Add a modern spin on your quilting with creating a pixel quilt. Take objects and pixel them through software or start with a cross-stitch pattern and turn it into a quilt. Once pieced, use the Pro-Stitcher Lite automated software to give your quilt a professional finish.
Skill Level: Beginner
Created By: Patty Marty, Manager, Baby Lock Training and Education
Preparation:
For this project, the fabric was cut into 2” squares. Using the Creative Grid Stripology ruler helps to make all these smaller pieces. If you don’t have a strip ruler, use a regular ruler and rotary cutter to create these 2” squares. After they are cut, they will be affixed to the stablizer working with a 20” X 20” grid (where applicable). See the Note below mentioning that the outer right and bottom rows are smaller in size.
Cutting the Quilter’s Grid stabilizer:
Using the Pattern above, think of your quilt in 20” X 20” sections or a 10x10 grid. While this was specifically using this stabilizer, there are other options out on the market. You could also mark your own fusible stabilzer to create the grid and work from that. Lastly, if you are confident with your piecing, you could sew each of the 2” blocks together to create the look. The stabilizer allows for consistent seaming and management of these tiny quilt pieces.
Prepping the Blocks
Once you have the blocks and the square prepared, it is time to start laying out the blocks.
Working from the top right, arrange the 2’ square onto the fusible side of the stabilizer. It is ideal to place the stabilizer on a wool pressing mat or other pressing surface prior to arranging the smaller blocks.
Once you have a large enough section aligned with the grid on the stabilizer, gently press in place with an iron. Then, continue to another section and stop to press once those are in place. Once a complete piece of 20” x 20” stabilizer is filled, give it another good press, and set aside. NOTE: It is helpful to mark on which section and indicate the top of the square. This will help as you start to stitch the blocks and then piece them all together.
Repeat the process for the remaining blocks.
When working with the right edge of the blocks, you will have only 7 blocks X 10. Adjust the size of the stabilizer to accommodate this. As mentioned earlier, when there is large sections of white background or a color, try using larger pieces to make your life easier and provide quicker coverage of the stabilizer.
Piecing Process with Quilter’s :
When working with the Quilter’s Grid, we will be folding the blocks along the marked lines (every 2”) where the squares are placed. and then sewing ¼” away from that line. Set your sewing machine up with your favorite ¼” piecing stitch and foot. For this project, the Baby Lock ¼” Quilt Guide foot was used with a center needle stitch.
Working with seams in one direction, fold along one of the grid lines that coordinates with the 2” block edges. Finger press along the marked line and stitch ¼” along that edge. Fold another seam in the same direction, finger press and stitch again.
Once you have completed all of the seams, you will need to trim the seams from the back. In order to nest the blocks, trim along the seam at every block intersection. This will allow for the seams to be pressed in different directions so they lay flat, especially when we go to stitch in the other direction. Press the seams alternating the direction of the rows as you press.
Rotate the block and repeat the seaming going the other direction. Again, be mindful of the direction of the seams as you sew all the rows.
Press all the blocks. Note that the stabilizer will add some stiffness to the quilt. Double check all your seams to ensure that all the blocks were caught when stitching down the rows and columns. In the end you should have 20 pieces.
Refer to the master pattern and layout the blocks into rows and stitch together. Press seams along the way. Repeat the process for sewing al the rows together, aligning and nesting seams as best as possible along the way.
Once completed, press the overall quilt. You may find that having this hang over night will also help due to the weight of the quilt top. A steamer may also help with some of the seams.
Quilting Instructions:
Quilting the Top :
1. Once the quilt top is all assembled and pressed, we are ready to quilt.
2. Cut the backing fabric in half and piece together.
3. Attach and arrange the backing, batting and quilt top onto the Villa Frame for the Gallant XL.
4. Baste the Quilt top to the batting and backing layer using the Basting stitch and the Horizontal Channel lock on the Pro-Stitcher.
5. Thread the machine and bobbin with the thread of choice.
6. Using the Pro-Stitcher Lite, select the Clover Edge to Edge Design from the PS Lite Continuous Block Designs. Touch Open.
7. Move to the Area Tab and with the machine in the top left corner (extending a few inches above and away from the top corner of the quilt, select 2 Corner Area. Set your quilt size. The quilt area should be approximately 74 “X 90”. This will allow for the stitching off the edges to create an Edge-to-Edge look.
8. Move to the Repeat tab and select Horizontal Fill to fill the entire space. Then stretch the design horizontally and vertically.
9. Baseline and save the design as a new design.
10. Ensuring that your design is positioned as needed, being quilting by selecting the Pro-Stitcher Tab, Quilt and Run.
11. Stitch the first row. Once completed. Advance the quilt on the frame. Cancel out of the quilting and re-position the design. My favorite way to do this is to Move the Start point to the beginning on the second row.
12. Use Drag and Drop to overlap the first row on the screen with a point on the first row of stitch. This will reposition the design to be ready to stitch the second row.
13. Touch Pro-Stitcher, Quilt and Run to being stitching the next row.
14. Repeat that process through the entire quilt, advancing the fabric along the way.
15. At the end of your quilt, if needed, crop as needed to finish up quilting the last row.
16. When quilting is completed, remove from the Villa Frame.
17. Square up the quilt and cut away the excess backing and batting.
18. Bias stitch the 2.5” strips together. Fold in half and press.
19. Attach the binding to the quilt. Stitch by hand our using your favorite stitch. This quilt was stitched down using the serpentine stitch.
20. Enjoy your new Pixel Quilt.
