[synthesized jingle] [upbeat acoustic guitar music] ♪ ♪ >> THE LAP QUILTING CONNECTION.

WE'VE HAD A CHANCE TO DO SOME QUILTING, AND NOW IT'S TIME TO PUT OUR BLOCKS TOGETHER, "THE MOMENT OF TRUTH" WE SOMETIMES CALL IT.

YOU'RE GONNA BE REALLY ENCOURAGED WHEN YOU SEE HOW FAST YOUR BLOCKS GO, AS FAR AS QUILTING, BECAUSE YOU CAN TAKE THEM WITH YOU ANYWHERE.

I FIND I TAKE THEM ON A TRIP WITH ME, DOCTOR'S OFFICE, AND IT ALWAYS BRINGS UP CONVERSATION WHEN YOU HAVE THEM WITH YOU ANYWAY.

IT'S ALL GONNA GO BACK TO WHETHER OR NOT YOUR TEMPLATES WERE PLACED ON YOUR FABRIC CORRECTLY.

DID YOU CUT OUT YOUR BORDERS THE RIGHT SIZE, AND DID YOU USE YOUR 12-INCH BLOCK, YOUR PATTERN, ON THE BACK OF ALL YOUR BLOCKS?

THIS IS ALL GOING TO COME TOGETHER WHEN WE PUT OUR BLOCKS TOGETHER TO FORM OUR WHOLE QUILT.

WHITER OR NOT YOU'RE DOING, AS MARY BOYCE HAS DONE, A BLOCK-TO-BLOCK ASSEMBLY WITH MITERED BORDERS OR WITHOUT THE BORDERS, WE NEED TO DISCUSS THIS.

MARY HAS DONE A LOVELY JOB WITH A KING'S X PATTERN.

SHE HAS ALTERNATED THE BASIC KING'S X AND THE GOD'S EYE DESIGN.

AND SHE DOES EXCELLENT PIECING AND LOVELY QUILTING.

I THINK YOU CAN SEE THIS BEAUTIFUL CONNECTION SHE GETS USING HER OVAL AND DOING HER DOUBLE ROW OF QUILTING AT EACH INTERSECTION.

IT'S JUST LOVELY.

HELEN GAGE HAS DONE A NICE JOB WITH A BLOCK-TO-BLOCK ASSEMBLY, AND THIS IS WHAT WE WANT TO TALK ABOUT ALSO.

HELEN HAD A FASHION BACKGROUND, AND I CAN SEE THAT BACKGROUND IN THIS QUILT THAT SHE HAS DONE, A LOVELY SELECTION, ALMOST A MELLOW SELECTION OF ALL OF HER KIND OF BROWNS, AND A VERY NICE SELECTION THAT SHE'S DONE HERE.

LET'S LOOK AT A LARGE QUILT.

THIS IS A VARIATION OF A JACOB'S LADDER, BUT DONE FOR A KING-SIZE QUILT AND ALSO USING SOME OF THE HOUSE ON THE HILL PATTERN.

AND ALL OF THIS HAS TO BE GRAFTED OUT MORE OR LESS SO YOU HAVE A PLAN.

I'VE HAD SOME HELP FROM MY FRIENDS IN GETTING THIS FINISHED AS FAR AS THE QUILTING GOES.

I HAD A PROBLEM AT THE CORNERS.

BECAUSE THIS QUILT WILL COVER BOTH THE MATTRESS AND THE BOX SPRINGS, I WENT AHEAD AT EACH CORNER AND MADE HALF A BLOCK ON THE DIAGONAL, AND THAT WAY, THERE WON'T BE SUCH AN EXCESS TO TRIP OVER WHEN YOU WALK AROUND THE BED.

BUT THE CORE OF THIS QUILT HAS BEEN PUT TOGETHER, AND NOW WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT BLOCK-TO-BLOCK ASSEMBLY AT THE SEWING MACHINE.

BEFORE WE ACTUALLY PUT SOME BLOCKS TOGETHER, I WANT TO GIVE YOU ONE LITTLE TIP, WHICH JUST MEANS BACKTRACKING JUST A BIT.

BUT YOU'LL REMEMBER AFTER YOU HAVE YOUR BLOCKS DOWN AND YOU'VE ADDED MITERED BORDERS, IF YOU CAN-- EVERY TIME THAT YOU PRESS THE BACK OF THESE BLOCKS, IF YOU CAN ALWAYS-- THIS DIAGONAL SEAM THAT COMES FROM THE CORNER INTO YOUR BLOCK, IF YOU CAN PRESS IT IN THE SAME DIRECTION, EITHER CLOCKWISE OR COUNTERCLOCKWISE, ON THE BACK EACH TIME, YOU WILL FIND THAT WHEN YOU PUT YOUR BLOCKS TOGETHER-- FOR INSTANCE, NOW, THESE ARE NOT QUILTED, BUT WHAT HAPPENS IS, IF THOSE TWO BLOCKS WERE GOING TOGETHER, I THINK I CAN SPREAD THIS BACK, AND YOU CAN SEE WHAT HAPPENS.

