Reveal! Grand Central Mystery Quilt Series!

The time has arrived!  Grand Central is revealed!  Here is the Queen Size, I will share the other quilt size settings below!

I hope you love it as much as I do!  Please let me know.  

Plus, I hope you can see some of the architecture symbolism translated into my design.  Here are a few photos to remind you.  You can go back and check out the December posts for more Grand Central Terminal details, see if you can match up some of the details.   

 

 

 

 

More on Grand Central below. 

Next Mystery
I've been getting a lot of questions about the next Mystery.  My next Mystery will start in May.  I'm still trying to figure out when I can kick it off.  I wasn't going to kick it off until the end of the May, but with Quilt Market cancelled, I'm trying to see if I can move it up a few weeks, hopefully Mid-May.  

I will have more information next week.... Here is what I know. 

• It will be handled very similar to last year's Spring-Summer Medallion Mystery, Holiday Extravaganza.  
• It will be a Medallion Quilt
• It will be great in Holiday Fabric, or not... I will show some examples
• It will use Fat Quarters
• It will run 16-18 weeks

Speaking of Holiday Extravaganza (2019 Mystery), for those of you that missed it.  It will be available in June, as a Booklet.  You will be able to purchase it, as well as Shops could offer it as a Technique of the week/month series, a Block of the Month, etc.   Stay tuned.  

If you are looking for something to do right away, consider my Tutorial Tuesday series!

Did you catch this week's Tutorial Tuesday video?  I covered checking your 1/4" seam, organizing your V Block units, sewing tips, pressing tips, and trimming the V Block units.   In case you missed this past Tuesday's Tutorial Tuesday Video, you can view it on my Facebook page.  

Don't worry, if you don't Facebook, I've uploaded my video to YouTube. You can subscribe at: Michelle's You Tube Channel.

What is Tutorial Tuesday? 
It is a weekly Video that I will release each Tuesday, around 3:30pm, on my Facebook page (5:30 pm on Youtube).  For the first 8 weeks, I'm going to teach a free class on my Bloom pattern.   Note: If you aren't participating in the making Bloom, you should check out the videos for some great tips that apply to any quilt. 

You will need the Bloom pattern, S180 V Block and Square Squared Tools.

Bloom

Next week; More tips on sewing and making your Square Squared Units for V Star Blocks

Upcoming weeks: 
Week 5; Making your Square Squared Units for the Five Diamond Blocks
Week 6; Constructing your V Star Blocks
Week 7; Constructing your Five Diamond Blocks
Week 8; Laying out and assembling your Quilt Center and Pieced Border

This should take us to mid-May.  

I'm offering this free, with the exception of the pattern and tools, to see if I like the online class concept.  We all have to adjust in these times.

Some of the products featured this week:

See your Stuff Bags- Available in several colors, perfect to store your quilt components on paper plates: 

Wool Mats -  These are fabulous for pressing, the wool reflects the heat, essentially allowing you to press from both sides. Multiple sizes available.

Quilter's Magic Wand - Not just a great marking tool, but helps you check your 1/4" seam. 

Like I said above, there are great tips whether you are participating or not.  If you are participating, share your Bloom fabric selections in the Sew on the Go Quilting Circle.

Grand Central - Reveal

  
Are you ready to finish this Mystery?  Clue #12 will only be up through April 16th.  Clue #11 will only be available to purchase until April 16th.  

Make sure to check out the tips I have provided below to help you put together your quilt top.  It is very important to have a perfect 1/4" seam due to the numerous Borders.   Check out this past Tuesday's Tutorial Tuesday video to see how to check your seam - YouTube video.

Remember, the pictorial will cover the technique and extra tips, but the details will be in the download. 

In addition to a great 1/4" seam, you will want to gather your Quilter's Fine Pins, to put this together.   

Grand Central comes together similar to a Medallion Quilt, we will start with putting together the quilt center.  Gather the Viaduct Wedge and Celestial Star Blocks.

Layout the Blocks, take a photo, and make sure you are comfortable with your Assorted Bright color balance.  

Throw Center

Next, you will sew the blocks together, into a row.  I highly recommend precision pinning for this step.    I've documented step by step below.  You can also watch my AQS YouTube Video on it (note AQS misspelled my name). 

You will then work through the construction of the rows, but the see it, flip it, pin it, sew it... methodology.  I've circled the seam intersections you will want to place your pins through. 

Gather your Quilter's Fine Pins, and place them through the wrong side one of the blocks.   

 Then through the front of the Block below.  

 Hang the block sandwich over the edge.  

