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Grand Illusion, the Finale!

A Quiltville Mystery

© Bonnie K Hunter & Quiltville.com 2014 All Rights Reserved.

Happy New Year, Quiltvillians!!

How many of you guessed that our reveal would something like this??

Hooray! We are bringing the colors and feeling of that grand old dame, the Grand Hotel into

THIS century with something just a bit brighter, just a bit lighter, just a bit modern and abstract,

but still keeping all of the colors and the feel of this beautiful historic old hotel intact!

You have all you need to start putting our quilt together, and we are going to go through it step

by step by step here.

This post will be a long one, so bear with me, slow down and read every word and sentence, and

take the time to let it sink in.

WE are READY to BUILD A QUILT!

Let’s make some blocks:

Grand Illusion Block! Make 25!

You will be using your Part 1 broken dishes units, your Part 2 Double Diamond units, and your

Part 5 4 Patch A units to make this block.

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Align pieces as shown, assembling units into rows, and joining rows to complete the block.

Pressing is up to you. If you want to press open, fine, if you want to press to one side fine. Just

Make 25! Block will measure 12.5” and finish at 12” in the quilt.

Make the sashings:

Two units from Part 3, sewn end to end!

Make 60. Units will measure 12.5” X 3.5” and finish at 12” X 3” in the quilt!

Additional cutting: Cut 36 3.5” squares from aqua fabrics. These are your cornerstones!

Assmebly:

Lay out blocks, sashings and cornerstones as shown!

Join the units into rows and then join the rows to complete the quilt center.

To build my quilt center, I use a technique that I call “Webbing the Quilt” so that rows are built

across the quilt, and each row is joined to the next with chaining threads left in place so that

nothing gets turned around or out of order.

View http://quiltville.blogspot.com/2013/12/old-movie-fest-and-boxy-stars.html for another post

showing how this works! I also use this same technique to sew my blocks together.

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My favorite part about this quilt? Very few seams that have to nest when joining the rows

together. The sashing squares are offset from the squares in the blocks. Only the center and end

seams need to meet! I also love how the black squares in the sashing make it look like each star

is being handed off to the next one in the row. Fun!

Adding the inner border!

Inner Border:

Cut 8 2" strips across the width of the fabric from selvage to selvage. Join the 8 border strips end

to end with diagonal seams to make a strip approximately 320" long. Trim excess 1/4" from

seams and press seams open.

Lay the quilt center out on the floor, smoothing it gently. Do not tug or pull. Measure the quilt

through the center from top to bottom. Cut inner side borders this length. Sew the side borders to

the quilt sides with right sides together, pinning to match centers and ends. Ease where necessary

to fit. Press seams toward the borders.

Repeat for top and bottom borders, measuring across the quilt center, including the borders just

added in the measurement. Cut top and bottom borders this length. Stitch the top and bottom

borders to the quilt center, pinning to match centers and ends, easing where necessary to fit.

Press seams toward borders.

Pieced borders:

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Make 40!

Remember those Broken Dishes alternates #2 & #3 from Part 4?? They are our borders!

Join Part 4 Units #2 & # together to make 40 border units as shown.

Join 10 units end as shown to make one pieced border. Press. Make 4!

Adding borders to the quilt:

Sew the side borders to the quilt sides with right sides together, pinning to match centers and

ends. Ease where necessary to fit. Press seams toward the inner border.

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Following the above diagram, add the 4 Patch B cornerstones from Part 5 to the ends of the

remaining top and bottom borders, taking care to place the blacks toward the inside of the border

to complete the black design around the quilt. Press.

Join top and bottom borders to the quilt, pinning to match centers and ends, easing where

necessary to fit. Press toward the inner border.

Finishing:

I quilted Grand Illusion with light yellow thread in an edge to edge design called Radiance by

Patricia Ritter of Urban Elementz.

After quilting I trimmed the edge of the quilt carefully 1/4” beyond the pieced border. I used 2”

cut strips to bind my quilt in a narrow and full binding.

More binding info found under the Tips & Techniques tab at the top of the blog.

Full quilt out on my fence over Thanksgiving!

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The obligatory Thanksgiving photo with me and my dad!

Close up of bottom border and blocks. Oh, I love this quilt!

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More close up of quilting!

Happy New Year, everyone!

It’s been a blast doing Grand Illusion with you. I’m excited to see your finished quilts, in all of

their color ways.

Our next Mystery Monday Link Up is Monday, Jan 5, 2015!! I just know it is going to be a

wonderful array!