YOU'LL GET WHAT A CALL AN "AUTOMATIC STAGGER."

IN OTHER WORDS, THAT SEAM'S GOING THAT WAY, THAT ONE'S GOING IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION, AND IT REALLY WORKS NICELY.

ANOTHER POINT TO OF COURSE ALWAYS REMEMBER IN LAP QUILTING IS THAT YOU HAVE TO LEAVE ALWAYS AT LEAST 1/2 AN INCH TO AN INCH FREE OF QUILTING AROUND THE OUTSIDE OF YOUR BLOCKS.

YOU CANNOT QUILT UP TO THE EDGE.

THERE WOULDN'T BE ANY EXCESS AVAILABLE TO PUT YOUR BLOCKS TOGETHER.

NOW YOU'RE PROBABLY THINKING, "WHAT ARE ALL THESE THREADS HANGING HERE?"

I CALL THIS THE "DANGLING" OF THE "FLOATING THREAD."

AND WHAT IT IS, IS THAT YOU QUILT UP TO ABOUT THAT 1/2 AN INCH OR AN INCH AND THEN SIMPLY TAKE YOUR NEEDLE OUT AND LEAVE IT HANGING SO THAT ONCE THESE TWO BLOCKS HAVE BEEN CONNECTED AND YOU'VE DONE YOUR HANDWORK ON THE BACK SIDE, THEN YOU CAN COME BACK, RETHREAD YOUR-- PUT YOUR NEEDLE IN YOUR THREAD AGAIN AND THEN FINISH OFF.

THAT WAY, YOU DON'T HAVE ALL THE STOPS AND STARTS IN YOUR QUILTING, AND IT MAKES IT A MORE CONTINUOUS EFFORT.

LET'S LOOK AT PUTTING SOME BLOCKS TOGETHER.

FOR INSTANCE, THESE TWO BLOCKS ARE READY TO GO TOGETHER.

NOW, YOU CAN ALWAYS, ONCE YOU'VE GOTTEN THIS FAR, GO AHEAD AND OF COURSE REMOVE ANY BASTING STITCHES THAT YOU WOULD HAVE.

IF YOU HAD ANY MARKS ON THAT WITH A FABRIC MARKER, THIS WOULD BE THE TIME TO GET RID OF THEM.

AND THEN WITH YOUR SCISSORS, TRIM.

IF THERE ARE ANY EXCESS HANGING, GO AHEAD AND TRIM THAT OFF YOUR BATTING AND YOUR BACKING ALL THE WAY DOWN.

NOW, THERE'S NO REASON TO LEAVE AN EXCESS OF BACKING MATERIAL.

A LOT OF PEOPLE THINK YOU NEED EXTRA, BUT AFTER ALL, YOU'RE GOING TO CONNECT THAT FRONT-- YOUR FRONT PART OF YOUR QUILT, WHICH WILL MEAN IT'S GOING TO TAKE UP, THEN YOU WILL HAVE EXTRA ON THE BACK FOR YOUR HANDWORK.

NOW LET'S PUT THESE TWO TOGETHER, AND THAT'LL GIVE YOU A BETTER IDEA OF HOW THIS WILL HAPPEN.

I LIKE TO PUT THE TWO RIGHT SIDES TOGETHER AND TAKE YOUR CORNERS AND PIN THEM.

NOW, WHEN YOU DO THAT, YOU'RE ONLY WORKING WITH THE FRONT OF YOUR QUILT.

FREE THE BACKING.

TAKE AND PUT A PIN AT EACH CORNER.

AND THEN WHAT HAPPENS IS, IF THERE IS ANY EASING TO DO, YOU CAN DO IT BETWEEN THERE.

AT THE SAME TIME, YOU WANT TO-- I TAKE THIS LIKE SO, AND THEN PUT IT ON A FLAT SURFACE, FIND THE MIDPOINT.

NOW, A NEW THING THAT I HAVE BEEN DOING THAT I FIND WORKS VERY WELL IS THAT YOU CAN GO AHEAD AND MACHINE-STITCH THE BATTING ON ONE SIDE.

IN OTHER WORDS, PIN THE BACKING ALL THE WAY THROUGH.

YOU DON'T WANT THAT TO GET CAUGHT.

PIN THAT BACK EACH PLACE, AND THEN WITH A PIN IN THE MIDDLE, WE'RE GOING TO-- THIS IS WHERE WE'LL ACTUALLY BE DOING OUR MACHINE-STITCHING.

PIN THE BATTING.

THIS IS ON THE FRONT SIDE.

PIN THIS BACK.

AND SO YOU'RE MORE OR LESS STABILIZING YOUR BLOCK BY ALLOWING THE BATTING TO BE CAUGHT ON ONE SIDE.

I THINK IT WORKS OUT VERY NICELY.

OF COURSE IF YOU HAVE A REAL THICK BATTING, I WOULDN'T TRY DOING IT.

BUT IF YOU HAVE A MEDIUM- TO LIGHTWEIGHT BATTING, I THINK IT WORKS NICELY.

