New Horizons Sew Along Week 6: Finish!

The New Horizons quilt along includes lots of extra instruction and tips in sewing this fat quarter friendly modern throw quilt. suzyquilts.com #quilt #modernquilt

It's the FINAL week of the New Horizons sew along! You did it! You did it!! And even if you're still technically on week 3 or even week 1, you deserve a pat on the back. I'm giving myself multiple pats on the back because throughout this sew along I had only so much time during the day so I had to choose between sewing and clean laundry for my family and as you can see each week I chose sewing and I'm standing by that choice! haha!

There are a couple main takeaways here in this final week. The first is to do whatever it takes to keep that 1/4" seam allowance along the perimeter of your quilt top during the trimming process. The second takeaway is to let small mistakes slide. I'll show you some photo examples of mistakes I made this week. Some of them were large enough that I had to get my seam ripper out, but others were minor enough that I didn't need to worry about fixing them.

New Horizons Sew Along Schedule

Don't forget that the only way to enter to win a prize from our weekly sponsor is to use #NewHorizonsQuiltSA  on Instagram AND have a public profile. If you only have a private profile, you can create a public one just for this sew along and then delete it afterwards.

The New Horizons quilt along includes lots of extra instruction and tips in sewing this fat quarter friendly modern throw quilt. suzyquilts.com #quilt #modernquilt

Week 6: Sew Rows Together & Trim the Finished Quilt Top

Tip #1: Lay out your rows.

Just like last week my first tip is to lay as much out as you can. Especially if you are a visual person, this will help keep the rows in order. 

The New Horizons quilt along includes lots of extra instruction and tips in sewing this fat quarter friendly modern throw quilt. suzyquilts.com #quilt #modernquilt

Tip #2: Rough cut your sashing according to the diagrams in the pattern.

You can see in the photos below that 1.) Joanna is the most adorable sewing cheerleader ever and 2.) I am laying out my long sashing strip, then cutting it down according to the throw diagram on page 14 of the pattern.

Trending patterns!

The New Horizons quilt along includes lots of extra instruction and tips in sewing this fat quarter friendly modern throw quilt. suzyquilts.com #quilt #modernquilt
The New Horizons quilt along includes lots of extra instruction and tips in sewing this fat quarter friendly modern throw quilt. suzyquilts.com #quilt #modernquilt

Tip #3: Trim off seams when you can.

In a couple places my sashing ended right before a seam. Since I know I'll have some extra sashing and also a little extra background fabric if needed (which you shouldn't), I'm trimming off this section of my sashing just so I have fewer seams running through it. This isn't necessary, but it's something you can do.

The New Horizons quilt along includes lots of extra instruction and tips in sewing this fat quarter friendly modern throw quilt. suzyquilts.com #quilt #modernquilt

Last week when we were assembling our rows, I made a note that you can wait to trim off your dog ears (those pointy triangles hanging out.) In the photo below you can see that I lined up my sashing strip and will sew right over that dog ear. Once everything is pressed and ready for the final trimming, those dog ears get cut off.

The New Horizons quilt along includes lots of extra instruction and tips in sewing this fat quarter friendly modern throw quilt. suzyquilts.com #quilt #modernquilt

What was that? You wanted another photo of JoJo? 😉

The New Horizons quilt along includes lots of extra instruction and tips in sewing this fat quarter friendly modern throw quilt. suzyquilts.com #quilt #modernquilt

And here I have all of my sashing strips cut and ready for the next step.

The New Horizons quilt along includes lots of extra instruction and tips in sewing this fat quarter friendly modern throw quilt. suzyquilts.com #quilt #modernquilt

Tip #4: Follow the diagrams when sewing the sashing strips.

This may seem like an obvious one, but don't just sew these sashing strips to your rows willy nilly. They should be sewn to certain rows first and then sewn together. This is so the sashing hangs over in the correct places so you'll have enough when the time comes for trimming.

Basically just follow the pattern.

The New Horizons quilt along includes lots of extra instruction and tips in sewing this fat quarter friendly modern throw quilt. suzyquilts.com #quilt #modernquilt

Tip #5: Line up the blocks when sewing the rows together.

Again, I'm sure this is something you were already going to do, but I wanted to show you some detailed shots of how I do it. First I place my rows on top of each other, right sides together. I then line up the blocks in each row. Once those are lined up I gently shimmy the top row up or down so that the edges of both rows line up.

The New Horizons quilt along includes lots of extra instruction and tips in sewing this fat quarter friendly modern throw quilt. suzyquilts.com #quilt #modernquilt
The New Horizons quilt along includes lots of extra instruction and tips in sewing this fat quarter friendly modern throw quilt. suzyquilts.com #quilt #modernquilt

Once I know that those seams are lined up, I pin. I will do that at all main block "intersections" then go back and fill in some pins in between the blocks to keep the two rows nicely in place.

