Summer 2021 Mini Quilt Challenge: Bagging Out

Hello Friends and Welcome!

We are drawing close to the end of the Summer Mini Quilt Challenge, but I'm not quite done experimenting yet!

For week twelve, I followed the bagging out prompt! Bagging out is a fast and easy finishing technique that creates a clean edge without the use of additional binding or facing strips. This technique can be used in quilt making, though it isn't incredibly common, as well as in garment construction.

You may already know that I originally learned to sew by making garments, so it won't come as a surprise that I have used this technique in the past. However, I've never bagged out a quilt before, and I'm really interested to learn how batting and quilting affect that process!

So Friends, let's get right into the research!

Bagging Out Research

Bagging out is a finishing technique where the layers of a project are assembled inside out, sewn together, then flipped to reveal a clean edge. This method can be used to finish a variety of projects, from quilts to garments!

Unfortunately, this finishing method is known by many different names within the quilting community, which can make it difficult to research. Some of those alternate names include pillowcase finishing and quilt birthing, but I'm sure there are even more that I didn't find in my brief search.

The finished look of a bagged out quilt is very similar to that of a faced quilt: a turned outer edge with no binding visible on the quilt front. Because it is so unobtrusive, bagging out is a great finishing technique for art quilts and other decorative projects!

Bagging Out a Quilt

While bagging out refers to the specific technique of layering a quilt inside out, sewing the edges, and flipping the project, there are a few slight variations to the steps as you work through the process.

Before you can bag out a quilt, you will need to piece together a finished quilt top. Trim the quilt top so it is properly square, then cut a piece of backing fabric and batting to the same dimensions as the quilt top. Layer the pieces together in any one of the following ways:

Option 1: Lay out the batting, smoothing away any wrinkles. Place the quilt top on top of the batting, right side up, aligning the edges with those of the batting. Place the backing right side down on the quilt top, aligning the edges.

Option 2: Lay out the batting, smoothing away any wrinkles. Place the backing on top of the batting, right side up, aligning the edges with those of the batting. Place the quilt top right side down on the backing fabric, aligning the edges.

Option 3: Lay out the backing fabric right side up. Place the quilt top on top of the backing right side down. Leave the batting layer to the side.

With all of the layers in place, sew a ¼” seam around the perimeter of the quilt sandwich, leaving a gap in the middle of one side as shown:

The size of the gap will depend on the size of the quilt. For a smaller project, such as a mini quilt, a gap as small as 3” may be enough space to flip the quilt. This gives you room to fit your fingers between the layers to flip them, but will be small enough to be closed easily. For a larger project, a larger gap will be needed. Leaving a gap as large as 10” should provide lots of space to accommodate the larger volume of fabric in a lap or bed sized quilt.

Clip away some of the excess seam allowance at the corners of the quilt, being careful not to clip through the stitching. This will help reduce bulk and make the corners turn more precisely.

If using layering option 1 or 2, clip away all of the batting in the seam allowance, being careful not to cut through the stitching. This will help the edges to turn more crisply.

To flip the quilt to the right side, reach in between the backing and quilt top layers through the gap left in the stitching. Grab the fabric and pull gently to bring the right sides of both the quilt top and backing to the outside. Use a long, blunt tool to help poke out and shape the corners.

To flatten the finished edges of the quilt, roll the fabric just at the edge between your fingers to find the seam line. Press the quilt edges using lots of steam to set the layers and keep them flat.

If using layering option 3, use the right side out quilt as a template to trim the batting. Be very careful not to cut the quilt fabric by accident. Insert the batting between the top and backing layers, pushing it well into each corner. Use pins or clips to secure all three layers along the edges and corners to prevent any shifting.

Locate the gap in the stitching, then fold the seam allowance in that section inside of the quilt, being sure to align the edge of the quilt top and backing fabric as closely as possible. Close the gap using either a top stitch, which will be hidden by the quilting, or using any form of invisible hand stitching.

Finish the quilt by quilting through all of the layers and burying any thread ends.

Bagging Out as a Finishing Method

While this method is fast and easy, it’s best to consider how effective bagging out will be before applying it to a project of your own.

Bagging out doesn’t require any additional fabric beyond what is used in the quilt top and backing. You won’t need to cut binding or facing strips, which means that much less time spent preparing to finishing the quilt, and less money spent on materials.

If making art quilts or other decorative projects, there is no binding to throw off the design of the quilt. Bagging out creates a clean, folded edge around all sides of the quilt, and doesn’t add extra colours and patterns to distract from the main design.