Using your fingers, hold the Quilter's Fine Pin straight.  This is why the longer pin size is important. 

 Then place, the two pins beside it.  

The longer pins allow you to take a large chunk of fabric back a bit from the edge. 

When I make my units, I rarely pin.  However, when I'm putting my blocks and rows together, I pin.  Either PIN NOW, or RIP LATER.

I bring my stitch length down to 1.5 - 1.7 whenever I know I will be pressing open. I highly recommend that you do this too.  This quilt will have some weight to it, and you want the units to stay together while you are handling it through construction. 

Notice, I've Left Handed pinned.  This is a thing.  LOL.  It allows you to keep your pins in longer when you go to sew.  

 You can get very close to the pin before pulling it out.  Do NOT sew over pins.   It can mess up the timing of your machine.  This is costly to fix.  

See, I pull the pin back, just before sewing through... another bonus of the longer pins.  I don't have to get to close to my needle.

Next, and very important is to set the seam.  You want to drop that thread down into the fabric to lock...  we are pressing open and we want this to stay secure. 

Finger press and press open it over the Seam Stick

 Nice! Perfect!

Once you get your blocks into rows, now you need to put your rows together.  

Once again, you will want to pin your points and the block seam joins, I double pin those to make sure the seam comes together well and doesn't come apart with the weight of the rows. 

 You can't over pin this.   Check out my pinning below.

 Once again, with Left Handed pinning, I can get nice and close.

 Before I pull back the pins. 

Next, set that seam, finger press, and press open it over the Seam Stick.  This is is when the 24"-32" Seam Stick comes in handy.  I can press this seam open with only moving the fabric once since the Seam Stick is longer. 

Now is a good time to apply a nice mist of Best Press with the Mister.   Get everything nice and pressed. 

Once you have your rows together to form the  quilt center, it is time to apply the borders.  Normally, I would tell you to measure your quilt, but due to the number of pieced Borders it is important for your quilt to measure the lengths in the cutting instructions.  This is why a quarter inch seam is so important.  

Note: If you quilt is slightly different size (1/4"-3/8" off), you will want to pin to bring in the quilt to the Border size.  If you quilt is more than an 1/2" off, you will want to check your 1/4" seams and fix them. If you don't this will cause all sorts of issues in later borders. 

Once you have your Center Border on, now it is time to put together your Snail's Trail Border.  Please do not try and set this up around your Quilt center, one block at a time.  It is hard to keep the orientation.  Please follow my diagrams on page 5 in the download.  

Layout the Side and Top/Bottom Borders to make sure you like the color placement of your Assorted Brights.   Take a picture and make sure your Snail Trail Blocks have the proper orientation. 

Side Borders for the Throw Size

You will precision pin these units together as well.  

I've circled where you will place your pin.

Similar to your Wedge Blocks, you will place the pin through the wrong side of one block and through the front of the next. 

 Hang the blocks over the edge and keep that pin straight. 

 Remove the straight pin. 

 Here is the pinning I did.

 Set the seam, finger press and press over the Seam Stick. 

 Apply a nice mist of Best Press with the Mister. 

You will continue to apply the Inner, Middle and Outer Border, applying the side Borders first and then the Top and Bottom.  

Note:  If you are not enlarging the quilt to a Double or King (addition the extra Borders) you can measure your quilt in three places and cut your Borders to those averages.  

However, if you are enlarging, your Quilt needs to measure the Border sizes in the Cutting Instructions. 

If you are making the Large Throw or Queen, you are finished!  Tada!  

If you are enlarging your quilt to a Double or King, you will assemble the Train Platform Borders on Page 7 of the download.  These will go together easily.  You will make 4 Borders of equal length.   Then add Background squares to make two of them the top and bottom. 

Put the side Train Platform Borders on first, then top and bottom.  After that,  you have just one more Background Border, to add some strength to the quilt.  I added this to float the design, but more importantly, I hate to end with a heavily pieced Border, such as the Train Platform Borders, so I added a small Background Border. You will want to measure your quilt in three places and cut your Borders to those averages.  

Whew!  Tada!  

I hope you have enjoyed this Grand Central Mystery as much as I have.  I can't wait to see your final quilts.  I hope to post my King Size shortly...  Too many deadlines interfered with me getting finished today.    Make sure to share them in the Grand Central Facebook Group and the Sew on the Go Quilting Circle.  I will be collecting photos in the next few weeks for a Virtual Show and Tell.  So you can email me the finished Quilt photos too, at michelle.hiatt@sewonthego.net.

Have a Happy Easter or a wonderful Passover.  

Take care and be well,
Michelle .