ALL RIGHT, NOW WE'RE READY TO MACHINE-STITCH THIS.

GET OUR PINS OUT OF THE WAY.

AND I THINK IF YOU'RE GOING TO BE HANDLING THESE BLOCKS FOR A LONG PERIOD OF TIME, IT WORKS NICELY TO GO AHEAD AND BACKSTITCH AT EACH OUTSIDE EDGE.

IT JUST STRENGTHENS IT A LITTLE BIT MORE.

BUT YOU WILL FIND... TAKE A 1/4 INCH SEAM ALLOWANCE, YOU WILL FIND THAT YOUR BATTING WILL MOVE VERY NICELY ALL ALONG AS YOU'RE-- AS IT'S FLOWING AGAINST THE FEED DOGS.

THERE WON'T BE ANY PROBLEM.

YOU'RE PROBABLY THINKING, "WELL, WHY DON'T YOU INCLUDE THAT BATTING?"

IT WILL NOT--IT WILL GET CAUGHT IN THE NEEDLE OF YOUR MACHINE.

IT REALLY WILL NOT WORK VERY WELL AT ALL.

IT BECOMES A REAL PROBLEM.

OF COURSE, I'D USE A COMPATIBLE THREAD HERE.

I'D USE EITHER THE OFF-WHITE... NOW WHEN YOU GET DOWN TO THE END, FREE OF ANY BATTING ON THE TOP SIDE AND LINE THIS UP.

AND THEN ONCE AGAIN... ALL THE WAY DOWN, AND THEN YOU CAN BACKSTITCH.

NOW YOU ARE READY TO GO AHEAD AND FINISH THE FRONT OF YOUR QUILT.

NOW, WHAT HAS HAPPENED HERE IS, THEN YOU'RE GOING TO REMOVE ANY OF YOUR PINS.

AND YOU ARE GOING TO SEE THAT THE WEIGHT OF WHERE YOUR BATTING HAS GONE WILL WANT TO FALL IN ONE DIRECTION.

YOU WILL NOTICE THAT THE WEIGHT, THE WAY THAT HAS BEEN SEWN, WILL WANT TO FALL IN THIS DIRECTION, SO WHAT YOU WILL WANT TO DO IS TRIM A LITTLE BIT OF BATTING, AND THEN THIS SIDE WILL GO STRAIGHT, AND THAT IS SIMPLY GOING TO TURN UNDER 1/4 OF AN INCH AND FALL ON TOP.

NOW, ONE THING THAT YOU'RE GONNA FIND, YOU MUST WORK ON FLAT SURFACE.

I HAVE SEEN FINISHED QUILTS AND PEOPLE HAVE WORKED THEM IN THEIR LAP, AND YOU GET THIS BUNCHINESS IN THE FRONT HERE.

THAT JUST WON'T DO.

YOU HAVE TO WORK ON A FLAT SURFACE, AND IT DOES MEAN TRIMMING A LITTLE BIT OF THE BATTING RIGHT HERE SO IT WILL COME UP AND MEET THAT BATTING THAT'S FALLING, AND THEN THIS SEAM FALLS IN THAT DIRECTION.

AND I THINK IT ALSO WORKS NICELY TO GO AHEAD AND BASTE THAT DOWN 1/4 OF AN INCH.

TURN IT UNDER SO THEN THAT FALLS ON TOP OF IT.

NOW, THERE ARE SOME TIMES WHEN YOU WILL WANT TO HAVE A QUILTING LINE ALL THE WAY DOWN THE FRONT OF YOUR QUILT.

IF YOU DO THAT, MAKE SURE AND DO IT AT THIS POINT, NOT WHEN THAT HAS GONE STRAIGHT AND THAT HAS FOLDER OVER SO YOU HAVE A FLAT-LAPPED SEAM.

WAIT AND LET THAT BE BACK.

KEEP THAT PIN BACK.

BUT THIS ONE SEAM HAS GONE STRAIGHT.

THEN COME OVER ON THIS SIDE AND DO YOUR QUILTING STITCH ALL ALONG THAT SEAM.

ONCE THAT HAS BEEN DONE, THEN COME OVER AND FOLD THAT UNDER 1/4 OF AN INCH, AND YOU'RE READY TO FINISH THAT CONNECTION.

LET'S LOOK OVER AT THIS PIECE AND SEE EXACTLY WHAT WOULD HAPPEN HERE IN YOUR BLOCK-TO-BLOCK ASSEMBLY.

IT MEANS LETTING ALL YOUR FLOATING THREADS, DANGLING THREADS COME FREE.

AND ONCE AGAIN, I'VE SIMPLY HAD A CHANCE TO PIN EVERY PLACE THERE IS A CONNECTION VERY CLOSELY.

YOU CAN SEE HOW THAT JUST-- WHERE THOSE "V"s MEET.

AND ONCE AGAIN, THE BACKING STAYS FREE, AND I GO AHEAD AND CONNECT THIS PART, AND THAT'S WHERE MY MACHINE-STITCHING IS GOING TO TAKE PLACE.

