Cutting and piecing the Vintage Holiday quilted runner

It feels good to be getting a head start on some holiday making! In yesterday’s post, I shared the fabric requirements for the Vintage Holiday Bed Runner. I also prepared the PFAFF performance icon for piecing, which is what I’ll do today after I cut the fabric.

Cutting Instructions

Fabric A (green)

• (6) 7” squares
• (12) 3½” x 6½” rectangles

Fabric B (red)

• (2) 2½” x 54½” strips for borders
• (2) 2½”x 22½” strips for borders
• (3) 6½” squares
• (12) 3⅞” squares for no waste flying geese

Fabric C (white)

• (3) 7¼” squares for no waste flying geese
• (6) 7” squares

For piecing, I’m using the ¼” Quilting Foot for IDT System which, as its name implies, engages with the Integrated Dual Feed – IDT – on the PFAFF performance icon. This system is unique to PFAFF and provides even feeding of the fabric layers under the needle for precise piecing. Presser feet that work with the system will have an opening at the back for the long black piece you see in the photo below to be pulled and clicked in to attach to the presser foot. The Multi-touch Screen will also indicate if the attached foot works with the IDT System. When stitching out most decorative stitches, the presser foot used will not engage with the IDT System.

You can read greater in detail about how the Original IDT System – Integrated Dual Feed from PFAFF works.

Function Buttons

Piecing with the performance icon is so enjoyable because of how easy it is to make the machine do what I want 🙂 What I mean is that the buttons to make things happen are all easily accessible in a row right in front of you while you’re sewing. I’ll refer to these functions as I go through the week so I thought I’d give you a visual now and some basics so you’ll feel as comfortable as I do sewing with the performance icon.

When looking at the machine from left to right you can see a row of buttons. The first two are for the presser foot to make it lift up extra and also to make it go down and pivot. The first button in the row is the one to push for the Automatic needle threader that I mentioned in yesterday’s post; once you have the thread in position, push the button and the machine does the rest!

Next is a button with a scissors icon on it is for the Cut function and cuts both threads, then raises the presser foot and needle – I use this a lot when quilting. The Immediate Tie-Off button is next and when pressed, it will have the machine sew a few tie-off stitches then stop. One of the lights near the needle will go on to indicate this function is active – press the button again to turn it off.

I use the next button, Stitch Re-Start, when I’m using decorative stitches and want to repeat the same stitch line again. Pressing this button starts the stitches at the beginning.

The last button I use all the time when piecing as it works like an extra set of hands; the Needle Stop Up/Down button has the needle stop in the fabric when you stop sewing. I use this to help me guide fabric under the needle and find I rarely pin now when I’m piecing. In the photo, you can see this button is lit up indicating that it’s in use.

Now that we know our way around the performance icon a bit better, let’s start sewing some of the units we need to make the Vintage Holiday bed runner.

  Make half square triangles (HSTs)

1. Draw 1 diagonal line on the wrong side of each fabric C 7″ square.
2. Sew fabric C square to fabric A 7″ square, right sides together, by sewing ¼” away from each side of the drawn line.
3. Cut on the drawn line to create 2 HSTs. Press the seam to fabric A.
4. Trim each HST to 6½” square.
5. Repeat with remaining 5 sets of fabric A and C, 7″ squares to make a total of 12 HST units (4 for each block)

Make no waste flying geese

1. Use churn dash fabric C 7¼” square and place one fabric B – 3⅞” square on corner with drawn line on diagonal of fabric C square. Place a second fabric B 3⅞” square on corner diagonal to it with drawn line in same direction.

2. Use the ¼” Quilting Foot for IDT System to sew an accurate ¼¨ away on each side of drawn line.

Sew ¼” away from the drawn line.

No waste flying geese ¼” quilting foot IDT system PFAFF performance icon

Use the ¼” Quilting Foot for IDT System to sew an accurate ¼” away from the drawn line.

3. Cut ON drawn line and press seams to the added triangles.

4. Position a fabric B 3⅞” square on the fabric corner with drawn line laying between the added triangles.

5. Sew ¼” away on each side of drawn line. Cut ON drawn line and press seams to the added triangle.

6. Repeat with second unit to make a total of 4 flying geese units.

7. Trim to make each flying geese unit 3½” tall x 6½” wide.

8. To complete flying geese units, sew the long edge of 1 fabric A 3½” x 6½” rectangle to the bottom edge of 1 flying geese. Press the seam to the fabric A rectangle. Each unit should measure 6½” square. There should be a total of 12 units.

Today’s post relied on accurate piecing to make the units we need for the Vintage Holiday bed runner blocks. Using the IDT System on the PFAFF performance icon made it fun and easy to make the units.

Join me tomorrow as I piece them together.

This is part 2 of 5 in this series

Go back to part 1: PFAFF performance icon brings vintage fabrics to life

Go to part 3: Piecing Star Churn Quilt Blocks together using the PFAFF performance icon