How it's made - flower baskets

Today I thought I'd show, step by abbreviated step, how I put together my little flower baskets!

The block measures 6-1/2" pieced, using three different fabrics - I chose red for the petals, black for the basket, and gold for the background. **PLEASE NOTE: I used my Deb Tucker Trimmer to make the HST's, so I cut my fabric for that ruler.  If you use another method, you'll need to cut fabric in the appropriate size needed**

You'll need to cut these pieces:

Black - (1) 4 x 4" square
Gold - (1) 4 x 4" square, (3) 2 x 3-1/2" rectangles, (3) 2-1/2 x 2-1/2" squares, and (1) 2 x 2" square
Red - (3) 2-1/2 x 2-1/2" squares and (1) 2 x 2" square

First you'll create half square triangles using your favorite method.  I'm using my Deb Tucker Trimmer, so I drew stitching lines on the back of the gold 4" square, paired it with the black square, stitched and trimmed.  Your black/gold units will measure 3-1/2" and you'll have two of them. You only need one for this basket, save the extra one for a future project!

Now do the same again, using your gold and red 2-1/2" squares.

After trimming, the red/gold units will measure 2".  You only need five of these units for the block, just tuck the extra one away for a future project.

You'll also need to sew the red 2 x 2" square to one of the gold 2 x 3-1/2" rectangles, using the flip and sew method to create a diagonal corner (I used my Simple Folded Corners ruler).

Lay out the units as shown below:

Remember - this is an abbreviated tut!

Notice how the block now has four main areas - the petals at the left, the petals-plus-basket in the middle, the background with part of the base sticking out on the right, and the base of the basket at the bottom. 

Starting from the left, sew together the two HST pairs and attach the 2 x 2" gold square to make one vertical (petal) unit.  Sew together the HST pair (petals) at the top, and attach it to the black and gold unit (this piece is not yet sewn together in the picture).  Sew the last HST to the bottom of the 2 x 3-1/2" gold rectangle on the right side.  Lastly, sew the remaining 2 x 3-1/2" rectangle and the pieced rectangle together for the base.

We will sew the block together in vertical rows.  Starting from the far left - attach the red and gold petal unit to the middle  (body) of the basket.  Now sew the gold and red panel to the right side of the block.  Lastly, attach the base (it got turned upside down in the picture).

This the finished block.  Please let me know if the instructions are unclear, sometimes I don't say (or type) everything I think - which might not be so bad!  If necessary I can add more pictures.

Sew forth and sew on

 

Textured Pinwheels - A Tutorial

This tutorial came about when I found a bag of half square triangles I got in a swap that I hadn’t done much with. One day when I wasn’t wearing my glasses I glanced at one of the blocks pinned to my design wall, and I couldn’t really see the muslin background squares individually - bingo!  Rather than cutting dozens of 2-1/2” squares, why not use rectangles?

That thought led to the idea of using a variety of neutrals for the background because - let’s face it - using that muslin throughout block after block after block would be a bit blah!





Here are instructions to make an 8-1/2” textured pinwheel block (8” finished).

Gather a variety of neutral* and colorful fabrics

*If you need guidance on choosing neutrals, Bonnie Hunter of Quiltville has tips on how she chooses her neutrals - it’s a very good guideline that I use all the time. See her instructions here


For each block you will need:
-- eight 2-1/2 x 4-1/2” rectangles from neutral fabrics and
-- eight 2-1/2” squares from medium, dark and bright fabrics. Avoid very light colors, you want a good contrast with the neutral backgrounds.


Draw a diagonal line from corner to corner on each 2-1/2” square, we’ll use the sew-and-flip method to make two different sets of rectangles!

To make the “inner” set, place a colored square on a neutral rectangle as shown. Sew in the direction indicated, just to the outside of the line, toward the corner that will be cut off after sewing.

Trim off the corner, flip and press - your rectangle should measure 2-1/2” x 4-1/2”.

Make 4!

To make the rectangles for the “outer” edge of the block, place the square as shown and sew in the direction indicated.

Notice that the drawn line goes down from the top left corner this time!


Again, trim off the corner, flip and press.

 Make 4!




And now we'll lay out the block...

I found it so much easier to start with the center and work outwards!

Working in a clockwise direction, start by laying one of the “inner” rectangles horizontally, then place the second one vertically as shown, noses touching…

Add the third, horizontally - keep those noses together ...

And the fourth, vertically!

This forms the center - see that pinwheel?

