Easy Finishing.... on the Renaissance 9 Patch

Using the properties of trims--especially their finished edges--helps to make finishing a small quilt a breeze.  I guess you could call this the Faux Binding approach.

May has been very helpful of late...

Silly cat.

Seriously, once the nine blocks were sewn together, it was a short morning's work to finish up this quilt.  Here is how it went...

This quilt did not need batting so I decided to forgo it.  I cut out a cotton backing that was 3/4" bigger all the way around than the quilt.  Then I ironed on a line of Lite Steam a Seam 2 along the perimeter of the quilt top.  It was a simple matter to iron the edge of the backing to the front.

Along the way I retrimmed the edge of the backing before the final folding where necessary...to make sure it was 3/4".

Once those edges were ironed over, I did a quick quilt in the ditch between the blocks with clear thread.

But what about those raw edges?
Here is where the trim comes in.  I just sewed it on, again with the clear thread in a zig zag, lining up the edge of the quilt and the edge of the trim on either side of my presser foot.  No pinning.  I don't like pinning.

Then another trim went on alongside the first one, which covered any bits of the backing that still showed, and gave me additional detail in the "binding".

As I got to the corners, I folded them into miters and just kept on sewing!

I love how that embossed, cut-out velvet trim plus the narrow fine lined ribbon gives such interest to the outside edge, for hardly any work.  This crazy quilt has a clean fresh look that I like...and I have to say, is in keeping with the "modern" look in quilting these days.
After all, this is for display in Renaissance Ribbon's trade show booth, so it has to be au curant.  ;-)  It measures 24" X 24".

Nine Patch with Renaissance Ribbons

I've bought their ribbon and trim for years, so you can imagine how much I have enjoyed working with a whole array of treasures from Renaissance Ribbons this past week. Using my pattern, "Pretty Crazy", I've been making a 9 block quilt showcasing their ribbon and trim for them to use in their booth at trade shows.

Here's the pattern, to refresh your memory if you've seen it before:

This pattern totally lends itself to showcasing anyone's trim, ribbon, and lace collections too, but I didn't use lace this time around.

The head of the company, a lovely woman named Edith, and I decided on a pink/orange palette for the ribbon; I chose purple and blue fabrics to set them off.

After tracing my block's design onto muslin foundation, I cut out all the patch shapes and laid them out.

Because I wanted to give the illusion of curved piecing, I ironed the trims into gentle arcs before laying them in place.  A spray bottle helped, as the jacqard woven trims are kind of dense.

It was a blast picking out the trims and pinning them into place, tucking under the ends so that there were no raw edges anywhere. 
Then it was a quick matter to sew these down with a clear thread in a zig zag stitch (such a forgiving way to sew, isn't it?)

Truly, each block might take 10 to 15 minutes to sew down, after you've laid it out.

Then I just trimmed them up, zig zagged the edges....

and voila!  The blocks are ready to assemble.
I think I will add ribbon sashing and some simple hand embroidery here and there.  But seriously, this sewed up fast.
I'll bring this to Fabric Depot this coming Saturday, and will be teaching it at Northwest Quilters Expo in Portland on September 22.  My class will be hosted by Greenbaum's Quilted Forest of Salem, Oregon.

My next project is very personal and meaningful...honoring a recently deceased family member, a Superman named Mark Vasquez....you can read about this heroic and inspiring man here.  I'll be making five memorial quilts for Mark's wife, daughters, father, and father-in-law.  What an honor and privilege this will be.