Three Things I've Learned while Quilting

detail - Blue Broken Star

1. I quilt better before lunch. Maybe my head is more clear in the morning. Maybe as it gets closer to lunch the hungrier I am and more focused. Maybe after lunch I am lazier. Maybe after lunch I should nap, yes, like a cat sleeping in the sunshine.

Spring Leaves

2. If I start with a larger piece of batting and backing, I can change where the center of my quilt is (hence the opportunity for uneven borders and bindings even at this late stage).

Lizard Tails

3. The quilting brings fabric to life. We, as quilters, have the golden opportunity to easily add texture and dimension to our work. This is what other artists strive for on a flat, one dimensional canvas.

Finished, at last and in the spotlight

As I walked into my studio this morning, the sun was coming through the window and there in the spotlight was my blue broken star. I had just completed hand stitching the binding last night and now my finished quilt was shining in all its splendor. Finished, at last.

Today, I want to share with you the method that I used for the binding.

First I cut strips of one of my coordinating fabrics, piecing as needed to get the length. I make enough to got around the quilt plus at least 6 inches extra. Because this quilt has an uneven edge, I allowed a bit  more.

I fed one end of the strip through a Clover 18 mm ( 3/4") bias tape marker.

I pulled the bias tape maker along and pressed the strip as it came out.

Then I opened one side of my coordinating tape and stitched it to the quilt edge for a binding. This strip was then folded around to the back of the quilt and hand stitched to the back.

Blue Broken Star 

44" x 44"

©2011 Sharon V. Rotz

The basic pattern for a broken star quilt is available at my website.

How will you make it your own?