We will proceed in this class to the finishing of our small landscape quilts. I will also post a thread "Finished Landscapes" so anyone making a project from this class can post pics of their finished landscape.

Now we will square up our landscape quilt before finishing with borders or before framing if that is what you wish to do.

To square up your landscape, lay the small quilt on a gridded rotary cutting mat. If there is a water line on your design (Sail Away) use that as your parallel line for squaring. If you made River Bend, mark a parallel line across the bottom of the landscape to use as a guideline.

!. Use a straight edge ruler that is longer than the landscape is wide. Line the ruler up across the water line (or marked line on the bottom), then make sure the ends of the ruler are parallel with the same line on the cutting mat. So...you want your water/marked line and your ruler cutting edge both to be aligned with the same grid line on your mat.

2. Use a disappearing pen, chalk or fine faint pencil to mark cut lines on all four sides. Measure from top to bottom, side to side, and diagonally in both directions. The top and bottom should measure the same, the sides should measure the same, and both diagonals should measure the same.

3. Using a rotary cutter, carefully trim all four sides so the quilt will be square.

If you want to frame your landscape, this is the point where you would seek out a frame of suitable size or take it to be professionally framed.

Quilting your landscape:

Remove all the stabilizer on the back if possible. (That's what the book says, I don't know if I did that.) If you want borders around the quilt, sew them on at this time. You can add 1,2, or up to 3 borders on larger landscapes, but 1 or 2 would be suitable for our small quilts.

I often make a "mat" around a landscape by using a very narrow (1/4" to 1/2") border for the first border. Then I use a larger border (1 3/4" to 3" or wider if you like) as the final border. I like the look of a contrasting border to really make the landscape "pop" - but the border color choices are up to you. Remember when cutting your borders to add 1/2" to the width you desire as you will need your 1/4" seam allowance on both sides of the border.

Cut a piece of backing fabric and a piece of batting 2-inches longer and wider than the landscape with the borders attached. Place the backing fabric right side down on a table, then lay the batting on top of it. Lay the landscape right side up on top of the batting and center it in the middle. You should have 1-inch extra around all four sides. Pin the layers together.

Machine quilt the landscape using monofilament thread or a fine thread that will blend with your landscape elements and not show too much. To do this, outline stitch along some of the curves of your mountains using a straight stitch set at a length of 2.5. You can also quilt around your island or river bank. You do not have to quilt every single piece, just 4 or 5 pieces at random, top to bottom.

If you added borders, stitch in the ditch along the seam lines of the borders. This is important for the quilt to hang properly.

After quilting, trim away excess backing and batting and check again to be sure the quilt it square.

Finish the quilt with your favorite method of binding and include a hanging sleeve or pocket at the top for hanging.

Add a small label if you wish! And.....you're done!

In the next and last class, I will post directions and hopefully some pics to show you how to transfer postcards, photos, calendars, greeting cards, etc. into your one-of-a-kind landscape quilt.