement. Use pins or small dabs of glue stick to hold the oval in place. Appliqué the oval in place, and then the four small flowers at the corners, ensuring each one is placed ³/4in in from both raw edges.

Press the panel well from the wrong side.

Rectangular border

For the top and bottom borders join 12, 3¹/2in x 6¹/2in strips side by side (along the longer edges) and press the seams to one side. Pin-mark the border strips and the top and bottom of the quilt top into quarters. Stitch the borders in place matching the pins.

For each of the side borders stitch nine pairs of rectangles together along the 6¹/2in length. Then join the nine pairs so that the length of the rectangles will run vertically on the quilt.

Pin-mark the border strips and the opposite sides of the quilt top into quarters. Stitch the borders in place matching the pins, and taking care to match the seams with the top and bottom borders. Press these seams.

Narrow border

Join the six 2in strips end to end and press the seams to one side. From this length trim two 48¹/2in strips and two 57¹/2in strips.

Attach the borders to the quilt top – top and bottom borders first, followed by the side borders – pressing the seams outwards as you go, and using the pin-marking technique.

Outer border

Join the six 8¹/2in strips end to end to form one long strip and press the

seams to one side. From this length, trim two 51¹/2in strips and attach them to the top and bottom of the quilt top, pin-marking them as before. Press the seams outwards.

Trim two 73¹/2in strips from the pieced border length and then stitch these borders to the opposite sides of the quilt top in the same way.

Yo-Yos

Using the Yo-Yo maker, make approximately 45 Yo-Yos following the manufacturer’s instructions.

If you are hand-quilting your quilt, you can attach the Yo-Yos to the centre of the pentagon ovals at this stage.

Using a water-erasable pen draw a circle about 10in diameter inside the centre of the appliquéd pentagons.

Start by placing half a dozen or so Yo-Yos at the centre of the circle. Slightly overlap them so that the placement does not look contrived. Use a dab of glue stick at the back of each one to keep them in place. Build up around these Yo-Yos, working out to the drawn edge. Note that the Yo-Yos do not have to be contained within this drawn perimeter – it is okay to have some slightly overlap the circle. Glue the remaining Yo-Yos in place once you are happy with their placement.

Using a long thread of the strong upholstery or topstitch thread in a matching colour, stitch the Yo-Yos in place using the doll needle. Start with a knot at the end of the thread.

Working from the top of the quilt, find the centre of a Yo-Yo on the outer edge of the circle of Yo-Yos and insert the needle from behind the cream panel. Bring the needle up through the centre of the Yo-Yo and back down through the Yo-Yo and cream panel. Bring the needle back up at the centre of the next Yo-Yo and repeat the above process until all the Yo-Yos are stitched in place.

You may have to stop and start the process a few times. When you need to stop, secure the thread underneath a Yo-Yo with a knot. Check all the Yo-Yos have been stitched by gently lifting their edges.

If you are machine quilting. set the Yo-Yos aside for attaching after the quilting is complete. Care will need to be taken to ensure that the needle does not penetrate the backing fabric while the Yo-Yos are attached to the central panel and batting.

Finishing

Cut the backing fabric into two equal lengths. Remove the selvedges, join the pieces side by side and press the seam open.

Lay the backing right side down on a large flat surface, smooth the fabric out and clip (or tape) it in place. Centre the batting on top of the backing, smooth it out and then clip it in place. Centre the well-pressed quilt top over the batting, right-side up. Smooth it out from the centre, clip it in place and then baste the three layers together using safety pins at 4in intervals.

Vicki’s quilt was machine quilted by Cherie Walters with an overall circular design. If hand quilting is preferred, a combination of outline and in-the-ditch quilting would work well in the central panel, with complementary border patterns in the outer area.