NOW, THIS LITTLE BABY QUILT THAT I'M WORKING ON, WE HAVE GOTTEN TO THE POINT WHERE WE'VE GOTTEN ONE ROW PUT TOGETHER, AND NOW WE'RE GETTING READY TO PUT ANOTHER ROW TOGETHER.

I WANT TO ACTUALLY-- LET ME GET MY THIMBLE-- SHOW YOU WHAT HAPPENS HERE.

THIS IS A BABY QUILT FOR AN AMISH BABY.

IT'S KIND OF WILD COLORS HERE ON THE BACK.

I THINK YOU CAN SEE WE HAVE MACHINE-STITCHED, AND WE HAVE CAUGHT THE BATTING ON ONE SIDE, AND THEN, WORKING ON A FLAT SURFACE, AND I HAVE BASTED ONE SIDE ALL THE WAY DOWN THE 1/4 OF AN INCH.

THEN THIS SIDE WILL JUST FALL IN THIS DIRECTION.

BUT YOU'RE GONNA WANT TO TRIM, ONCE AGAIN, A LITTLE BIT OF THE BATTING, ESPECIALLY IF YOU HAVE A THICK BATTING.

IF IT'S REAL THIN BATTING, IT COULD EVEN JUST SIMPLY FALL ON TOP, BUT I THINK IT DOES WORK BETTER.

AND YOU'VE GOT TO BE VERY CAREFUL HERE.

YOU DON'T WANT TO CUT YOUR QUILT AT THIS POINT.

BUT LET THE BATTING FALL STRAIGHT, AND THEN THIS WILL COME STRAIGHT, AND THAT WILL FALL ON TOP OF IT.

NOW, I'VE SEEN PICTURES, DIAGRAMS, WHERE THEY SHOW THIS SEAM, YOUR CONNECTING SEAM.

ACTUALLY, THAT'S THE FRONT OF YOUR QUILT WHERE IT'S BEEN SPREAD OPEN.

WELL, THAT KIND OF SEEMS TO GO AGAINST EVERYTHING WE'VE ALREADY LEARNED IN QUILTING, THAT ALL OF OUR SEAMS STAY CLOSED.

SO I'D GO AHEAD AND LET THAT BE A CLOSED SEAM THAT'S GONNA FALL IN ONE DIRECTION.

I HAVE FOUND IT ALSO WORKS NICELY IF YOU WILL ALTERNATE.

IF ALL OF THESE HAVE BEEN IN THIS DIRECTION-- YOU SEE, THAT WAS THE WAY I PUT IT ON THE MACHINE, AND THE BATTING WAS CAUGHT AT THE FEED DOG.

ALL RIGHT, THE NEXT ROW, IF YOU'LL DO IT IN THE OPPOSITE WAY SO IT WILL FALL.

ALL THESE SEAMS ARE FALLING THIS WAY.

NOW, IN THIS PARTICULAR ONE, WHEN THIS--THEN THIS IS GOING TO BE CONNECTED LIKE SO.

THEN WE LOOK AT THESE THE WAY THIS HAS BEEN CONNECTED, AND ALL THESE SEAMS HAVE BEEN SEWN SO THEY'RE COMING THIS WAY, WHICH MAKES A NICE CONNECTION WHEN THESE GO TOGETHER.

WHEN THESE GO TOGETHER HERE, YOU ALREADY HAVE A STAGGERED CONNECTION.

I THINK IT MAKES IT VERY NICE.

SO YOU HAVE TO KIND OF THINK AHEAD AS YOU'RE WORKING ON THIS.

NOW WE'RE AT THIS POINT, AND THIS IS COMING TOWARDS ME, AND THIS IS GOING BACK.

I LIKE TO ALWAYS WORK ON A FLAT SURFACE AND START PINNING IN THE CENTER.

I'VE FOUND THAT WORKS NICE.

IT MORE OR LESS BALANCES YOUR WHOLE SEAM.

PIN THIS AND THEN COME LIKE SO ALL THE WAY DOWN.

AND THEN ONCE THAT HAS ALL BEEN PINNED, I WOULD START SEWING DOWN AT THIS END, AND YOU WANT TO DO A HIDDEN SLIP STITCH.

YOU DON'T WANT A WHIPSTITCH.

AND OF COURSE, I HAVE USED A WHITE THREAD HERE SO YOU CAN--IT'S MORE VISIBLE TO YOU, BUT NATURALLY ON SOMETHING AS DARK AS THIS, YOU WOULD USE A DARK BLUE OR A DARK GREEN THREAD.

BUT I CAN'T STRESS ENOUGH HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO WORK ON A FLAT SURFACE.

AND ONCE YOU'VE GOTTEN TO THIS POINT, THEN YOU'RE GOING TO START.

AND MAKE SURE WHEN YOU MAKE THIS CONNECTION HERE THAT THIS IS FREE HERE.

I'M GOING TO START, AND I'M GOING TO-- I'VE ALREADY PUT A KNOT IN THE END OF MY THREAD.