Now add the “outer” rectangles so that the color corners face outward

Sew together into 4 pairs...


... then sew the 4 pairs together!

There you have it, a textured pinwheel block!





The corners will form a diamond when the blocks are put together. I chose to create totally scrappy corners but as an option you could use one constant fabric, or one color family for that position.

I hope you like the tutorial; if you make the pinwheel I’d love to see what you’ve done with it!

Sew forth and sew on...

Easy as Three-Six-Twelve!

An easy tutorial using large blocks!

Sometimes you need something that's quick, easy, and fun to make - this little quilt is all that, and can be pieced in a day.  In this pattern anything goes - large prints, small prints, geometrics, flowers - use those scraps!  Gather up your brightest scraps and let them shine!

The idea behind this quilt is to make blocks that finish at 12-1/2"; I've named it Three Six Twelve simply because of the size strips I used.  This pattern can be adapted to any size from wall hanging to baby quilt to full size - just increase the number of blocks!

To get started you'll need to cut strips in widths of  2-1/2, 3-1/2 and 6-1/2 inches ... if you normally cut your scraps into strips, and you already have 2-1/2" strips - you're that much farther ahead!  To make a 36 x 36 quilt (before borders), I cut my strips in these quantities:

2-1/2 x 6-1/2 (24 pieces)  and  6-1/2 x 6-1/2 (8 pieces)




3-1/2 x 12-1/2 (10 pieces)  and  6-1/2 x 12-1/2 (5 pieces)

Here's how to combine the individual "parts" that can be put together to make the finished blocks:

combine two 3-1/2  x  6-1/2" strips (should finish at 6-1/2 x 12-1/2) to pair with another 6-1/2 x 12-1/2" piece:

combine three 2-1/2  x  6-1/2" strips (should finish at 6-1/2 x 6-1/2) to combine with another 6-1/2 x 6-1/2 piece:

combine six 2-1/2  x  6-1/2" strips (should finish at 6-1/2 x 12-1/2) to pair with another 6-1/2 x 12-1/2" strip:

You can also join two 6-1/2" squares (not shown) to get a 6-1/2 x 12-1/2" piece, to pair with another of the same size.

These part combinations can be joined together in different ways to make a 12-1/2" finished block.  There are literally hundreds (dozens?) of ways to combine these pieces!  Feel free to use different combinations to get the result you want, two blocks are shown below.  Also, study my quilt above to see how I combined the blocks. 

When you have the blocks assembled, rotate them clockwise and/or counter-clockwise to get a pleasing layout...

and sew together in rows.  Add a border if desired - I used a 2" finished border on the sides and 4" finished at top and bottom.

Quilt as desired, bind, and you're done!  See how quick and easy that was??

I hope you enjoyed the tutorial!  If you need clarification on any of the steps, please email me or leave a comment.  Sometimes I'm guilty of thinking faster than I type - just call me Maxine Headroom!

Sew forth and sew on!

Linda

Tutorial: Fractured crumb blocks!

I was playing around with some scraps, when I discovered this new way to use crumb blocks! 

I had made a few blocks and put them on my design wall, with the idea of sashing each little block with a solid fabric and making a small quilt.  These were my starting blocks:

please excuse my design wall, it's covered with strings, pins and lint!

*Note* You'll see me using "square" and "block" interchangeably in this tutorial... they're the same to me!

Make some crumb blocks from small scraps/crumbs; try to use more than just strings and strips, I think odd-shaped pieces give your crumb blocks character!  For a great tutorial on making crumb blocks, check out Bonnie's tutorial on crumb piecing, and Victoria's tutorial on creating "made" fabric.  Just keep piecing until your blocks are approximately 5 inches wide or tall - try for an even number of blocks.  I think a rectanglular shape works really well for this pattern. 

When the blocks are the size you want, trim to even up the sides.  You can make a few angle cuts to add interest but try not to have the angle too sharp, it'll be hard to work with in a later step.

Cut 2-1/2" sashing strips to add around the squares.  Just because it was handy, I used muslin but you can use regular white or off-white fabric.  Why 2-1/2" strips?  At this point I was still fooling around, but they seem to work! 

Add sashing to opposite ends of your squares.

At this point begin to pair up your squares, to see which two look nice together.  For now, just ignore the relative size of each square ... we'll deal with that later.  If they look good together, they're a pair!

