Trapunto Tutorial

I tried a new trapunto technique with this quilt and wanted to remember how I did it.  I got the idea from Craft Passion, but had to improvise a little because the project itself was a little different.

1. First things first, finish the quilt top.  I could have kept the panel whole but I didn't like it as much so I added my own sashing. Either way would have worked fine, though.

2. I used 'Extra-loft' polyester batting to create the 'puff'. Because the letters were black, I used a black thread to trace the letters and pictures that I wanted puffy; make sure to match your thread so the stitch is a little more hidden. Looking back, I can't help but wonder if they would puff even more if I had doubled up the batting (deep thoughts).

3. This was the most time-consuming part, mostly because I had so many shapes that were small. Cut out the excess batting so there's only batting on the parts you want puffy.

4. You are now ready to make your sandwich with the quilt top, batting and backing. I used a basic cotton batting for this part and pinned.

5. For the quilting itself, do a really small stipple around the parts you want to puff. Because there were so many different colors in this quilt, I chose to use thread that matched each individual block. I really wanted the attention to be on the letters and pictures. I also did a straight black stitch along the black and white checker boarder.

6. Complete the quilting with stippling in the four corners and the border and straight double lines along the sashing. Trim and bind, and you're all done.

The puff is hard to get on camera, but you can see and feel it in person.  This is a project I definitely see myself doing again. It was totally worth it, and I think a lot of fun for kids to interact with. I hope you find this helpful. :)