How to Quilt>Quilt Panels

A Unique Design for a Batik Panel

Once Your Panel is Finished and the Borders are Added, This Machine Quilting Instruction will Complete your Quilt or Wall Hanging with Perfection


From puckers and tucks to - - -	a smooth back

Unlock the secrets for beautiful machine quilting using your home sewing machine by simply watching this video on your TV or computer.

My machine quilting journey began on the left - with quilt backings full of puckers and tucks. Now, after sorting out hundreds of machine quilting tips, the backs and fronts of my machine quilted quilts are flat and my quilts are beautiful.

Using just a few simple techniques, your machine quilting will be beautiful and your quilts will be treasured as masterpieces for generations. You'll see exactly how to stop and start your stitching, hiding your knots inside your quilt.

Click here to learn more about machine quilting on your home sewing machine

m. mouse here, and i'm just a bit frustrated.

penny knows how much i love fish - pretty much any kind: tuna, salmon, cod, shrimp. and i'm sure i'd like the taste of koi, if she would just give me the chance.

but for weeks now i've been just glaring at these two koi on a panel.

it doesn't really help to know that they are simply batiks that have been dyed with a bunch of beautiful colors.

in my eyes they are just tasty treats to be devoured.

anyway, penny and her friend, jim, picked out this batik panel (it was much better than cutting up the kitty panels they got, too) to cut up for a demonstration.

you see, it turns out that putting strips in the middle (although not exactly the center) of fabric is a popular thing to do.

the idea is that you find a piece of fabric that looks nice as a whole, and then cut slices in it and sew narrow fabric strips where you cut it apart. (it's just another variation of "cut fabric-sew it back together")

once the fabric has been cut into sections, you get to choose the fabric to use as strips. and penny had a hard time deciding which to choose.

she had a bunch of fabrics she tried, and it got down to a light value fabric, a medium and a dark.

in the end, she chose the dark because it was the easiest to see, and it made it look like the fish were swimming in a pond behind some tall reeds - or maybe strange-shaped window panes.

penny wrote out the directions if any of you want to try it.

it looks pretty fun, and i'm really happy she didn't cut up the cats. although, they are still laying on the table, and she hasn't told me what the plans are for them.

in the meantime, i'll just dream of these beautiful fish swimming safely. someday i imagine penny will add some fun borders and finish the wall hanging so i can look at them on a wall.

	The first step is to cut the panel several places. I decided to cut this in only 3 places, since the panel was relatively small.
The next step is to try different fabrics behind your panel. This was a medium value fabric, also a batik and relatively "busy."
	This was a dark fabric.
This was very light fabric.
	Once I decided on the dark fabric, I cut 3 strips, each 1 1/2 inches wide.
Sew the strips on one side of each cut.
	Fold the strips so they are right sides facing out and line up the portion of the panel that is next to the strip. This is a little tricky when the panel has been cut at an angle.
Sew the second side of the strips onto the panel sections.
	Sew the final strip to the panel. The order is not important. You could sew from one side to the other instead of sewing the sides first. I chose that order since I could chain sew the sides.
This is the back of the panel once the strips have been sewn in.
	Once your strips are sewn and pressed, trim around the panel, and it is ready for borders and finishing.

Happy Quilting!

Penny Halgren

www.How-to-Quilt.com
www.TheQuiltingCoach.com
www.QuiltBlockLibrary.com

©2010, Penny Halgren
Penny is a quilter of more than 29 years who seeks to interest new quilters and provide them with the resources necessary to create beautiful quilts.

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