Tuesday, September 12, 2017

Pattern-Matching

There's one more thing I worked on during retreat that I thought you might appreciate hearing about. I made the Venti quilt top, and with Island Quilter just down the hall, I decided to shop the sale bin for a quilt back. I happened to mention it to my guild-mate Matt/@odditease, and he suggested I pattern-match the backing, and he'd share some tips with me. He's kind of obsessive about matching his quilt backs (and wildly successful), so I didn't have to think long before accepting his offer.

Matt (and now I) follows a tutorial from Samantha/Aqua Paisley Studio that he happened to read about in an issue of The Scrap Basket. (smile) It's pretty straightforward and before too long, I was ready to stitch the seam up. Unfortunately, my pattern shifted ever so slightly and I had a decision to make. Let it be - as it really did look ok, even though not perfectly matched - or start over. I opted for the second option because it was more important to me to figure the technique out so I was 1) comfortable with it, and 2) happy with the results.

So once home, after confirming I had enough fabric to do so, I trimmed off what I had done and started over. The first time around, I had used a glue stick, and Matt thought that wasn't quite as secure as actual glue. So I tried again with what I had on hand - Aleene's Fabric Fusion. I gotta say, I'm a mess with glue! But I forged ahead and also opted to use my walking foot on the second go. It still didn't turn out perfect, and I confess I didn't pin at this point as the tutorial suggested. So I might try that next time. Here's a peek at one of the best sections....


And from farther away, I think it looks pretty darn awesome! I'll definitely try again. I've since asked Matt exactly what glue he uses (Elmer's Washable School Glue), so I'll try that along with pinning on the sewing step. Pretty cool though!


I'd love to hear about your experiences pattern-matching a quilt back. Or not!

12 comments:

  1. that's pretty awesome! I've never tried it myself. I am also a mess with glue!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I usually opt for wide backs so I don't have to worry about matching/not matching ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  3. I'm too impatient for that but yours looks great! This is one rabbit hole I don't think you'll be coming out of anytime soon.

    ReplyDelete
  4. As you know, I'm not a quilter, but I do a lot of print matching on my bags. You did a FABULOUS job! 👏

    My biggest complaint when trying to match prints is when the print isn't straight on the fabric, and I find this a LOT. It's especially hard with large geometric prints like Jess's. It's very frustrating. I often have to forget about grain and just go with the print.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I've done it before, with about the same results you had, but I didn't glue anything, just pinned and hoped for the best.

    ReplyDelete
  6. That is so awesome looking! No way I would spend the time fiddling with getting it all matched! My mother was a couture seamstress and would punish me if my fabric didn't match on the garments. I vowed I would never do it if I didn't have to!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Great effort and results! I wish Aqua Paisley Studio would put the tutorial on her website.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Lots of attention to detail.
    I enjoy making pieced backs, reversible quilts.
    That's what makes quilting fun, everybody has a different style.

    ReplyDelete
  9. After sewing clothes for so many years, my tendency is to match things even when quilting. If I don't feel like taking the extra time to do this, I choose a fabric that does not need to be matched.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I have done it and successfully too. It took lots of time but worth it. I didn't cut off my selvedge until after I had my lengths sewn together. I think it helped me line up the pattern as it controlled the stretch of those long edges.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Great job ! I confess I've never cared about pattern-matching a quilt back ... ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  12. Try using a glue stick and pressing before stitching. I find the iron makes the glue hold the pieces of fabric together better. I think this looks great!

    ReplyDelete