The New Horizons quilt along includes lots of extra instruction and tips in sewing this fat quarter friendly modern throw quilt. suzyquilts.com #quilt #modernquilt

Mistakes Happen!

We're tired, distracted, the baby's crying (Not Joanna of course. She never cries! ;)) – whatever the reason, we all make mistakes. You can see below that I accidentally sewed my corner row too high because I lined it up in the wrong spot.

As much as I like to let mistakes slide, this one needed to be fixed because it was going to cause big issues during the trimming process.

The New Horizons quilt along includes lots of extra instruction and tips in sewing this fat quarter friendly modern throw quilt. suzyquilts.com #quilt #modernquilt

Tip #6: Make sure to maintain a 1/4" seam allowance when trimming the quilt top.

Fudge everything else, but try your hardest to keep your blocks looking like this during the trimming process...

The New Horizons quilt along includes lots of extra instruction and tips in sewing this fat quarter friendly modern throw quilt. suzyquilts.com #quilt #modernquilt

To get that, line up the 1/4" mark on your ruler with the tip of the block.

The New Horizons quilt along includes lots of extra instruction and tips in sewing this fat quarter friendly modern throw quilt. suzyquilts.com #quilt #modernquilt

Once I have trimmed one side, I line up the horizontal side of my ruler with the trimmed edge and then move the ruler around to line up the untrimmed side, keeping that 1/4" mark on the block tips if I can. Err on the side of a larger seam allowance when trimming.

The New Horizons quilt along includes lots of extra instruction and tips in sewing this fat quarter friendly modern throw quilt. suzyquilts.com #quilt #modernquilt

I used a stretchier woven fabric for my background which meant I would just have to be ok with things not lining up perfectly. Below you can see that I'm trimming off some of the side-setting triangle while trimming my edge.

The New Horizons quilt along includes lots of extra instruction and tips in sewing this fat quarter friendly modern throw quilt. suzyquilts.com #quilt #modernquilt

Minor Mistakes Don't Need Fixing

Below you can see that to maintain my 1/4" seam allowance from the block tip there is a small section of the edge that does not line up with my ruler. What's a girl to do?? As long as I have at least a 1/8" seam allowance in that scant area, I'll be fine. When I sew my binding I can curve in a little bit if I'm worried the seam is getting too narrow.

In this case, I went ahead and trimmed.

The New Horizons quilt along includes lots of extra instruction and tips in sewing this fat quarter friendly modern throw quilt. suzyquilts.com #quilt #modernquilt
The New Horizons quilt along includes lots of extra instruction and tips in sewing this fat quarter friendly modern throw quilt. suzyquilts.com #quilt #modernquilt

Bigger Mistakes Do Need Fixing

Remember that corner row I sewed incorrectly? Well the moment I discovered my mistake, Joanna woke up from a nap. Instead of waiting to gently rip the seams, re-press, pin and sew, I thought, "Oh I can fix this in just a minute. Hang on little JoJo!"

Well...below is the result. I ended up stretching my fabric, not pinning very well and creating a row that is almost a 1/2" off. Oops!

In this case, the mistake is large enough that it would cause structural problems with the quilt and end up as a hole. No thanks! I ripped it out again, gently stretched the fabric in place, pinned and re-sewed.

The New Horizons quilt along includes lots of extra instruction and tips in sewing this fat quarter friendly modern throw quilt. suzyquilts.com #quilt #modernquilt

It's still not "perfect" but it's good enough and I'm still able to have the 1/4" seam allowance from the block point, plus I don't have to worry about getting a hole in my quilt after the first washing.

The New Horizons quilt along includes lots of extra instruction and tips in sewing this fat quarter friendly modern throw quilt. suzyquilts.com #quilt #modernquilt

Once your quilt top is finished, don't just admire the front, flip it over and marvel at your handiwork from the back! You cut, pressed and sewed each one of those seams – way to go, you!

The New Horizons quilt along includes lots of extra instruction and tips in sewing this fat quarter friendly modern throw quilt. suzyquilts.com #quilt #modernquilt
The New Horizons quilt along includes lots of extra instruction and tips in sewing this fat quarter friendly modern throw quilt. suzyquilts.com #quilt #modernquilt

Oh! If you were wondering if I would fix the block that I accidentally sewed upside down, you can find your answer below. Like I said, I'm all about letting minor mistakes slide. 😉

I hope you enjoyed sewing along with me! I'd love to hear about your experience in the comments!

The New Horizons quilt along includes lots of extra instruction and tips in sewing this fat quarter friendly modern throw quilt. suzyquilts.com #quilt #modernquilt

Week 6 Sponsor & Prize

Since this is the final week of the New Horizons sew along we have a HUGE grand prize package to offer ONE WINNER! Sewing Arts Center, your one-stop-shop for the best in all things sewing related, is giving away a $100 gift certificate AND Evanston Quilt Company is giving away CUSTOM longarm quilting on your finished throw New Horizons quilt. Isn't that amazing!!?

