Welcome back to the Snowflake Shimmer Quilt Along! This is the final week of instructions!
I timed myself as I went through the quilt making process, and finishing the quilt (backing prep, quilting, and binding) took me just over 11 hours. I know we all work at different paces (especially when it comes to quilting), but I thought that I would try to give you some kind of expectation of the work involved for each step of this process.
Snowflake Shimmer Quilt Finishing
Step 1
Trim the selvage edges from the backing fabric. Cut the fabric length in half and sew it together along the long edge, creating a large rectangle. Press the seam open.
Step 2
Make the quilt sandwich by placing the backing wrong side up, followed by the batting, and then the quilt top, right side up. Baste.
Step 3
Quilt as desired. I quilted my gray Snowflake Shimmer quilt with columns of a large single loop motif in the negative space. I wanted the large loops to invoke a sense of a light, lazy, drifting winter snowfall. I stitched in the ditch around the key elements I wanted to emphasize: the on point squares (the centers of the square in a square blocks) and the secondary design (Sawtooth stars). Within the Sawtooth stars I echo quilted the outline of the star offset every ¼ʺ for a total of 4 echo lines. Within each on point square I quilted a snowflake shape using a snowflake template (click link to open and download the template). I will have a short video tutorial on Saturday, September 10th, showing how I continuously quilted the shape.
Step 4
Join the 2 ½ x WOF binding strips with diagonal seams to create a straight-grain binding strip. Fold the strip in half lengthwise and bind the quilt using the double-fold binding method you prefer.
Congratulations! You have completed a Snowflake Shimmer Quilt!
Tips and Tricks
At 72 x 88, the Snowflake Shimmer is a large quilt to work with. This week I wanted to provide a few links to different basting tutorials that might help you decide how to work with finishing your version.
- Christa @Christa Quilts: How to Spray Baste a Quilt
- Christa @Christa Quilts for BERNINA’s We All Sew Blog: Wall Basting Tutorial
- Amelie Scott: How to Sandwich a Large Quilt on a Small Table (YouTube Video Tutorial)
Because finishing the quilt takes longer, there will be a longer period of time before the final linkup opens, and the final linkup will be open for 2 weeks from September 23rd through October 7th.
Snowflake Shimmer Quilt Along Schedule
Friday, July 1st – Snowflake Shimmer Quilt Along Opens (Fabric Selection)
Friday, July 22nd – Snowflake Shimmer QAL Linkup #1
Friday, July 29th – Snowflake Shimmer QAL (Fabric Preparation Post)
Friday, August 5th – Snowflake Shimmer QAL Linkup #2
Friday August 12th – Snowflake Shimmer QAL (Piecing Instructions #1)
Friday August 19th – Snowflake Shimmer QAL Linkup #3
Friday August 26th – Snowflake Shimmer QAL (Piecing Instructions #2)
Friday September 2nd – Snowflake Simmer QAL Linkup #4
Friday September 9th – Snowflake Shimmer QAL (Finishing Details) <– You Are Here
Friday September 23rd – Snowflake Shimmer QAL Linkup #5 (Final Linkup for Finished Quilts)
Stunning quilt ♥ love how you quilted it, compliments design perfectly. Thank you for the brilliant posts – this is definitely going on my to do list – thank you ❄ ♥ ❄
A wonderful design =) I am sure many beautiful versions were created and I am looking forward to seeing them.
This has turned out beautifully. I love the straight line quilting, as it really shows off the circles on the backing.
Beautiful! Looks like Kansas Prairie Blizzard only more elegant! I can visualize this quilt in different colorways–Golden Sunlight Shimmer… I like the crispness of your patterns.
Beautiful Yvonne! Are those loops freehand? Well done! Looking forward to your video!
So beautiful! I can’t wait to start on my journey quilting this one, it’s going to take me a little while due to my back but I will get it finished by Christmas! Maybe this is why my back keeps telling me to stop? lol… I love to sew, all kinds of things and since I first picked up my quilters planner last January and found you lovely ladies you have inspired me to even more beautiful quilts. I used to just make trip a round the world quilts, taught my daughter how to make one called a lovers knot, but you ladies have taught me how to dream even bigger and brighter! Thank you
This is on my bucket list!!!!!
The quilt and your color choices are beautiful!
Now the hard part…deciding how to quilt it. It’s been a fun QAL. Thanks for creating the pattern and hosting.
Thank you for the basting links! I’m headed to do some learning now, basting outside later.