Quilting with Friends Tips

Quilting is fun, but quilting with friends is even more fun! I have done several quilts with friends. They are usually scappy quilts, so that your fabrics don’t have to match. My latest quilt that I have made with friends is and I-spy quilt. I saw an invitation (a while ago) on A Girl and a Glue Gun to make an I-spy quilt. Luckily, I responded quickly to participate. We all cut blocks (10 blocks of 10 different fabrics) and sent them to Kimbo. She swapped the blocks around and sent us all 100 different blocks back. I’ve been working hard to get my quilt top all pieced together. What do you think? My kids are so excited for this to be our new picnic blanket. (I will still add a denim border before I quilt and bind it.)

While I’ve been sewing, I’ve come up with a few tips for others interested in doing a friend quilt. These are not rules, they are just my opinions.

Tips for doing a quilt with friends
1. Cut blocks with a mat, ruler, and rotary cutter. If you don’t have these tools, your cutting will not be straight which makes it so much more work for everyone else. I had to re-cut quite a few blocks, just to straighten the edges. This takes so much time, it’s a pain.
2. Measure twice, cut once. If your blocks are not the right size, they are not useable. I had a few blocks that were 1/4 inch short on both sides. I just had to toss those blocks out, wasted.
3. When cutting blocks, cut off the selvedge (the edge of a fabric that is woven so that it will not fray) of the fabric BEFORE you cut your blocks. If the selvedge is left on your fabric and I have to cut it off, the block is now too small and tossed out.
4. Use cotton fabrics, unless otherwise specified. Do not use knit, flannel, or any other type of fabric that is not just the usual cotton. I do not mix different fabrics in these type of projects, so again a few more blocks were tossed.

Other quilts I have made with friends are the Bulls-eye quilt (found in the book Quilts from Aunt Amy)