I HOPE YOU'VE LEARNED HOW TO DO THAT NEW KNOT BY NOW.

AND I'M GOING TO GO AHEAD AND DO A SLIP STITCH.

I'M GOING TO SIMPLY SHOW YOU THIS.

I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT HERE I AM NOT GOING THROUGH TO THE FRONT OF MY QUILT.

WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF I CONNECTED THAT, IT WOULDN'T LEAVE ME ANYTHING FREE TO PUT THIS ROW TO THE NEXT ROW.

THIS HAS GOT TO BE LEFT FREE.

AND THEN WHEN I GET A LITTLE FURTHER INTO THE BLOCK, I WOULD SAY MAYBE-- OH, MAYBE AN INCH OR TWO INCHES, THEN YOU CAN PUT YOUR HAND UNDERNEATH HERE AND GO AHEAD AND DO CATCH SOME OF THE BATTING.

IT WON'T HURT.

BUT EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE, CHECK TO MAKE SURE YOU HAVEN'T GONE THROUGH TO THE FRONT SIDE OF YOUR QUILT.

THAT WOULD BE A DISASTER, ESPECIALLY IF YOU HAD A DARK THREAD LIKE THIS.

SO KEEP DOING THIS AND TAKE, I WOULD SAY, VERY SMALL TINY-- AND PULL YOUR THREAD NICE AND TIGHT.

YOU WANT--AFTER ALL, THIS IS WHERE THE STRENGTH IS GOING TO BE.

YOU NEED TO CONNECT THIS.

THIS IS YOUR FINISHING TECHNIQUE HERE.

ONE PROBLEM THAT I HAVE NOTICED SOMETIMES IS THAT IN QUILTS SUCH AS THIS WHERE YOU HAVE A DESIGN ON YOUR BORDER, AFTER YOU HAVE YOUR BLOCKS PUT TOGETHER, THERE WILL BE KIND OF AN ELEVATED AREA HERE WHERE THE MITERED CONNECTION HAS BEEN.

YOU NEED TO COME BACK AND GO AHEAD AND DO A QUILTING STITCH RIGHT DOWN HERE.

IT WILL HELP TO FLATTEN AND PULL THAT TOGETHER.

AFTER ALL, YOU'VE TAKEN UP THIS AREA FOR QUILTING, AND NOW YOU NEED TO FILL MORE IN AT THE MITERED CONNECTIONS.

THE GRANDMOTHER'S FAN TAKES ON AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT LOOK WHEN IT'S DONE IN A BLOCK-TO-BLOCK ARRANGEMENT.

BEA GREEN HAS COMPLETED ALL OF HER BLOCKS, AND NOW SHE'S GOT IT MORE OR LESS DRAFTED OUT ON PAPER WHERE SHE WANTS TO GO FROM HERE.

AND HER NEXT STEP-- LET ME KIND OF GIVE YOU A GOOD VIEW OF HOW PRETTY THAT'S GONNA LOOK WHEN SHE STARTS PUTTING THIS TOGETHER.

SHE HAS TO DECIDE, DOES SHE WANT TO WORK-- ACTUALLY IT'LL BE FOUR BLOCKS ACROSS AND SEVEN DOWN.

DOES SHE WANT TO PUT THEM TOGETHER HORIZONTALLY, THAT IS, FOUR AT AT TIME, AND THEN CONNECT?

OR WOULD SHE LIKE TO PUT SEVEN TOGETHER AND GET ONE ROW FINISHED AND THEN PUT ANOTHER ONE?

SHE'LL HAVE TO DECIDE THAT.

SOMETIMES, YOU MIGHT HAVE A MASTER PLAN, AND THEN YOU START TURNING THE BLOCKS, AND YOU MIGHT JUST CHANGE EVERYTHING IN MIDSTREAM AND DECIDE YOU WANT A WHOLE NOTHER ARRANGEMENT IN THIS.

WOULDN'T THAT BE KIND OF INTERESTING?

THAT TAKES ON A WHOLE NEW IDEA RIGHT HERE.

BUT WHAT SHE WILL HAVE TO DO HERE IS FIND HER SMALLEST BLOCK, AND THAT WILL MORE OR LESS BE THE GUIDE FOR PUTTING THE REST OF IT TOGETHER.

IN OTHER WORDS, SHE WANTS TO TRIM ALL OF THESE SO THEY'RE EVEN, ANY EXCESS THAT HANGS OFF, ANY BATTING THAT WOULD EXTEND OUT.

SHE WANTS TO TRIM ALL THOSE, AND THAT WAY, SHE CAN START PUTTING HER TWO FRONTS TOGETHER AND MACHINE-STITCH THAT.

LATER ON, WE'RE GOING TO SHOW ABOUT KIND OF A CUTE ACCENT SHE'S GONNA PUT AROUND THE OUTSIDE OF THIS QUILT.

AND WE'LL TALK ABOUT THIS LATER.

THIS IS A LARGE QUILT THAT I FINISHED THIS YEAR, AND I ENTITLED IT "HOME, PIECED HOME."

