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carolyn friedlander

carolyn friedlander

fabric and pattern designer

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Basting my Blue Slash Quilt

August 26, 2022 by carolyn friedlander 5 Comments

Basting my Blue Slash Quilt . carolyn friedlander

Before leaving to teach in Maine recently, I basted my Blue Slash quilt. I finished the top much earlier this year, and so the basting was overdue! A Gathering of Stitches hosts these beautiful weeklong retreats, and I loved the idea of bringing this project along. Not only was it the same project I’d be teaching, but I’d also (hopefully) have some time to hand quilt it during the week.

Basting A Quilt

To start, I made sure my backing and quilt top were ironed and that my batting was cut to an appropriate size. Then I laid the backing on to my cutting table and smoothed it all out. The backing here is kind of scrappy, but uses a leftover Architextures wideback along with some of my Collection CF prints.

layering the backing fabric for my Blue Slash Quilt . carolyn friedlander

Next I layered the batting, smoothing it out. Batting here is my current preference for most quilts, especially if I’m hand quilting it.

layering the batting for my blue slash quilt

Finally it’s time for the quilt top. It’s usually good to take your time laying out each layer. I throw on some music or a podcast, which makes it a wonderful experience.

layering the quilt top for my blue slash quilt

Once everything is laid out and smooth, I start putting in the safety pins. Notice that my entire quilt doesn’t fit on the table at one time. That’s not a problem! You can work it in sections.

smoothing out the layers of my blue slash quilt

After this section is basted, I move on to the next, making sure to smooth each layer as I get to it.

basting another section of the blue slash quilt

If you’d like to learn more about how I baste, check out the basting post from the Ray Quilt Along.

See the basting in (quick) motion over on my Insta.

Thoughts and Plans

I mentioned having this quilt top for awhile. I don’t mind basting, but I think I might stall on choosing the backing fabric and/or prepping it. Once I get into the basting, I really enjoy it, because it marks a new stage of the project, and I always get inspired to think about the quilting. In this case, I eagerly pulled threads for hand quilting. This potential color combo surprised me in a good way, which is a good reminder to audition thread options you may not have had in mind already. We’ll see where it goes!

sashiko threads for my blue slash quilt

Project Details

Pattern: Slash Quilt Pattern

Technique/Templates: Template piecing with the Long Leaf Acrylic Template Set

Fabrics: Collection CF, Essex Linen (Teal), Essex Classic Wovens

Threads: Sashiko threads from Upcycle Stitches, Material Goods, A Verb For Keeping Warm, Brooklyn Haberdashery

sashiko threads for my blue slash quilt

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Dawn Wyda says

    August 26, 2022 at 10:33 pm

    Love the threads that you chose. Excited to see how you stitch this one.

    Reply
    • carolyn friedlander says

      August 29, 2022 at 10:00 am

      Thanks, Dawn! I’m excited to start stitching on it too!

      Reply
  2. Diane says

    August 27, 2022 at 7:11 pm

    I didn’t know that you used Sashiko thread to quilt with, Is it difficult to thread with the Sashiko big eye needles?

    Reply
    • carolyn friedlander says

      August 29, 2022 at 10:01 am

      Hi, Diane! Yes, you can absolutely use Sashiko thread to quilt with. I do use a larger eyed needle, which works great. You can see more about it in this post here. Hope that helps!

      Reply

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