How to: make an even grid on your quilt

As promised, my way, based on what I learned from Ted Storm, how to make a grid.

First of all, I draw my grid after I quilted the main lines and the main motifs of my quilt. It's the final stage of my quilting. So no grid is made upfront. Why? Due to the quilting and the handling of the quilt, the fabric is stretched in one place and pulled together on the other. Therefore I first finish the quilting. If I would draw my grid work upfront, it will definitely be crooked in the end. So after the main lines and main motifs, the grid work begins. Here we go!

On my quilt I doubt whether I want a 1/2 inch or a 1/4 inch grid. I will decide on that on the go, I think it will be 1/4 inch.

Remember that you always have to start with a grid that is 4 times as big as the grid you are planning. I am planning for a 1/4 inch grid, so I start with a 1 inch grid. If I would like to end up with a 0.75 inch grid, I would start with a 3 inch grid. Why? If you are uneven in your grid, which you will definitely be as you're human, with this method you can spread the unevenness, so it becomes invisible. Your grid is quilted in 3 stages, and with each stage unevenness is spread over on two sides, and therefore minimized.

Step 1

Put the quilt in front of you, on a flat surface

Step 2

Draw the diagonals and make sure they cross at a 90 degree angle

Step 3

Build up in 1 inch steps the lines from 1 diagonal. 

Check every time whether your new line is parallel with the other lines.

You will definitely not be perfect, as your pen is just aside the ruler line, not on it. Be as precise as possible.

Step 4

When you are finished with repeating at 1 inch on one diagonal, continue with the second diagonal.

You end up with a 1 inch square grid.

 

Step 5

Remove the cat from the quilt.

 Step 6

Quilt the 1 inch grid.

Why quilt it? Because at this stage, quilting will influence the tension of your fabric. 

Believe me. First quilt it.

Step 7

After quilting the 1 inch grid, I draw the lines in between. 

I do NOT draw a line according to the 1/2 inch line on my ruler. On a 1 inch distance, the distance between the tip of my pen and the side of the ruler can seem huge. Therefore I work differently.

The 1 inch grid offers me my base for drawing the in-between lines. I am focusing on a 1/2 inch grid, but if my 1 inch grid is 0.95 inch, I go for the middle (0.475). So I put my ruler on the grid and put dots on the middle in between the two lines. Those dots are for the line that goes on a ninety degree angle to the ruler. My ruler is put from lower left to upper right, to create the line from upper left to lower right.

The dots form the line. The lines on your ruler help you to find out whether you are still going straight across the 1 inch grid. I hope the photo does help!

Step 8

After all the dots are placed for one diagonal (from down left to upper right) the lines are drawn. 

These (near to or exact!) 1/2 inch lines are drawn from upper left to lower right. 

Use the lines on your ruler to make sure you are going straight.

 

Step 9

Do the same thing for the other diagonal. Start with your ruler from upper left to lower right, to make the lines for lower left to upper right. Again, go for the middle, not for a half inch. The middle gives an even view.

And yes, I make mistakes too. So when I check a dot and it is not in the middle, I measure again and place an arrow next to the one that is correct

 Step 10

Connect the dots from lower left to upper right.

Here is your grid!  

 Step 11

I decided that a 1/2 inch grid is sufficient. If I would have decided to make a 1/4 inch grid, I would quilt the 1/2 inch grid first, and then draw and quilt the 1/4 inch grid.

I am sorry for this long, long post. But now you know how I make a grid. Gone quilting my 1/2 inch grid now!

Have fun quilting!
Annemart