Now we’re getting to the really fun part of Lulu Louise! 💕

Our fabrics are pressed, our long WOF strips are cut, and in Chapter 3 of the Lulu Louise Quilty Class, we’re going to start turning all of those strips into the foreground columns that create the design.

This is where all that fabric choosing from Chapter 1 finally starts coming together.

👉 Want to join us? Start the Lulu Louise Quilty Class here.

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Organizing the Strip Sets

Before we start sewing, we’ll make sure all of our foreground strips are organized and ready to go.

The Lulu Louise pattern labels the 14 foreground fabrics A–N, and we’ll use those labels to keep everything in the correct order as we build our strip sets.

Each quilt size uses slightly different strip combinations, so we’ll look at the pattern together and get everything organized before we sit down at the sewing machine.

Piecing the Strip Sets

Next, it’s time to sew!

We’ll sew the WOF strips together in the order shown in the pattern, paying attention to an accurate 1/4″ seam and pressing the seams open as we go.

There are also a few little details that are important here, especially if you’re working with directional fabrics.

As each strip set grows, we’ll always add the next strip to the top of the strip that came before it. We’ll also check the orientation of any directional prints before sewing so they’re facing the way we want them to appear in the finished quilt.

When possible, we’ll keep the wide selvage ends together and the narrow selvage ends together. But if a directional print needs to be turned around, that’s perfectly fine. The direction of the print takes priority.

Cutting the Strip Sets

Once the strip sets are complete, we’ll square them up and start subcutting.

Those long pieced strips suddenly become neat little units, and this is where the construction method really starts to make sense.

We’ll work through the cutting measurements for the chosen quilt size and keep everything organized as we go.

Building the Foreground Columns

And now comes my favorite part of this chapter.

We’ll take all of those freshly cut units and begin building the foreground columns.

As the columns come together and get laid out next to one another, you’ll finally start seeing that familiar Lulu Louise shape appear.

This is one of those moments in quilt making that I love. We’ve spent the first part of the class looking at individual fabrics, strips, and little units, and suddenly they start becoming an actual quilt.

Take Your Time + Keep Everything Organized

There are quite a few similar-looking pieces in this part of Lulu Louise, so organization is your best friend.

Keep the fabric letters and units together, refer back to the diagrams in the pattern as needed, and don’t worry about keeping pace with anyone else.

The Lulu Louise Quilty Class is completely self-paced. New lessons are being added as we work through the class, but they’re there whenever you’re ready for them.

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Ready to Start Strip Piecing?

Chapter 3 is available now inside the Lulu Louise Quilty Class.

By the end of this chapter, those long WOF strips will have become the foreground columns that make Lulu Louise recognizable. Next, we’ll bring those columns together with the background pieces and start assembling the quilt top.

👉 Want to join us? Start the Lulu Louise Quilty Class here.

👉 Already enrolled in this class or part of Quilty Club? Your new lessons are waiting in your dashboard.