See how easy quilting can be with the PFAFF performance icon

Welcome back to my week-long challenge! I’m making several adorable quilted projects using 2½” squares from some of my favorite leftover fabric and I’ve almost finished my first project! In yesterday’s post, I used the Patchwork Program on the PFAFF performance icon to sew together the nine-patch table runner top. The project isn’t finished until it’s quilted, so today we’ll use the PFAFF performance icon to quilt too.

Let’s get started!

Lay the backing fabric right side down, then the batting, and place the table runner top on top with the right side up. Instead of basting, I pinned in the middle of every other 2½” square and placed a row of pins in each border. I decided on a GÜTERMANN Cotton 50wt Thread in light blue for the quilting, which blends into my background fabric and is very subtle across the mostly pastel fabric squares.

The light blue thread blends in nicely against the fabrics.

To get the PFAFF performance icon ready, the needle plate will need to be switched out. You’ll find this out when selecting from the Quilt Stitches; a popup will be displayed on the Multi-Touch screen indicating the machine is set up for straight stitching only. Change the needle plate and select a stitch to use for the quilting. I thought I’d do some matchstick quilting but couldn’t bring myself to add more straight lines to the runner! Instead, I opted for a wavy stipple stitch.

I started by stitching down the seams and then went back to add one more row between each seam. There’s lots of space and light to comfortably quilt the table runner with the PFAFF performance icon.

Quilting with the PFAFF performance icon.

I used the Start/Stop button to let the machine do the stitching while I guided the fabric. My job was really only to keep an eye on the red guide mark in the middle of the presser foot, and keeping it centered over the seam line.

Quilting the seam lines of the runner.

After quilting, I trimmed away the excess batting and backing, and prepared my binding. I used the leftover background fabric, cutting 2½” wide strips then sewing them together end to end. When I laid the strip out to see if I had enough to go around the runner, I came up short (probably because I didn’t start with a ½ yard of fabric!). But this gave me a chance to be creative and use some yellow to get the second Pantone color of the year into my project. So now I guess this is a challenge within a challenge – to use gray and yellow and to use up the 2½” squares!

To bind the runner, I used the PFAFF performance icon to sew the binding to the back and to the front. After laying out the binding a few times to make sure the joining seams didn’t fall at the corners, I pinned the binding to the back of the runner. You’ll see in the photo below that I also iron under ¼” on the side of the binding that will be brought to the front of the runner – it’s a trick I picked up from Pat Sloan.

Binding pinned to the back of the table runner

I used the ¼” Quilting Foot for IDT System to sew the binding on. This is my preferred foot for most of my quilting and I love that it’s included with the PFAFF performance icon and not an added accessory.

Once the binding is attached all the way around on the backside of the runner, it’s time to fold it over and sew it to the front. I pinned most of the binding into place before I started sewing because of the size of the runner – on a quilt I usually only pin one side at a time.

Binding pinned to the front of the table runner

I used the standard presser foot to sew the binding to the front because I like how the red guidelines – this time the one to the left – help me keep my sewing lines straight. This foot also engages the IDT System so it helps to move all the layers of the runner under the needle evenly. In fact, I had no problem moving the runner under the needle as I stitched the corners, which means I didn’t get uneven stitches or worse, stuck!

Stitching down the binding with the standard presser foot.

All quilted, I’ve completed my first 2½” square challenge this week.

With the binding sewn down, I’ve completed my first 2½” square challenge this week. The PFAFF performance icon made it easy to create this nine-patch table runner.

Come back tomorrow to see my next 2½” square challenge project. See you then!

This is part 3 of 5 in this series

Go back to part 2: The Patchwork Program makes quick work of chain stitching

Go to part 4: Floating Stitches turn a nine-patch block into a pretty mug rug

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Stitch in the ditch AND grid quilting with the PFAFF IDT System – PERFECT!

On-point quilting: Where to start with cutting and setting triangles

Create or edit your stitches with the PFAFF performance icon