Southwest Summer Quilt Block Tutorial

Summer in the Southwest is HOT, inspiring me to pull my deepest orange for this project!

I love the way it plays with this Echino NiCo Scooter Fabric!

Finished block = 13.5" x 17"
Although there are bias edges to be careful with, this is an easy block and a fun method...

1. Select three fabrics with good contrast.

2. Cutting:
     Fabric One: Cut your center fabric 6.5" Square.

     Fabric Two: Cut four pieces of the contrast fabric, (to be sewn next to the center):
          2 - 3.5" x 6.5"
          2 - 3.5" x 12.5"

     Fabric Three: Cut two squares of the outer fabric, 9 3/8" , then cut them diagonally in half.

3. Starch and press your pieces for best results when working with bias edges.

4. Lay your pieces out:

5. Sew one 3.5" x 6.5" rectangle to each side of your center square and press seams outward.
Sew one 3.5" x 12.5"rectangle to the other side of your center square and press those seams outward.
Sew one triangle to each side of your pieced square, and press those seams outward as well, toward the triangles.

6. Cut the block down the center first. Make three more cuts, 2" apart on each side of the center cut:

7. Invert the strips. This is the traditional layout, with the outer strips inverted to match the others:

This is the layout I selected:

8. Sew the strips together, preferably with a walking foot.
9. P ress the center seam open, and the other seams outward to complete the block.

 

Someday, this will be a fun tote bag!

Soon, I hope!

Scrappy Carpenter's Wheel Quilt Block Tutorial

This recipe makes TWO 12.5" blocks!

Preparation:
Read through instructions prior to beginning.

Cut TWO each of 32 different scrap fabrics;  2 3/8" square.
Cut 64 x 2 3/8" squares background fabric
Cut 32 x 2" squares background fabric

1. Pencil line diagonally across the wrong side of the background (32 X 2 3/8") squares.

2. Select eight prints you would like for the center star. Pair one of each of these up with a background square, right sides together, and with the pencil line on top. Chain stitch 1/4" from diagonal line, and again down the other side of the line. Stitch as accurately as possible to avoid trimming squares later!

3. Cut across the center line, and finger press (or iron) the seams in your preferred manner. (Open, or toward the side of the darker fabric). You will have HST squares - set aside eight of them for the second block.

4. Next, take a look at the top picture, and choose eight colors you like for the points located at the N., S., E., & W. positions. Pair all of the print blocks (16) with background squares, chain stitch all 16 squares with the same technique as step #1, stitching 1/4" from diagonal. Follow step #3 as well, and set aside 16 of these squares for the second pillow block.

N, S, E, and W points after making HSTs

5. Select eight more print colors, and repeat these steps again, sewing only ONE of each of these prints. Cut them apart to make 16 HSTs and again, set aside the duplicates for that second pillow block..

6. To pair up the colored print squares that are remaining, you may want to now lay out all your center HST's to better visualize your placements. The four center blocks, (as well as the three squares in each corner) are HST squares made of colored prints only, instead of the background fabric. You need to match these up, and then sew them with the same HST method, and again setting aside the duplicates for block two.

Lay out the center section and assemble

Set cent aside, and now layout N,S,E,& W points so you can layout the corner colors

 

 7. Add the 2" background squares to your design board, and you should now have 62 x  2" squares all ready to assemble!


Now fill in the center, and the 2" background squares
You are ready to assemble the columns, and then the rows!

Assemble the columns, then the rows, pressing seams with your preferred method - either open seams or, as I did, alternating from one direction to the other so you will be able to 'nest' your seams when sewing the rows together.

Next, assemble the second square, add your borders, & quilt the top(s)if desired.     

NOTE: If you plan to quilt the block prior to attaching backing, oversize borders are recommended to account for quilting 'shrinkage'. The blocks may then be trimmed to size prior to attaching backing.       

That's it! Please let me know if you have any questions!

 
 

       

8 Point LeMoyne Star Tutorial - No Y Seams!

Tuesday I attended my first meeting with a local quilt group called Boulder City Cut-Ups. This was actually the first time I have ever packed up my machine (purchased in about 92) to sew outside my home. I felt very welcomed, and although it was well attended, plenty of space was made for me. We were instructed to bring some red, white, and blue fabrics for this month's project. Mary Lou demonstrated for us a technique for the LeMoyne Star with no inset seams. Gotta Love it!

Food for thought before we begin: For this block, I used dark thread for stitch visibility, however I probably would have anyway. For dark stars, I usually do use dark thread. If any seams were to show their threads on this type of block, it is most likely to happen in the center of the dark star where a white thread would really pop out. This to me is a bigger risk than the thread showing through the seam of the white...

Here is how it was done:

Nifty Method - A Quilt Block Tutorial

These Blocks were easy! A friend told me about a fun way to cut and sew these with no templates, little measuring, and great accuracy.

 

 Start with two contrasting fabrics that are just larger than the finished size you would like your block to be and press them right sides together.

 

Trim them to the size of your finished block

 

Cut a Post-It to 1/4 the width of the fabric. (1.5" for a 6" block!). Begin stitching at the Post-It, stitch down one side, turn at the 1/4", and continue stitching the 2nd side to the end.

 

Repeat this for sides 3 and 4.

 

Slice the block diagonally where stitching intersects.

 

Stack one triangle exactly on top of the other. (Each with the same color facing up)

 

Without moving the stack, make two cuts the same distance from corner edges as your Post-It.

 

Open all your pieces, press seams and arrange.

 

Join in three rows, then sew rows together matching intersections. Your block will look like this yellow one and will need those corners trimmed to finished block size.

 

Here are my blocks joined, as they are now on my design wall. I have a great multi color batik for the back and binding, and I am considering a wavy border:-)

Enjoy!