Sashing is what goes between the blocks in a quilt. Like quilt blocks, sashing can be very simple or it can be as complex as your quilt blocks. And some quilts have no sashing at all.
In this series of articles, you will see a wide range of sashing ideas. Many of them are a part of quilts I have made. In some cases, the photos are old (as are the quilts) and discolored. If I had the quilts, I would take new pictures, but most of my quilts have been given away, and what I have are the old, discolored pictures and the great feeling that those quilts are in the hands of someone who is enjoying them!
Sashing as Simple Strips of Fabric
Once you have your quilt blocks made, it's time to put them together. Yes, you could just sew them right next to each other, as in the example on the left.
In this quilt, I machine appliqued (simple zig zag stitch around the outside) the hearts onto 4" squares of white fabric.
Then I simply sewed the blocks right next to each other in rows, and then sewed the rows together to make the quilt top. The border was added, the quilt was quilted, binding added, and it was ready to be given away. This quilt went to my cousin's baby daughter in 1986.
Simple strips of fabric make a nice sashing and separate your blocks.
A very effective, yet simple way to add some interest to your quilt is to add some simple sashing in either a solid color of fabric or a fabric with a print.Your fabric choice may be determined by what your blocks look like and what you want the focus of the quilt to be.
If your blocks are fairly simple, you may decide to used some very interesting and exciting fabric for your sashing. If you want people to look at the blocks more than the sashing, then choose a solid fabric for the sashing.
In the quilt above, I wanted the hearts to be the center of attention for the quilt, so I chose a solid fabric. I also wanted the hearts to stand apart from each other, so I chose a contrasting color for the sashing.
Another option would be to use the same color fabric as the background of the blocks (i.e., the baby blue used in the above hearts). That would make the hearts stand apart from each other further. I would do that if I thought the blocks needed additional distance between them after I finished them and laid them out side by side.
Happy Quilting!
Penny Halgren
www.How-to-Quilt.com
Other Sashing Topics:
Add a Simple Sashing
Now Add Cornerstones to Sashing
Sashing on Point with Cornerstones
Sashing Using Stripes of Fabric
Crazy Pieced Sashing
Pieced Sashing
amazon.com has some great resources for ideas for sashing:
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