Quilt Your Quilt with Chenille By The Inch

Quilt Your Quilt with Chenille By The Inch

I like to quilt my quilts with Chenille By The Inch. It is a fast, less expensive way to quilt and it is an excellent way to embellish a quilt while quilting the quilt at the same time. An added benefit is that if the corners of your blocks didn't line up exactly, you cover them up as you apply the chenille. Look how great this quilt looks by using lime green Chenille By The Inch.





What is Chenille By The Inch? Chenille by The Inch is a pre-sewn faux chenille created by layering 3 layers of high-quality fabric and sewing it on the true bias.



Chenille By The Inch takes the guess work out of selecting fabric that always fluffs and you save hours of mindlessly stitching channels on the bias. Chenille By The Inch let's you get right to the fun part of creating because we've made it easy for you! So, let's get started.

Prepping the Quilt Top

First, layer your finished quilt top with the batting and the backing. Generously pin the layers together using big quilting safety pins. Avoid pining within an inch of all seam lines.

Chenille Brush; Chenille Cutting Guide; Rotary Cutter; Rotary Cutting Mat; a Jumbo pack of Chenille By The Inch in your choice of 40 colors

Prepping the Chenille

Step 1: Remove the backing. Hold the Chenille By The Inch fabric in the center and gently pulling outward. The tear-away backing will tear at the stitch line.



Now you can easily remove the backing by pulling from the center to the outside edge.



Step 2: Line up the etched line of the cutting guide with the second stitch line of the Chenille By The Inch.



Using a rotary cutter, cut between the lines. You want to have the stitch line in the middle of the strip with the same amount of fabric on either side of the stitch line.



Step 3: Use a walking foot to apply the chenille. Quilting with Chenille By The Inch is similar to a stitch-in-the-ditch, with a strip of Chenille By The Inch held on top of the seam line. Placing the strip on top of the layered quilt, and lining up the Chenille By The Inch stitch line with a seam line, using a needle down position, begin stitching.



To ensure that you stay on top of the seam line, use a stiletto placed on the stitch line of the chenille strip about 2" in front of the needle. Pick up the strip and peek under it to make sure you are in the right place. Stitch up to the point of the stiletto; move up about two inches and repeat. By checking your alignment every couple of inches, you stay closer to the seam line.



When you begin to run out of a strip as you stitch, stop sewing before the end of the strip goes under the presser foot. To add a new strip, simply use a stiletto to lift the strip and slide a new one under the last strip. Continue sewing.



Continue to stitch until you reach a corner, reverse stitch for 3 or 4 stitches; trim off any remaining strip.





Turn the quilt, overlap a new strip and continue sewing.



Here's a photo where my strip ran out just before the corner. It was easy to patch by adding a new strip, as described above.



Finish off the quilt top by completing the binding and brushing the chenille.

Step 1: Using a nylon bristle Chenille Brush, while holding the brush flat on the strip with a little downward pressure, brush in a circular manner.

Step 2: Using a spray bottle filled with 8 ounces of water and one or two drops of fabric softener or white vinegar, Mist the section you just brushed.

Step 3: Repeat step one.

Step 4: Once you have brushed the whole quilt, lightly mist the chenille and toss the quilt in the dryer, on medium heat, for about 15 minutes.

Watch a video on fluffing the chenille.

Tip: Get your little ones involved with brushing the chenille. children are intrigued with the magic of watching the flat strips get fluffy, and besides, have you ever met a child who didn't enjoy using a spray bottle?

Pattern shown below is Baby's First Quilt from Fabric Cafe. We used Banana Yellow to quilt the quilt.