Applique And Embroidery Stitching In Quilting Projects

String quilts made by women in Gee's Bend, Alabama, and Mid-western Amish communities, have become an art form. Their stringed blocks are often square in shape or close to it, with one above the other. Sometimes sashing strips divide the blocks. The Amish string quilts can look like stacks of small squares. This pattern is named Coins.

The third layer is the side that lays face down on the bed and is called the quilt backing. Even though the backing is not always seen the fabric color should complement the quilt design and be made of a durable cotton fabric that will not tear or fray when machine washed.

Last but not least, the quilt was marked for quilting. This was a very vital part of the quilting process as it would be seen on the top of the quilt as well as it must also be seen on the bottom when you turned down the bed at night. This took quite a bit of time and consideration. You did not want the design of the quilting to take away the look of the quilt but to enhance the beauty of the creation.

Place a few straight pins at random places on the surface of the quilt. (Anywhere but on the lines.) This will keep the pieces from shifting during sewing.

I decided on using 35 pictures for Peggy's memory quilt. I chose pictures that showed her children at different stages of their lives. As well as pictures showing her and her husbands age regression. Her favorite color is blue, so I chose a dark blue with a light blue design, and a light blue with a dark blue design for the blocks. One thing to keep in mind when doing one for a person with Alzheimer's' is to try and keep the material fairly plain or quiet. When using a material that is very busy or loud, it just adds to their overall confusion. Something you definitely do not want.

Blanket Quilt Now you will need to begin putting it together. Follow your pattern and read the instructions carefully to know how to do this correctly. If you have small pieces, you will have to sew them together first to make larger squares and them continue to sew them together to make the larger blanket. For this you will need to use a sewing machine. Sew them together and add the border.

Now that you have the 3 layers of your quilt, it is time to add a fabric border to frame your quilt. When choosing the fabric for the border, pick a color that compliments the colors and style of your quilt. Many online fabric retailers that offer pre-cut quilt squares also have complementary Jelly Rolls which are pre-cut fabric strips. These pre-cut fabric strips are perfect to use as your quilt fabric border.