IT IS ALSO LAP QUILTED, BUT A WHOLE NEW IDEA HERE: WE WORKED IN RECTANGLES, THE IDEA BEING THAT THE WHOLE QUILT WAS BASED ON A 3-INCH SQUARE, AND IT'S KIND OF AN IDEA FOR YOU.

YOU COULD TAKE ANY SIZE SQUARE AND BREAK IT DOWN INTO AS MANY SEGMENTS AS YOU CAN.

IN OTHER WORDS, THE RECTANGLE-- TWO OF THESE RECTANGLES SEWN TOGETHER WOULD FORM YOUR 3-INCH SQUARE.

SO ALL OF THIS WAS BASED ON A 3-INCH SQUARE, AND AS YOU CAN TELL-- I'LL GIVE YOU A GOOD LOOK HERE ON THE BACK SIDE.

THAT IS WHERE THE RECTANGLE HAS BEEN PUT TOGETHER.

IT'S ACTUALLY, LET'S SEE, A HUGE NINE-PATCH BUT DONE IN RECTANGLES.

AND THIS ALLEVIATES, SOMETIME, THE PROBLEM, FOR INSTANCE, THE LONE STAR QUILT.

WHEN YOUR QUILTS TURN OUT SQUARE, YOU NEED TO ELONGATE THEM AND ADD EXCESS AT EACH END, BUT IF YOU LAP QUILT IN RECTANGLES, I THINK IT WORKS OUT VERY NICELY.

I WANT TO SHOW YOU ANOTHER IDEA CALLED THE "CONVERTIBLE QUILT," A WHOLE NEW IDEA IN LAP PIECING.

THE CONVERTIBLE QUILT IDEA RELATES TO THE FACT THAT YOU CAN TAKE A PATCHWORK SPREAD AND MAKE IT WORK FOR YOU IN THE SUMMERTIME AS JUST A SPREAD OR USE A DUVET IN THE WINTERTIME.

I HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO GO TO LONDON A COUPLE YEARS AGO, AND I WAS FASCINATED WITH THE FACT THAT I KEPT SEEING THESE POOCHIE THINGS HANGING OUT OVER THE LINE.

AND FINALLY, WHEN I TALKED AND MET SEVERAL OF THE QUILTERS OVER IN LONDON-- AND BY THE WAY, THEY ARE REALLY ORGANIZED OVER IN LONDON, AND THEY HAVE JUST HAD THEIR FIRST EXHIBIT.

AND THERE IS A GUILD THAT IS FORMED IN LONDON.

AND THEY'RE VERY INTERESTED IN AMERICAN PIECING AND AMERICAN PATCHWORK, SO THAT WAS A FASCINATING THING TO FIND OUT.

AND THE GIRLS TOLD ME ABOUT THE DUVETS, AND WHAT IT IS IS A LARGE STUFFING THAT GOES INSIDE THE QUILT.

NOW, THE WAY THEY HAVE IT SET UP IS, THEY DO NOT USE A TOP SHEET ON THEIR BED.

AND THIS BACKING OF THE PIECE ACTS AS REALLY NOT ONLY THE BACK OF THE PILLOWCASE BUT AS THE TOP SHEET.

IT FORMS THE CASING THAT THE DUVET FITS IN SO THAT YOU CAN SLIP THAT IN IN THE WINTERTIME AND THEN PULL IT OUT FOR SUMMERTIME.

IT CAN BE TWO PIECES OF MUSLIN SIMPLY SEWN TOGETHER WITH POLYESTER BATTING ENCLOSED, A THICK BATTING.

NOW I USE THE POLYESTER BECAUSE-- OH, BY THE WAY, THIS IS PAUL'S PREPPY QUILT.

AND PAUL HAS ALLERGIES, SO I WOULDN'T WANT IT TO HAVE DOWN INSIDE HIS QUILT.

AND OF COURSE, YOU ONLY USE DOWN WHERE IT'S GONNA BE REALLY COLD.

BUT THE IDEA HERE IS THAT YOU WOULD SEW TWO PIECES OF MUSLIN TOGETHER FOR A DOWN AND THEN HAVE THESE LONG CHANNELS, OR PANELS, THAT YOU WOULD SEW MAYBE ABOUT 4 INCHES APART.

AND THEN YOU COULD HANG THIS ON A CLOTHESLINE AND THEN SIMPLY STUFF YOUR DOWN FEATHERS INSIDE THERE.

MAYBE YOU'D WANT TO GO INTO A CLOSET TO DO THAT SO THERE WOULDN'T BE DOWN ALL OVER, BUT THAT'S THE IDEA.

AND ONE OF THE SECRETS IN DOING THIS IS THAT YOUR DUVET NEEDS TO BE-- THE MEASUREMENTS NEED TO BE A LITTLE BIT LARGER THAN THE ACTUAL ENCASING THAT IT GOES INSIDE.

THEN IT WON'T SHIFT AROUND SO MUCH.

I THINK IT HELPS ALSO TO SEW A LITTLE STRING AT EACH END AND THEN ALSO SEW AN END INSIDE YOUR PILLOW CASING.

