Welcome to a short and sweet Quilt Motion Quilt Along! In this 3-video series, we're quilting a seasonal Basket Weave quilt panel almost entirely with Quilter's Creative Touch 5 (QCT 5) beginnings.
In October 2020, Grace Company launched the first Fantastic Fall Festival - an online interactive quilt show. This show ended on November 6th, but you can still join in the fun and create this Basket Weave quilt with me!
Check out the first video to understand the preparations and what you will need to join in the fun:
Click Here to download the Basket Weave with QCT Info PDF. This includes a diagram with the designs placed in the quilt and the names listed.
Purchase Your Fabric
To begin this quilt along, you'll first need to order the quilt top! The Basket Weave Quilt is only available as a printed quilt panel from HonestFabric.com.
Make sure to order the largest size - 88 x 104 inches in order to have the panel print at the correct size to follow along with this quilt along. The largest size panel will create two quilts:
Throw / Tablecloth Size Basket Weave Quilt - 52 x 82 inches
Table Runner Basket Weave Quilt - 12 x 68 inches
If you cut out the quilts carefully, you will have plenty of red printed background fabric to use as the binding for both quilts.
You will also need the following amount of batting and backing fabric for the throw sized quilt:
60 x 90 inch batting - I used 2 yards white 100% cotton flannel 108 inch wide quilt flannel
5 yards backing fabric - I used yellow batik fabric
Prepare the Fabrics
Prepare the fabric panel by washing in cold water with mild detergent. I did not wash my panel before cutting due to time constraints. After I finished the quilt and washed it, I found the fabric did not bleed or fade, but it did shrink very slightly.
I applied starch to the right side of the panel and pressed from the wrong side. Make sure to test your iron heat on a corner of the fabric or a scrap to see how it reacts.
If you use flannel for batting, make sure to wash at least 2 times in HOT water to reduce shrinkage.
Wash your backing fabric in warm water with mild detergent. Tumble dry, then starch and press with a hot, dry iron.
Load Your Quilting Frame
Now that your Basket Weave quilt layers are prepared, let's load the frame! I loaded the quilt lengthwise so the longer edges were attached to the leader cloth.
Loading the quilt is discussed in the later part of the video above. It's important to load the quilt straight and square to the rails of the frame to reduce distortion in the printed panel.
Basting the Quilt on the Frame
I basted the quilt using the Qnique 21 Basting Stitch set at Small starting in the middle, with the machine pulled as close to me as possible. I stitched to the right and up the side.
Then I returned to the starting point and stitched to the left and up the side. Because I have so much space within the arm of the Qnique 21, I also stitched a basting line through the middle.
I advanced the quilt, smoothed out the flannel batting and quilt top, then baste stitched the layers together again. I repeated this step until the quilt was entirely basted. This ensured the shapes on the quilt - the rectangles and squares - were stable and less likely to shift as nearby spaces were quilted with the digital designs.
This basting stabilized the layers and ensured the quilt would stay straight to the frame and the borders would not flare outward as I quilted down the length. I basted the quilt using the same white Isacord thread I used for quilting.
You could also use water soluble thread in the bobbin and top and not have to remove it as you go. Water soluble thread washes out completely with lukewarm water.
With this baste stitching done, it's time to begin quilting!
Equipment for the Basket Weave with QCT Quilt Along
I used a Qnique 21 longarm on the Continuum frame in these videos. This machine will give you enough space to quilt the horizontal designs AND the vertical spaces as well.
QCT 5 Beginnings is the Quilt Motion software / robot quilting system I used to quilt almost all of the designs. All of the designs are included with this software.
Follow along with more posts from the Basket Weave with QCT Quilt Along:
| Part 1 - Basket Weave Prep | Part 2 - Quilting the Center | Part 3 - Quilting the Borders |