**At this point I want to stop and point out something very important!  See the dingy surface the blocks on the right and in the photo above it are lying on?  That's my ironing board!  I hereby give each and every one of you permssion to show your stained ironing board cover in your blog posts.  Come on now... we all have stained pressing surfaces, let's not pretend we have a "good" ironing board cover that never gets grungy!  If you press using steam, sooner or later the combination of heat plus dripping water will cause staining, it's a quilty fact of life!  No quilt blocks will be harmed while using this surface.**

Now, back to my tut...

When your pairs are sorted and lying side by side, add another sashing strip to what you've decided is the  outside edge of each block.

Next, sew the pairs together along the raw, un-sashed side.  Don't try to match up the middles, they won't!

The pieced middles do not match - they aren't meant to!  That's an important design element; it's what makes this crumb block "fractured!" (See my grungy design wall?)

Decide whether you want a vertical or horizontal layout; for this tutorial, I'm going with horizontal.  Notice the uneven top and bottom edges ... this is the awkward part. 

Trim the inside edges of each block straight, then pair two of them together and sew.  Align them so that when they're lined up, you have as much sashing at the bottom and top as possible, because you'll have to even up those edges after sewing. 

Trim the bottom and top of each set, sew the rows together, then square up the outside edges.  I set my final blocks side by side, separated by the middle sashing strip.  Note that the sashing isn't a consistent width in the middle or on the sides - it doesn't need to be, this adds to the fractured look!  Add a border, quilt as desired.

Below is a closeup of my quilting; I wanted to continue the fractured look, so I quilted slightly curvy lines diagonally across the quilt.

Well, I hope you liked my tutorial!  I apologize for all the pictures but I thought they were necessary.  Wouldn't this make a lovely table runner?  And what if you paired three together instead of two? 

If you like the pattern and use it, please kindly link back to me, then let me know - I'd love to see what you've done!

Sew forth and sew on

Linda

Sunday Dessert!

I thought you'd enjoy this double slice layer cake quilt tutorial - it's super easy!

Create backgrounds w/crumbs

We're always looking for new ways to use up our scraps, including those tiny pieces that are even too small to qualify as scraps - crumbs!  Here's how I used some of my crumbs as a background for a small quilt, inspired by this picture. 

First I grabbed some crumbs and scraps in the same color family for the background, blue in this case. 

Depending on the look you're going for, you might want to stick within the same color range - light or medium or dark. For this little project, it didn't really matter though - I wanted the impression of a sky with "something" going on in the background. I found a couple longish strips and started sewing on the crumbs at random until the strips were filled, then I pressed towards the small pieces. Note: When I sewed these, I wasn't overly concerned about the few bias edges, they got caught up, or stabilized, in the next round! 



small pieces on a strip

The strips were cut apart into pairs  

pairs

and the pairs were combined into larger groups until I had decent sized pieces...

At this point there's no hard and fast rule about the size, or how many pieces you combine; you're just looking to make pieces (or blocks) that you can attach to other pieces.  It helps. though, if you keep aiming for a square or horizontal shape.

Can you see my pins?  I placed them horizontally along the seam line rather than perpendicular - for me this makes the edges more stable while I'm sewing.  Of course, they're removed before the needle gets to that point!  I continued joining in this way until I had a background the approximate size I wanted,

then I trimmed it down to the final size and my background was pieced!   

And now for the foreground.  I made a pattern of the pig's face and cut a quarter circle for the sun.  Hmmm... leaves or not? Yes, definitely leaves to balance out the sun on the other side! 

I did raw edge applique on the entire piece, including the small areas of the leaves. To make the pebbled wall, I layered the fabric onto a piece of batting and filled the area with continous different-sized loops. I cut the wall along some of the larger circles to give it a ragged appearance, then I applique'd it down along the top edge.  Pin the wall or use spray adhesive to hold in place, then quilt as desired.

So here's Petunia, peeking over a stone wall, with her curly pink tail in the air! 

I used buttons for her tail; I could also have embellished with bugs, butterflies, wiggly worms, whatever... or I could have extended the leaves down the wall... but I wanted to keep this one simple.

Here's another one I did, using yellow crumbs to make the background for a larger quilt;

you can see the finished piece here.  One note though ... if you're making a large quilt, I'd try to use larger pieces for the background, else all those seams might create a challenge when you go to quilt it.  Just saying.

Here's another small one I made of a water bearer, using leftover yellow pieces from the quilt mentioned above. 

In my opinion, she doesn't need anything else except binding; the many shades in the yellow background have enough movement and texture! 

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed my tutorial!

Sew forth and sew on til later