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Make an I Spy quilt fast with the PFAFF admire air 7000 Serger

by Margaret Sweete

Yesterday, I pieced a jelly roll quilt on the PFAFF admire air 5000 using the cloth guide. I talked about how to set your seam allowance by testing it and adjusting the blade width. This top-of-the-line computerized, air threading (loopers) serger is a 5/4/3/2 thread overlocker/coverstitch machine. It features 26 stitches and includes an extension table.

Today, I’m piecing an “I Spy” quilt from a charm pack that includes 100, 5” squares. PFAFF admire air 7000. I set up the serger with my favorite gray thread in a wide 4-thread overlock stitch, and then, as I did yesterday, set the blade width at 6 and the stitch length at 3.5. I ran a test with some scrap rectangles. The PFAFF admire air 7000 doesn’t have a cloth guide, but it does have an extension table, so it’s easy to support the rows!

Using the blade as a guide, I serged the test pieces, trimming only the loose threads from the fabric edge, not the fabric itself (a whisker cut). When I was satisfied with the seam allowance, close to ¼”, not perfect but close enough using the blade as a seam guide, I was ready to start.

A white and burgundy serger with a white extension table attached. 5” colorful squares being chain pieced into rows, with a pile of squares off to the left.

PFAFF admire air 7000 shown with extension table, gray thread and chain piecing squares into rows.

The idea behind this quilt was inspired by a picture I found on Pinterest, along with an I Spy Quilt layout featuring an embroidered name panel at the top. Simple and unique. I planned a 12-row quilt with 9-blocks across. In the middle of rows 3 and 4 from the top, I planned an embroidered panel of 3 x 5 block width. I ended up needing 98 squares, and I had two fabrics I wanted to add in one with trains and one with dinosaurs. And then a navy border and binding. It could not be easier or faster.

I started chain piecing blocks together, creating the 9-block rows. I did around 4-5 rows at a time, and then. Pressed the seams, alternating the direction of the seams for each row. This worked up SOOOOO fast. The blocks were 50 (x 2) unique kid prints. So, I could find one and say, ‘Find the other.’ The block went together so quickly I soon had to start stitching rows, I don’t pin but I do use clips and an awl to control the seams as I butt joined them.

On a big ironing board, rows of 5” squares stitched together, ready for the seams to be pressed in the correct direction for piecing the rows together.

Rows of 5” charm squares are ready for pressing and serging the rows together.

A white and burgundy serger stitching rows of unique kid prints in 5” squares together to make a I Spy quilt

Stitching 9 block rows together, alternating the seams in the rows as I go.

For the embroidered 2 x 5 block panel, I planned appliqué letters creating my grandson’s name, “Dean,” in my “Creativate Elite Software” that were 4½” tall and proportionately wide. I put them in the roughly 10” x 22” space leaving a good 1” margin, (after seam allowances) I planned for them to be all different in alignment and position. I embroidered them on my PFAFF creative icon 2. To make a nice applique I used HeanBond Lite on the back of the fabric and precut the fabric appliques using my SINGER MOMENTO 24” Craft Cutting Machine. Very similar to what I did with the dinosaurs in my February 2025 post, Mini quilt making with mySewnet + PFAFF creative expect 350. When all of this was stitched together, I found I needed a border, so I added a 4½” navy border.

5” squares of unique kid prints, stitched together in 12 rows of 9 block. The 3rd and 4th row have a 2X5 block section of white with an embroidered blue applique letters forming the name “DEAN”. and the whole thing has a navy 4.5” border around it.

The finished I Spy Quilt is now complete, featuring the embroidered panel and navy border.

Again, as it’s 48” x 60”, I plan to send this out to the long armer for quilting.

Yesterday I pieced a jelly roll quilt on my PFAFF admire air 5000. Today I pieced an I Spy Quilt on my PFAFF admire air 7000. Join me tomorrow, I’m going back to the PFAFF admire air 5000 and I’ll “Quilt As You Go” a speedy baby strip quilt. It takes longer to cut than to quilt!

This is part 2 of 5 in this series

Go back to part 1: Piece a vibrant jelly roll on the PFAFF admire air 5000 Serger

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