AND THAT WAY, YOU CAN TIE 'EM TOGETHER AND THEY STAY TOGETHER.

LET ME TELL YOU MORE ABOUT HOW I MADE THIS.

I ACTUALLY WENT AHEAD AND WORKED ON ALL THE SEPARATE BLOCKS AND THEN ACCENTED THEM WITH A SOLID COLOR, A PRIMARY COLOR AROUND EACH ONE.

THEN I ADDED THE PLAID.

SO I HAD ALL THESE BLOCKS.

WELL, THEY WERE A LITTLE LARGER THAN 18-INCHES SQUARE.

THEN, RATHER THAN JUST LEAVE THE RAW EDGES, I WENT AHEAD AND DID A MUSLIN BACKING.

I THINK IN TIME THAT THE RAW EDGES MIGHT KIND OF SHIFT AROUND OR MIGHT START UNRAVELING, SO WHY NOT GO AHEAD AND SECURE IT WITH A MUSLIN BACKING?

I USED THE IDEA OF "SLIP IN THE DITCH."

NOW, YOU'VE HEARD OF THAT EXPRESSION IN SEWING, WHERE YOU WOULD ACTUALLY PUT A ZIPPER FOOT ON YOUR MACHINE, AND THEN YOU CAN GET REAL CLOSE, RIGHT IN THAT LITTLE KIND OF CHANNEL RIGHT THERE.

AND MACHINE-STITCHED THE BLOCK TO THE MUSLIN BACKING.

THEN I FORMED THE ROWS AND SEWED THESE TOGETHER.

NOW, WHEN I FIRST STARTED DOING IT, I THOUGHT, "WELL, I WANT TO HIDE ALL MY RAW EDGES," SO I WOULD USE A FRENCH SEAM.

THE PROBLEM I DEVELOPED THERE WAS A LOT OF BULK AT THE INTERSECTIONS WHEN ROW WENT TO THE NEXT ROW.

SO THEN I SWITCHED AND USED THIS LITTLE FOOT ON MY SEWING MACHINE, WHICH I CAN CREATE AN OVERLAPPING EDGE AND MORE OR LESS COVERS THAT RAW EDGE.

I THINK THIS GAVE IT A NICE FINISHING TOUCH AND KEEPS IT FROM RAVELING SO MUCH AND DIDN'T CREATE SO MUCH BULK THERE.

AND I'M SURE A NICE, CLOSE ZIGZAG WOULD DO THE SAME THING.

BUT THAT IS THE WAY THE CONVERTIBLE QUILT IDEA WORKS.

I WENT AHEAD AND HAD SOME TAPE SEWN ON HERE JUST LOOSE SO THAT AFTER THE DUVET IS INSERTED, AND I THINK THERE'S A-- YOU CAN SEE THE LITTLE TAB HERE AT THE END WHICH I ALSO SEWED INSIDE.

AFTER THAT IS INSERTED, THEN YOU CAN SIMPLY SNAP THESE AT EACH END, AND I THINK THAT WORKS VERY NICELY TO KEEP YOUR DUVET IN PLACE.

I LIKE TO PUT THOSE SNAPS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE BED.

AND THAT IS HOW THAT WORKS.

BECAUSE PAUL DOESN'T PARTICULARLY WANT TO TAKE TIME TO MAKE THE BED ALL THE TIME, I WENT AHEAD AND SIMPLY MADE A PILLOW SHAM THAT WOULD JUST DROP OVER THE END OF WHERE THE PILLOWS ARE, AND THAT WORKS NICELY TOO.

IT SIMPLY FALLS ON TOP OF THE BED, AND THAT'S PRETTY EASY TO DO.

THAT'S THE WAY THAT WOULD GO TOGETHER.

BUT I THINK THIS IDEA OF A DUVET WOULD ALSO WORK WITH AN OLD PATCHWORK QUILT.

FOR INSTANCE, IF YOU DIDN'T WANT TO HAVE IT QUILTED AND IT WAS IN GOOD CONDITION, IF YOU SIMPLY PUT A BACKING ON IT, THEN YOU COULD GO AHEAD AND INSERT YOUR DUVET, AND I THINK IT WOULD WORK NICELY.

I WANT TO END WITH A QUILT THAT WE WERE WORKING ON A COUPLE OF SHOWS AGO, BECAUSE IT'S PROGRESSING AND IT'S COMING ALONG.

WE CALL THIS THE "OH, MY STARS" QUILT.

DONE IN TRIANGLES, AND IT'S COMING TOGETHER.

YOU'RE GONNA SEE SOME FLOATING THREADS AND DANGLING THREADS STILL BECAUSE WE HAVEN'T QUITE GOTTEN IT ALL TOGETHER YET.

BUT I WANTED TO MAKE A POINT ABOUT WHAT HAPPENS IN THIS LARGE QUILT.

AND IT'S ABOUT THIS POINT THAT YOU'RE GONNA SAY TO YOURSELF, "THIS IS A NUISANCE CARRYING ALL THIS BULK TO THE MACHINE."