Finishing a quilt using this method can be done completely by machine, completely by hand, or using a mix of both methods. Because of this, bagging out is really accessible to all creators of all skill levels, and allows the opportunity to practice different types of sewing if you’re interested in learning a new type of stitch.

Bagging out creates a sometimes bulky build up of fabric around the perimeter of the quilt. This can be used in conjunction with the quilted motif to create the illusion of a bound edge, but it can also get in the way and make quilting more difficult. Depending on the way you want to quilt the project, bagging out may be an ideal method, or a detrimental one.

Because edges are finished by folding them away rather than encasing them in fabric, a bagged out quilt may be more vulnerable to wear. It is generally not recommended to use bagging out to finish large bed quilts that are handled and washed frequently since the edges may wear out quickly and need to be refinished in the future.

Making the Mini

For my week twelve project, I decided to make a simple, classic quilt block, the log cabin. These blocks traditionally consist of three colours; a dark half and a light half, with a central square in a contrasting colour.

I didn’t have any particular plan in mind for my colours, so I looked back at all of the mini quilts made this summer and noticed a pattern. I’ve tended to make quilts that are black and/or white paired with a bright accent colour.

I chose to embrace this and decided on a black, white, and gold colour scheme for this week’s project. I cut a square from the black for the centre, and strips from my gold and white fabrics.

Piecing a log cabin block is a very simple process. The strips are sewn to each side of the central square, working around in a clockwise or counter clockwise direction, but not switching between the two. Longer and longer strips are added to all sides until the block grows to the correct size.

The finished block ends up looking similar to a half square triangle, but the contrasting centre square adds a lovely extra detail!

Multiple log cabin blocks can be combined together to create a myriad of really beautiful quilt designs, but I decided to embrace the elegant simplicity of a single block for my project.

With the piecing complete, I selected my backing fabric. I remembered from my facing research back in week two that, when finishing a quilt using a folded edge method, the backing fabric may end up being visible from the front in some places.

I decided to use a white fabric that would blend in with the white half of my log cabin, and create relatively little contrast with the gold half. While I think this creates the best finished effect, in hindsight, a mini quilt that’s predominantly white like this is way more likely to get stained or otherwise marked.

But I love the way it looks, so I’m going to move ahead with it!

The method of layering the quilt that made the most sense to me was option 1 from my research. The order of the pieces being batting, then quilt top, then quilt backing. For some reason I liked the idea of the quilt top being right against the batting, and thought it would work out the best.

I sewed around the edges of my quilt, clipped the corners for flexibility, and cut away the excess batting before flipping the whole thing right side out. The edges of my quilt turned mostly without issue, although areas near seams in the quilt top were a little less cooperative.

Since I enjoy hand sewing, I opted to use that to close the gap. I used the iron to press the seam allowance inside of the quilt, using the trimmed edge of the batting as a guide, before finishing the edge with an invisible feather stitch.

I completed the quilt with a simple stitch in the ditch quilting design. I used a combination of hand and machine quilting for this, but it didn’t create any noticeable difference. I tied off all of my quilting threads, burying them inside the layers, and the quilt was complete!

VA, Bagged Out Mini Quilt, 2021, 7¾" x 7¾", cotton thread and fabric, poly-cotton batting.

I really love the simplicity of this finished quilt, I think the bagging out method really lends itself well to a quilt of this size and helps the traditional pieced block to really stand out!

Trimming away the excess batting was definitely a huge part of making this method work successfully, so I’m glad I took the time to do it carefully and neatly!

Friends, with my week twelve mini quilt complete, we’ve almost reached the end of the Summer Mini Quilt Challenge! This is both exciting and a little sad since I’ve been having a lot of fun with my mini quilt experiments. But the end of the Challenge is coming along with the onset of fall and several new and ongoing projects that I’ve really been looking forward to!

If you'd like to learn more about the bagging out method of quilt finishing, start your research by checking out some of my references! This post wasn't intended as a full tutorial, but you can find several among those linked below.

If you’ve missed seeing any of my other mini quilt experiments this summer, check out the original Challenge Announcement post! It includes links to all of my individual mini quilt posts, as well as information about the prompts and guidelines I followed throughout the challenge. You can check out some of the photos I’ve shared of my progress throughout the summer by visiting me on Instagram, @vafibrearts, or by looking up the #summer2021miniquilts tag!

Next week will be the wrap up of the Summer Mini Quilt Challenge! I’ll be sharing a final look at my collection of experimental mini quilts, more information on the prompts I didn’t investigate, and a few thoughts on the techniques I did. I hope you’ll join me then!