How to Win

  • Post a pic to Instagram. The photo prompt for Instagram this week is to post a picture of your FINISHED quilt top. To officially enter this week your quilt top must be at least as large as a throw and completely finished. Use #NewHorizonsQuiltSA in the caption.
  • You must have a public Instagram profile to participate.
  • Each photo posted is an entry and you can enter as many times as you want in a single week. Once the week is over, those posts do not count in the next week's giveaway. Every week we start fresh.
  • Your photo must be posted between Wednesday, August 4 and Tuesday, August 10. The winner will be picked randomly from all qualifying posts and announced at approximately 4:00 p.m. CST on Tuesday, August 10.
The New Horizons quilt along includes lots of extra instruction and tips in sewing this fat quarter friendly modern throw quilt. suzyquilts.com #quilt #modernquilt
The New Horizons quilt along includes lots of extra instruction and tips in sewing this fat quarter friendly modern throw quilt. suzyquilts.com #quilt #modernquilt

JoJo says bye and see you in the next sew along!

Cute little quilt baby! suzyquilts.com

11 thoughts on “New Horizons Sew Along Week 6: Finish!

  1. Rachael says:

    Hi Suzy, this is my first ever quilt sew along, and I just have to thank you for keeping me sane by providing a weekly schedule. I have struggled in the past keeping myself engaged because of either overdoing it, or letting my WIP sit for weeks. I have never even thought about making a schedule for myself but now I’m a believer! Thanks again and I look forward to the next one!!

  2. Barbara says:

    This has been such a fun quilt along! Thank you for everything! Love all the pictures of your sweet kiddos and your cute dog! Looking forward to the next one! 🙂 I already had the pattern and planning the fabrics!

      • Laura Hopper says:

        Hi Lyndsey! The next official sew along will be for the Holiday Party pattern that comes out this fall. Stay tuned for more information about that soon! There will not be a sew along for Summer Haze, though we are planning a series of three blog posts with tips and tricks for making the quilt that will happen this month 🙂

  3. Tsion says:

    Hi Suzy,
    I’m finished sewing the sashing of my New Horizon Quilt and it’s all ironed and I was waiting for the trimming blog instructions (I don’t trust myself to trim it by only following the pattern instructions). Normally, I’m really behind the weekly schedule but this time I got the kit and I’m able to be a bit ahead of schedule. Previously, I get the fabric at week 3 ☹ but getting the summer bunny kit from Fabricworm made things simpler. I also did a quilt design wall using your cotton batting and command strips method and my perennial quilt is off of the floor now. Thank you!

  4. Susan @lovelucylucy says:

    So…about that 1/4” at the top. 🙁 I have one that didn’t get it…doesn’t seem like an easy fix, any recommendations?

  5. Betsy says:

    The visuals in this post are fantastic and just what was needed! Thank you for sharing your foibles & keeping it real in what seems like a perfect life! And the photos of sweet Miss JoJo were the best!

  6. Joan Exley says:

    Thank you Suzy for hanging in there with us as your very full life continues to bring smiles to our faces. Having gone through two SALs with you I can say my seams look great! (I used a long armer for my Voyage quilt for the first time ever. She was very impressed with the backside. Thanks to wool mat and clapper and having to make hundreds of HSTs…)I appreciate how you break down the process in weekly increments. My challenge is SEEING what is in my head through the pattern design. Going through your patterns is helping me get there.

  7. Patsy Kappler says:

    Hi Suzy,
    I purchased the Cool Horizons kit and did all my cuts for the top without pre washing. I also purchased the backing from AGF that is dark. I have sewn for 40+ years and have always pre washed. I am knew to quilting and find myself confused with the whole pre wash or not to pre wash. I read what you have to say on the subject, but I’m still unsure of what to do. I have invested a lot in fabrics for several of your patterns and don’t want to make a mistake.

    In your tutorials you talk about not press washing the top pieces but nothing about the backing. So my question is, Can I pre wash the backing but not the top? The whole possibility of bleeding and uneven shrinking is keeping me from moving forward.

    Please help and thanks

    • Suzy Quilts says:

      If it puts your mind at ease, I have made this quilt multiple times, mixing and matching what I prewash and every time it turns out great. The truth is, no matter what you prewash or don’t prewash, once you finish the quilt and launder it, there will be some shrinkage and crinkling. The amount of crinkling and shrinkage is higher when you don’t prewash, however because of the intersecting seams when piecing, the stabilization added from batting and the topstitch quilting over the whole thing, the integrity of your quilt will not be diminished if you don’t prewash. In a nutshell, your quilt will not get weird and fall apart if you don’t prewash anything OR if you don’t prewash the top fabric and do prewash the backing.

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