BUT JUST KEEP SAYING, "WELL, YES, BUT IT'S ALREADY QUILTED."

AND I JUST HAD THIS ONE LONG LINE TO PUT TOGETHER, AND THEN WE CAN TALK ABOUT WHAT HAPPENS AROUND THE OUTSIDE EDGES.

NOW, WE ARE AT THIS POINT, AND THE MOMENT OF TRUTH HERE IS, WHEN WE LINE UP OUR STARS HERE AND HERE, ARE THEY GOING TO MEET?

ARE THEY GOING TO BE RIGHT ON-TARGET?

AND IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S GONNA WORK OUT VERY NICELY.

THERE IS SOME BULK THAT'S CREATED HERE WHERE OUR SEAMS HAVE COME TOGETHER.

AND WHAT I WOULD SUGGEST DOING HERE WOULD BE: NOT TO SEW DOWN ALL THAT EXCESS SEAM ALLOWANCE ON THE BACK SIDE.

I'LL MAKE SURE AND USE A NAVY BLUE THREAD TO SEW THIS ALL ALONG HERE.

AND WHEN I COME UP TO THAT SEAM, STOP AND BACKSTITCH SO THAT REALLY YOU HAVE ALMOST A FLOATING SEAM AT THE BACK SIDE.

I THINK THAT WILL WORK NICELY.

BUT ALWAYS MOVE THESE THREADS WAY BACK.

AND THEN, OF COURSE, THIS IS GOING TO FLIP ALL THE WAY OVER HERE.

AND I THINK I WOULDN'T BE SATISFIED JUST TO PIN THIS.

I THINK I'D GO AHEAD AND BASTE IT TOO, BECAUSE QUITE OFTEN, JUST PINNING CAN EVEN SHIFT BEFORE YOU GET TO THE SEWING MACHINE.

BUT PULL ALL THESE THREADS DOWN SO THEY'RE OUT OF THE WAY, AND THEN YOU WANT TO MAKE SURE ALSO THAT FROM THAT RAW EDGE IN TO WHERE THAT "V" STARTS, THAT YOU'VE GOT A GOOD, FULL 1/4 OF AN INCH.

AND THEN THESE TWO WILL GO TOGETHER.

AND I THINK, BECAUSE OF THE WEIGHT OF THIS, I WOULD START HERE AND GO TO ONE END AND THEN COME AND START AGAIN AND THEN GO ALL THE WAY TO THE END.

SO THEN YOU'LL HAVE SOME HANDWORK TO DO ON THE BACK SIDE.

THE FINAL THING FOR THIS WHOLE QUILT WILL BE THE OUTSIDE EDGE TREATMENT, EXACTLY HOW YOU'RE GOING TO FINISH OFF THESE RAW EDGES.

WE'RE GOING TO SPEND TIME AT OUR NEXT GET-TOGETHER WORKING ON THE CONTINUOUS BIAS TAPE, THE IDEA THAT YOU CAN FORM A WHOLE TUBE.

CAN YOU GET THE IDEA OF THE TUBE ALL THE WAY ON THE OUT?

IT'S JUST ONE CONTINUOUS TUBE SO THAT I WILL START CUTTING HERE AND JUST CUT MILES AND MILES OF BIAS TAPE.

I THINK IT'S ALWAYS NICE TO KIND OF MAKE A MENTAL NOTE HOWEVER YOU LEARN TO DO THIS.

FOR INSTANCE, IF YOU START WITH A 24-INCH SQUARE, THEN MAKE A NOTE AND MEASURE THE AMOUNT OF BIAS TAPE THAT YOU'D GET AT THE END SO YOU'LL ALWAYS KNOW 24-INCH SQUARE EQUALS 2 YARDS OF CONTINUOUS BIAS TAPE.

THAT'S WHAT WE'RE GOING TO LEARN NEXT TIME, EXACTLY HOW TO DO THAT PLUS OTHER IDEAS FOR FINISHING YOUR QUILT, MAYBE RUFFLES AROUND THE OUTSIDE.

OR PERHAPS YOU HAVE FINISHED AND YOUR QUILT ISN'T QUITE LARGE ENOUGH.

YOU COULD ADD A BAND ALL THE WAY AROUND THE OUTSIDE.

THEN THERE ARE PRAIRIE POINTS AND SCALLOPS.

THE QUILT THAT-- THE GRANDMOTHER'S FAN IS GOING TO HAVE A NICE TREATMENT.

RATHER THAN POINTS, I THINK OF SOMETHING SOFTER HERE IN THIS IDEA, SO I WANT TO SHOW YOU HOW TO DO A TINY, KIND OF A LOOSE, ALMOST A SCALLOPED EDGING ALL THE WAY AROUND THE OUTSIDE OF THIS QUILT.

WE WILL LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU NEXT TIME.

male announcer: GEORGIA BONESTEEL IS THE AUTHOR OF THE BOOK LAP QUILTING WITH GEORGIA BONESTEEL BASED ON THIS TELEVISION SERIES.

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