![](http://quiltville.com/needlenthread.gif)
Now the fun begins! You will
notice that in the quilt shown above that the 4 patches alternate so
there is a purple diagonal chain alternating with an orange diagonal
chain. On your floor or a design wall, lay out your 4 patches and
novelty print squares in the way you want them to go. Sew the blocks
into rows, and then sew the rows together forming the quilt top center.
![](http://quiltville.com/needlenthread.gif)
Borders:
(These directions show a different quilt top, but the border
instructions are the same!)
We
are going to add the long sides of the inner border
first. I like to join my narrow border strips on the diagonal the
same way I do for making binding. The only exception to this is if the
fabric is a stripe...I have better luck just stitching them end to end.
It is less noticeable that way.
![](http://quiltville.com/bbind1.gif)
I form an "L" with the
end of two strips with right sides together, and sew from corner to
corner. If you look at the diagram above, you will see that the
top strip is moved inside the end of the bottom strip, and just a bit
up from the edge of the bottom strip...this leaves you two little "V"
areas. You want to stitch from the exact V at the top to the exact V at
the bottom. I position mine just a bit 'off' this way so that I have a
target to shoot for when stitching the seam.
Then I trim the excess and
press the seam open.
Measuring Borders:
![](http://quiltville.com/streak/streakofsunshine11.jpg)
For small quilts such as this, I like to lay the quilt top on my
ironing
board. I center the quilt top lengthwise on the ironing board, and
smooth it out. Not stretching or pulling, just flat. Then I take the
border strip that I have just stitched and pressed, and lay it also
down the center of the quilt top. Smoothing with your fingers and not
stretching....be sure that the left edge is right at the left edge of
the quilt and it hasn't crept away on you. I cut ALL my borders this
way, using the border strips to measure across the center of the quilt,
instead of using a measuring tape which may stretch or lay differently
than the fabric I am using. My borders always turn out square and
straight this way with no ripples.
Cut 2 strips the length of the quilt top. Pin the border to the quilt,
matching the center and top and bottom.
Stitch
the
two sides in place, one on the left, one on the right. Press seams
towards the borders.
Now
you are going to do the same thing for the top and bottom inner
border. Lay the quilt top on the ironing board centering the quilt on
the board, with the borders you have just sewn on your left and right.
Smooth. Lay the border strips down across the quilt (including the
first borders you just added) and cut two pieces, one for the top, one
for the bottom. Pin them to the quilt top with right sides together,
matching centers and ends. Stitch. Press seams towards the borders.
For the outter borders, you are going to follow the same proceedure,
only using the four 3.5" strips. When strips get wider than 3.5", I
like
to sew them together straight end to end instead of on the
diagonal or bias. This is mostly due to the fact that a bias seam is
going to be longer than a straight seam, and because the strip is wide,
it will be even more noticeable. There is also alot of waste when you
are joining wide strips on the bias. The choice is up to you! If
joining stripes, I like to join them end to end instead of on the bias.
Sew
the outter borders to the long sides of the quilt first, then
add the final top and bottom borders.
![](http://quiltville.com/needlenthread.gif)
Your top is done! Now you
can
finish it any way you want to....you can tie it, you can place buttons
in the corners of each block and tie through the buttons, you can
machine quilt through the diagonals or meander the whole quilt, or you
can hand quilt, whatever you desire!
Double-Fold
Binding:
Carefully
remove basting threads or safety pins. Baste around quilt 3/16"
from
the edges if desired. Trim batt and lining even with the top.Cut
binding
strips 2 1/2" wide on lengthwise or crosswise grain of fabric. Place
end
of two strips perpendicular to each other forming an 'L', right sides
together.
Stitch diagonally and trim to 1/4". Join all strips end to end. Press
the
seam allowances open.
![](http://quiltville.com/bbind1.gif)
Cut
the beginning of the binding strip at a 45°angle. Turn the edge in
1/4" and press. Fold the binding strip in half lengthwise, wrong sides
together, and press. Lay the binding strip, longer side down, on the
right
side of the quilt top, aligning raw edges of the binding and the quilt.
Begin sewing at the second fold, stopping 1/4" from the first corner;
backstitch.
Remove the needle from the quilt and cut the threads.
![](http://quiltville.com/bbind2.gif)
Fold
the binding up, then back down even with edge of the quilt. Begin
stitching
at the edge of next side, backstitch to secure and continue sewing.
Repeat
at all corners. When nearing starting point, trim binding at
double-thickness
fold and tuck the end into folded strip. Continue sewing and
backstitch.
Blind stitch the folded edge to the tucked strip.
![](http://quiltville.com/bbind3.gif)
![](http://quiltville.com/bbind4.gif)
Turn
the binding to back of the quilt and blindstitch to the lining,
covering
the previous line of stitches. Fold the corners as shown and
blindstitch.
Close up version of
blindstitch:
I work my stitches from
right to left
on the quilt back. Keep the
needle parallel to the fold on the binding, and the stitching line on
the back of the quilt. Take small stitches, directly across from where
you exit the previous stitch. Pull thread.
When the thread is tightened the stitches should be virtually invisible.
Pat
yourself on the
back! You have just created a one of a kind I-spy-a-4-patch quilt that
anyone would love!
Here is another version using only ONE novelty print for a different
look!
(just off the quilting machine, still needing binding!)
![](http://quiltville.com/ispya4patch2.jpg)
![](http://quiltville.com/needlenthread.gif)
Questions
or Comments? I would love to hear from you!! Bonnie@Quiltville.com
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