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