December 20, 2017

Quilted Braid Tutorial


For a while I've been itching to quilt the "braided" look, so I gave it a go a few weeks ago using a Blushing Bouquet bundle from KiwiFabric. I made a pillow cover and it turned out so soft and pretty! Here's how I did it.


I feel like I need to give a disclaimer every time- I don't know if this is the "right" way, or the best way, but it's how I figured it out so that's what I'm sharing! :) This one was a bit tricky to explain but I did my best!


You will need (116) 1.5" x 4.75" pieces. I cut mine from 7 quarter yards by folding them in half lengthwise and then cutting (6) 1.5" strips, and cutting those in half. There are some extras this way but it's quick. The exact length of the pieces doesn't really matter because they are going to be trimmed off, anything from 4.5" to 5" will  work. Use as many colors as you want!

This could be done beautifully by using (39) 5" charm squares from a pack and cutting them into (3) 1.25" x 5" pieces each. I'll have to try that next!


Start by arranging two pieces perpendicularly in this manner and sewing the top end of one piece to the top corner of another. Open it up and finger press. No need to iron until the end of the row.


Holding that seam down, sew your next piece parallel to the very first one with the top corner lining up with the second piece. Fold it out. 


From this point on, the seams on both sides will naturally lay upwards.


Turn the piece over and sew the next one, starting in the top corner. Will each addition, you will be looking at the opposite side of the patchwork. It will make sense once you start!


Keep going in this fashion until you've used 29 pieces for one row. Since you have to pull the patchwork away from the machine to reposition each time, it's not the most thread-conserving project. The best I can advise is to chain piece all 4 panels at once.


Press all the seams up (except for the very bottom one). Flip it over.


Line up the patchwork on a cutting mat and trim to 5" wide.


Then trim the width of the piece to 18".


Make (4) of these panels and sew them together, all pointing the same direction. Press seams open. 


Trim to 18" by 18" (only the top and bottom will require trimming). Quilt the panel as desired and make it into a pillow cover. I have 2 different method tutorials for that process here and here




 For the back I used a peach stripe from Prairie by Corey Yoder that I bought at StarlitQuilts.

I also figured out the math for a 42" x 48" baby quilt using the same method.

You will need (115) 9" x 3.5" strips, which can be cut from 10 quarter yard cuts. 

Follow the very same method, using 23 strips for each row, trimming to 10" x 42", and making a total of 5 rows. I will definitely need to try this myself sometime! 


Thanks for stopping by and MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! May your preparations end soon :)

7 comments :

  1. Beautiful pillow! I love the soft blushes and the design.

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  2. This is so pretty! Thank you for the tutorial.

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  3. WOW!! This is such a pretty pillow! I absolutely love your fabrics! Thank you for the great tutorial! Can't wait to make this!! And a very Merry Christmas to you and yours!

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  4. Lovely! Thank you so much for the tutorial and merry Christmas to you!

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  5. So beautiful.Thanks for the tutorial!!

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  6. Couldn’t be prettier! I’m going to try this sometime soon!

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  7. This is beautiful! I've seen some people even do a quilt-as-you-go braid like this, piecing just like you did right onto the batting. It's been on my to-do list to try, you make it look so simple! Your colors are just stunning, as usual. Thanks for the tutorial!

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