Welcome to week four of the Thin Air Quilt Along with Jittery Wings Quilt Company. This week is all about layout, taking your finished blocks from a stack on the table to a quilt top on the design wall.
Sorting by Value
After finishing your blocks last week, sort them by value: lightest, next lightest, getting darker, and darkest. Stack them in that order so you're ready to move to the design wall and start laying them out.
Understanding the Layout
The Thin Air pattern uses a line layout, laid out in rows and columns rather than the nucleus or diagonal layouts you may have seen in other patterns. Page three of the pattern shows the column and row structure for your quilt size. Mitzie made a throw, which needs 12 columns.
As you lay out each row, keep two things consistent: the long pieces should run vertically, and the seams should all point the same direction within that row if possible (you can press them the other direction if need be).
Start with your lightest blocks across the top row and work down, row by row, in value order. Watch for the same color or fabric clumping together, if you see it, spread those pieces out.
Trust the Process
Partway through laying out the quilt, it's common to feel like something is off, like the design lacks impact. That's usually because only one value is on the wall so far. Once all the values from lightest to darkest are in place, the full effect comes together. Keep going until every block is placed.
Fine Tuning the Layout
Once the whole quilt is laid out, step back and look for harsh value lines, spots where a clear break between light and dark catches the eye more than intended. Since this is a line layout, some value transition is expected and fine. But if a line feels too sharp, pull a few blocks out and swap them with neighboring ones to soften the transition. Step back and reassess after each change, and consider taking a photo; sometimes a picture reveals lines your eye misses in person.
Sewing the Rows Together
Once you're happy with the layout, sew your top together working in rows. Mitzie’s trick is to pin the first block of every row: one pin for odd numbered rows, two pins for even numbered rows, with pins pointing down so you can always tell which row is which and which way it goes.
Sew each row together first (This will keep individual pieces from “falling to the ground” if you have to step a way for a bit). Then sew rows one and two together, three and four together, five and six together, and so on. Next, sew the top half of the quilt together and the bottom half together. Finally, sew the two halves together. Working this way limits how much you handle each seam, which helps protect your fabric.
What's Next
That wraps up the quilt along video series. Your goal for next week is to get your quilt top sewn together, it doesn't need to be quilted yet, just the top. Then join the Thin Air Parade. Share your finished top on Instagram or Facebook and tag Jittery Wings with # ThinAirQuilt, or post it in the Hive. Two finishes will be drawn at random: first place wins a $100 Jittery Wings gift certificate, and second place wins $50.
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