Quilt on the embroidery machine. For the lazy ones )

Original text by Marina Belova 

An embroidery machine can do many interesting things besides the common embroidery. Not by itself, of course, but with the help of a person sitting at it. Nowadays there are many projects called Piece in the hoop. If asked to explain what it means, I would answer in that way: these are projects that allow getting a ready item or a semi-finished product without the use of the sewing machine. 

What you can do in such a way: 

1. Almost ready soft toys: you'll only have to stuff them and sew up the opening. 
2. Eyelets of different shapes with double-sided appliqué for towels. 
3. Various embroidered accessories that are sewn up right on the embroidery machine – smartphone cases, eyeglass cases and so on. 
4. Semi-finished quilts. Both with the embroidery or not. 

Could be many other things, for all I know. 

All of them, of course, are made in a proper sequence tailored to their individual purposes. You can easily find all the instructions on the Web.

The designs are necessarily digitized in a proper technique. 

I've long observed how the quilt on an embroidery machine is made. Today I, at last, decided to create a square with a very simple design myself.

In my opinion, quilt can be regarded as a type of appliqué, so why not to make it in the hoop? Especially if you dislike sewing as much as I do. 

Here's what I got as the result: 

a quilt square made on the embroidery machine

Below is the step-by-step guide. 

First, I created a simple design containing the running stitches only. About 1020 stitches in general. 

Design preview from the quilt editor 

I selected 5 different kinds of fabric and went with them to the machine. 

The first thing I did was to hoop a stabilizer. Not long ago I bought a 60 g/m Chinese perforated tear-away stabilizer. It is very soft, despite being rather dense. I decided to use it. 

Quilt: step 01 

The first thing I embroidered was an outline for my future quilt. I settled upon the black threads – so that everything would be visible. 

Quilt: step 02

Then I placed the basic fabric so that it completely covered the embroidered square. 

Quilt: step 03

After that I stitched my fabric along the perimeter so that it didn't shift, crease or fold. Perhaps I shouldn't have done it, I don't know. But I thought it would be right. 

Quilt: step 04 

Then I embroidered the upper ornately shaped border and also the first outline to which I'd fit my first piece of fabric. 

Quilt: step 05 

I picked up the fabric and placed it face down with its edge to the stitch: 

Quilt: step 06 

I started the machine and stitched this piece of fabric to the one that was already there: 

Quilt: step 07 

Now it was an interesting moment – I folded the fabric into the face: 

Quilt: step 08 

Then I embroidered one more stitch on top of everything, to which I would trim the extra blue fabric and with which I would align the next piece: 

Quilt: step 09 

I trimmed all the extra material: 

Quilt: step 10 

Put the next piece of fabric: 

Quilt: step 11 

Again and again, I stitched, folded, trimmed and added new pieces of fabric – until the embroidery was completed. 

Quilt: steps 12-25 

In the end, when everything had been stitched and folded, I decided to add one more black stitch along the perimeter of my square. Now I think it was unnecessary. The stabilizer is wrong, too – it shows through the fabric. I should have used a different one. Something like spunbond, I think, which wouldn't be visible through the fabric. You need to test every time, you know. 

This technique requires quite a lot of effort. But me having tried it suggested the following: I could add ornaments to the jointing edges to get something akin to crazy quilt. Must look interesting. Also, there are tons of patterns for this purpose on the internet.