Today's finished quilt. It's a baby quilt. I did meandering butterflies in the center pieced area.


And baby rattles on the border. I used air erasable pen for marking the rattles. I have to let it sit for awhile so the marks will fade away.


A close up of the center area.


The butterflies from the back.


I've been asked how I replaced the center area of the quilt a few days ago. First, the only border that was quilted already was the starting border. The other three had not been quilted yet. Instead of sitting at my household machine to sew the borders back onto the center I used the quilting machine. The same as if I had sewn pieces to a foundation fabric OR as in paper piecing.

I started by putting the batting and backing with the one quilted border onto the machine. I made sure that everything was smooth and flat. I lay the right side of the center piece along the seam line of the top border. This was right sides together as in any piecing. I stitched the seam with the quilting machine then flipped the center piece down as it should be for quilting. Then I lay the side borders onto the seam line of the center, pinned and sewed it. Then opened up the side borders. The bottom border was last. Done the same way.

I learned many years ago how to piece a quilt on the quilting machine. To me it was simple because a quilting machine is just a really big sewing machine on a really big table. The only difference in sewing is that with a household machine you move the fabric, with a quilting machine you move the machine. Everything else is just sewing.

Over the years I've pieced several quilts using the quilting machine. Just not any lately. Hmmm.... maybe that could be a project to put onto my helpful hints blog. I've been trying to think of something new to put on there. Yes, I think I will. I have a quilt on the machine right now so this project will have to wait until it is done. Also, I'm leaving in a little while to spend the weekend with my daughter and the new baby. She needs some help for a couple of days.

I haven't forgotten I promised to put instructions for measuring to get accurate borders onto my hints blog. I can also do that when I'm piecing the quilt on the quilting machine.