Virginia’s Puzzle: Assembling the Rows

Can you believe we’re already to this point? That sure went fast!

It’s time to put all those rows together. Are you ready?

Instead of putting all that information into this post, I’ve made you a handy-dandy downloadable chart to follow, so you can print it out and take it to your sewing spot for reference, instead of having to refer to a computer screen.

So click here for the chart: Virginia’sPuzzleAssembly. (Both versions are in the file, so you can print out the one you need based on the version you’re making.)

Here are some tips to help you get the rows together:

There are no seams to match up in this quilt. None. Not a single one. So if you find yourself matching a seam to a seam, something is wrong!

However, because there are no seams to match up, it’s important to match up the centers of the rectangles or squares that touch each other, so that your design doesn’t go wonky. Here’s what I mean by that:

You may press seams however you wish: to one side or the other, or open, if you prefer. I tried to press mine to whichever side had the least amount of seams.

In the modern version, if you place a row and find that it’s causing two patches of the same fabric to touch each other and you don’t want that to happen, you can flip the row around and see if that works. Since every row is symmetrical, you can turn it around and it won’t hurt a thing. Like this:

I joined my rows into sections of 8 rows, with the last section having 9 rows. Then I joined these sections together to complete the quilt top. This way, I wasn’t working with one huge section the entire time, which made it way more manageable and less frustrating.

It is also helpful to backstitch at the beginning and end of each row. This will stabilize the edges of your quilt, especially if you do not intend to add the borders. Then the edges won’t pull apart while you’re trying to quilt it.

I hope these tips help you out while you’re finishing up your Virginia’s Puzzle quilt top. I’ll be back next week with a short discussion on the borders, in case you want to add those. Without the borders, your finished quilt should measure 66″ x 82″.

We’re almost done, and I’m gathering up a few prizes for a give-away at the end, so get sewing! And as usual, if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask. Happy Stitching!