Hey everyone. Today we're backing photo-transfer blocks with interfacing so your memory quilt stays square, flat, and honest.
Printed photo fabric is sweet stuff. It's also sneaky.
That printed layer can stretch a little. It can curl at the edges. And if the ink sits heavy, seams can shadow through.
A lightweight woven fusible interfacing fixes all three. It stops the wobble. It keeps the block true. And it gives your seams something sturdy to travel through.
Here's the decision part, y'all. Interfacing goes behind the photo block itself. Batting comes later, in the whole quilt sandwich.
Reach for interfacing alone when the block just needs to behave like quilting cotton. Reach for both when the finished quilt will be quilted and used. The batting is not the block's stiffener. The interfacing is.
Want a quick test? Lay a printed square next to a plain cotton square. Tug both corners gently. If the photo block gives more, it needs backing. Nine times out of ten, it does.
Materials
- Printed photo-transfer blocks, trimmed to your block size
- Lightweight woven fusible interfacing, like SF101 Shape-Flex
- Quilting cotton for sashing and borders
- Batting for the finished quilt sandwich
- Rotary cutter, mat, and a clear ruler
- Iron and pressing surface
- 50-weight piecing thread and a size 80/12 needle
- Pins or clips
How to do it
- Trim the photo blocks first. Cut each print to your finished block size plus 1/2 inch all around for seam allowances. A 10-inch finished block starts at 10 1/2 inches square. Measure twice. Faces look real sad when they get trimmed crooked.
- Cut the interfacing a hair smaller. Cut it 1/4 inch smaller on all sides than the block. That keeps fusible glue out of your seam allowances. Bulky seams are no fun to press flat.
- Fuse on a low, patient heat. Place the interfacing glue side down on the wrong side of the photo block. Press in sections. Lift and set the iron down. Do not slide it. Sliding can shift the print and wrinkle the face. Let each block cool flat before you move it.
- Check it square. Lay your ruler on top. Trim any edge that wandered back to your exact size. This is the whole point of the backing, folks. The block should now handle just like cotton.
- Piece with a quarter-inch seam. Sew photo blocks to sashing at a 1/4-inch seam allowance, about 2.0 to 2.5 stitch length. Backstitch or tie off at the ends. Press seams toward the sashing, not toward the photo. Heat and bulk both behave better that way.
- Build the sandwich like any quilt. Now batting earns its keep. Layer backing, batting, and your pieced top. A low-loft batting keeps faces from puffing up like balloons. Quilt around the photos, not straight through Grandma's smile. Stitch in the ditch along the sashing. Easy and safe.
- Bind and label it. Add binding as usual. Then add a label on the back with names and dates. Years from now, that label is gold.
Tips and variations
Test one block first. Fuse a spare print. Wash it. Dry it. If it bubbles, lower the heat or press a few seconds longer. Every printer fabric acts a little different.
Skip interfacing only on tiny blocks. A 4-inch print in a wall hanging might behave fine alone. Completely up to you. But blocks 6 inches and up? Back them. Trust me on this one.
Dark photos hide shadows best. Light prints over dark sashing can show seams through. The woven backing helps. So does choosing sashing that plays nice.
Make a mug rug first. One photo, one backing, a scrap of batting. Super duper easy practice. And it makes a really really sweet gift.
Now hear me on this. Your corners do not have to be perfect. Photos in a quilt are about the people, not the points. You're your own worst critic here. Nobody else is measuring.
Take your time. It's not a race. If I can do this, y'all can do it.
Thanks for sewing along with me, folks. We'll see you next time. Bye.
Shop SF101 ShapeFlex Interfacing 60in x 1yd White at Linda's Electric Quilters.
