How to quilt Diamond Hexagon cushion top using your walking foot

Welcome back to my very special Diamond Hexagon oversized cushion pattern. Yesterday, we pieced the cushion top. Today I’ll show you all my tricks for an easy quilting process. When looking at the design and choice of fabrics I made, I realized there was no need for fancy free-motion quilting. The design and the fabrics already have so much character, so I’ll do some subtle quilting to balance the ensemble.

Quilting supplies needed for the Diamond Hexagon oversized throw cushion

Sandwiching your quilt

The first step you need to take is to sandwich your quilt with a backing and batting. For this project, I used Fabric Creations 100% Cotton Fabric for the backing, and Fairfield Toasty Cotton Natural Cotton Quilt Batting.

The project size is 32½” x 28½”, so I cut the batting and backing to 38″ x 32″ and then basted the layers together using Odif 505 Temporary Quilt Basting Adhesive Fabric Spray.

If you need to brush up on this part of the quilting step, be sure to read my blog explaining the 6 essential tips to finish a quilt you want to use every time.

Quilt sandwiched and ready for quilting.

Quilting

After waiting to ensure the basting spray was set, I went to my sewing machine and was ready to quilt using a walking foot and a Klassé Size 80/12 Quilting Needle. I had carefully planned the quilting – starting in the center and moving out – and I had three different thread colors that would help me make just the right quilting statement.

Section 1

I threaded my machine with Gütermann 30wt Cotton Thread in Golden Sunset to quilt the center of the quilt.

To set my diamonds, I opted to stitch in the ditch, starting at the center of the piece and moving my way outward, stopping at the solid color strip. Once I had the lines stitched, I buried the threads into the quilt using a Clover Self Threading Needle. If you’ve never tried a self-threading needle, you just don’t realize how your life could be made so much easier! You’ll notice there are two eyes on the needle. The one on top has a tiny V-shape right above it. Simply grab your thread, stretch it across the V-shape, and carefully slide it downward. It’ll move right through into the eye.

Use a Clover self threading needle to bury your thread ends.

Once that portion was done, I began quilting ¼” away from each seam, beginning with the smallest section in the middle and working my way out, stopping just before the solid color strip. Echoing the hexagon design felt just right for this project.

Section 2

I switched thread color and began quilting ¼” away from the seam on the solid color strip. I stitched in the ditch at the seams that extend to the corners of the quilt (the sections where two solid color strips connect). Then I quilted the other side of the solid strips extending to the corners of the quilt.

Quilt ¼” away from the seams.

Section 3

I switched thread color once more and stitched in the ditch between the diamond and half diamonds units surrounding the center piece. This time, I started at the edge of the solid strip and worked my way out. Then I quilted ¼” away from each seam, beginning beside the solid color strip and worked my way to the edge of the quilt.

The outer diamonds have been quilted with Gütermann Cotton 30wt thread in Autumn Leaves.

Remember to quilt in alternating directions, meaning if you quilt one line clockwise, quilt the next line counterclockwise. If you use the edge of your walking foot as a guide to echo quilting beside the seams, you’ll automatically do this.

Remember to quilt in alternating directions

Squaring off the quilt

Once all the quilting was done, I stay-stitched ¼” from the edge of the quilt and cut away the excess batting and backing. Normally I’d be ready to add a border to finish the quilt, but since I’m turning this project into a cushion, there was one more thing I had to do – square off the quilt. Or, in this case, ensure it was a perfect rectangle!

Squaring off the project using my Omnigrip ruler.

I pulled out my Omnigrip 20½″ x 20½″ Ruler and proceeded to square off one corner of the rectangle, then squared off the other corner on the same edge. Once these two were perfectly squared off, I folded my quilt in half, positioned the square ruler alongside my Omnigrip 8½″ x 24″ Ruler (to get the width I needed) and cut away the excess fabric and batting.

Fold the quilt in half to finish squaring off the project.

The final size of my Diamond Hexagon oversized throw cushion is 27½” x 32″.

Quilted Diamond Hexagon oversized throw cushion

Using some of my favorite quilting supplies and tools today – Fabric Creations 100% Cotton Fabric, Fairfield Toasty Cotton Natural Cotton Quilt Batting, Odif 505 Temporary Quilt Basting Adhesive Fabric Spray, Klassé Size 80/12 Quilting Needle, Gütermann 30wt Cotton Thread in Golden Sunset, Clover Self Threading Needles, Omnigrip 20½″ x 20½″ Ruler, and the Omnigrip 8½″ x 24″ Ruler – along with my helpful tricks, made quilting the Diamond Hexagon oversized cushion really easy. I hope you enjoyed the process as much as I did. I find it quite relaxing, and it’s rewarding to see how beautiful this project is turning out.

Now you’re probably wondering where we’ll find a cushion form for this size of a project. Well, that’s coming up in tomorrow’s post, as I show you how to make your very own cushion form for this beautiful, quilted cushion cover. Join me!

This is part 4 of 5 in this series

Go back to part 3: 4 easy steps to piecing the colorful Diamond Hexagon cushion top

Go to part 5: How to make a custom filler for the oversized Diamond Hexagon cushion

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