A New Blankie for Back to School

It's back-to-school time.  Mr. Main Street started back last week with faculty meetings and I'll drive Miss Main Street back to Skidmore on Labor Day.

Years ago, I made Miss Main Street a cuddle blanket/lap blanket out of Minkee and flannel.  She took it to college with her to cuddle with while watching TV.  The years have not been good to the flannel side, which was splitting at the seams and had generally seen better days.  A new one was in order.

The light blue plush is Minkee Dot and the print is a cozy flannel. I got both pieces at Yoder's in Shipshewana, IN, a stop on one of my trips to Chicago this summer.  (If you are in  the area, this store is worth a visit.  Only a short detour from US 80/90 in northern Indiana.)

I followed a tutorial from Missouri Quilt Co, called The Self Binding Receiving Blanket except I increased the size to 45" by 60".  Jenny provides great instructions and it is pretty fast to make. It is even easier when you use two pieces of flannel.  The Minkee fabric is a bit tricky; it is a knit and wants to stretch and curl.

Tutorial For Sewing Partial Seams

I used a partial seam technique to sew the center square in the star block below.  This is a handy technique to know when you want the strips on all sides of the center square to be the same length. 
(When this is not a concern, of course you can sew strips to two opposite sides of the square then longer strips to the other two sides.)

The center of the star is 6" finished.  I wanted my center square to be framed by 1" strips so I cut the center square 4.5" and cut my framing strips 1.5" wide and 5.5" long.  You start by sewing the first strip to one side, sewing only part way along - at least 1" but not more than halfway.  As you can see, the strip extends past the square. 





Fold the first strip back into place and fingerpress about one inch along the seam. I normally press with an iron but find fingerpressing works best for this step. Line up your second strip along the edge of the square and the first framing strip across the partically sewn seam.  Sew in place and press. 

 

 

Add the third and then the fourth strip in the same manner.  After the fourth strip is added, you will sew the remaining part of the first seam.

This is when it helps to have finger pressed rather than ironed as you need to fold the piece back down so right sides are together.  Sew in place, overlapping the end of the first stitches. 

Now you can press in place and the center of your block is done.

Then go make some more!

The First of Some Little Projects - Pillowcases

Before I start my next big quilting project, I'm going to work on some little things.  First up, some pillowcases:

I made a set to match my Double Wedding Ring quilt (currently at the longarm quilter's place).  I use the tube method of construction, then finish with French seams.  Missouri Quilt Co has a video tutorial on YouTube.





These pillow cases are very easy and fast.  You can whip up a few sets in no time!

Baby Shower Gift

One of our nieces is having a baby in August.  She and her husband are both big fans of the Stars Wars movies so when I found out there is licensed Star Wars fabric available, I knew I had to make something for Baby.  When I stumbled across Missouri Star Quilt Company's tutorial for the self-binding baby blanket, I found the perfect gift.  Are you aware of the tutorials from Missouri Star Quilt Co?  They are wonderful!  This company is a family affair, based in a small town in Missouri.  Jenny does the tutorials and she is a great teacher and entertaining as well.  She reminds me of Julia Child, not fazed by anything that happens, keep the camera rolling!  If you are looking for a tutorial for something quilty, Missouri Star Quilt Co. probably has one.

The construction of the baby blanket is exactly the same as the napkins I made a while back and is very fast and easy.  I used a piece of black and white flannel with the Star Wars logo and a piece of quilting weight cotton depicting various contraptions (sorry, not familiar with the technical terminology) from the movies. I whipped up two blankets in an afternoon.  (In the photo, the blanket is folded in quarters.) 

 

You can see what the mitered corner looks like below.  Don't be afraid; super easy...just follow the directions in the tutorial. 

 

While I'm sure the parents are going to love the Star Wars theme, if I was making a blanket for another recipient, I'd go with this or this or this.  A couple of custom blankets paired with some board books and I am ready for the baby shower!

Curved Log Cabin Block

Here's my first block.  It is 9" finished.

 

My original plan was to make one of the quilts from Extraordinary Log Cabin Quilts, by Judy Martin.  But the more I looked at the designs, the more intimidated I became.  And I wanted to use my Fig Tree Quilts stash, which wasn't going to work for my two favorite designs from the book, Grandpa's Log Cabin and Main Street Log Cabin.  So I decided to try a more basic curved log cabin instead.

Thank you, Internet!  How did we live without Google and Pinterest?!  I found cutting directions for the block from Quilty, as well as this video tutorial with Mary Fons on YouTube.

Just one problem!  The cutting directions are incorrect!  The longest log cut from print fabric should be 8.75", not 8.25".  Unfortunately, I found this out as I was sewing my first block, AFTER I cut all the pieces.  I now have 80 cut pieces that are too short and I already cut almost all the fabric I have in my chosen color combination.  I can always trim down those too-short pieces to work in other positions in the block but I cannot magically add half an inch.  Very upsetting.  I did manage to pull together 50 of the 80 pieces I need from the fabric I still had in the basket but have to figure out what to do about the remaining 30 pieces.

Other than that one rather major problem, the blocks are going together beautifully.  I like this method of cutting all the logs to size.  While I spent a lot of time cutting upfront, the blocks will go together pretty quickly now.



A Tip For Applying Sashing

I finally got some quality time at the sewing machine, putting my Jubilee blocks together with the sashing.  Per the pattern, the sashing is cut 2" wide and does not have cornerstones (the little squares at the intersections of the horizontal and vertical sashing strips).

 

In the past, I've experienced some problems applying the sashing and getting the blocks perfectly aligned.  Even if misaligned less than a quarter inch, it can look "off" and make trouble for your planned quilting design.  And while often these little problems disappear in the quilting, I discovered a little trick that makes it easy to line up your blocks and sashing perfectly.  I don't even miss the cornerstones anymore.  

 

See that wonderful alignment!

At this point, I've attached the vertical sashing strip to each block and sewn the blocks into rows.  The next step is to sew the rows together with a long sashing strip between each row of blocks.  I cut the sashing strip the proper length, in this case 83", then use a marking pencil (use your marking implement of choice) to mark where the horizontal sashing should match up with the seams in the vertical sashing.

 

For this quilt, the blocks are 10.5 inches square and the sashing finishes 1.5 inches wide, so I made a line 10.75" from the left edge of the sashng strip (the end blocks still have the unfinished quarter inch seam on one side), then a second line 1.5" further to the right.  Then move the ruler 10.5" to the right and make another set of two lines.  Continue marking in this way to the end of the sashing strip.

 

When you pin the sashing strip to the row of blocks, line up the penciled lines with the seam lines and pin (see photo below).  Sew the sashing strip to the row of blocks.  Attach the next row to the other side of the sashing strip, lining up the pencil marked lines with the seams of the second row.  

Voila!  If all goes well, your blocks and sashing come out perfectly aligned. 

You want to be sure that the marking pencil or pen you use either doesn't go through to the right side of the fabric and/or will wash out easily.  No ball point pens or untested markers!  I haven't tried a hera marker for this purpose but it may do the job.

Well, I have lots of quilting to get done.  Not only do I need to finish this project, I picked up two quilts from my longarm quilter and they need binding.  If only I had an extra week between Sunday and Monday!

Tutorial For Many Trips Around the World Quilt Block

Many Trips Around the World is a great scrap quilt, especially if you limit your scraps to a defined color palette.  You need lots of scraps, or fat quarters, or pre-cuts.  I can't tell you how much because I did not keep track.  For the lattice (the raspberry color in my quilt that separates the blocks), you will need 2 yards (more for a bed size quilt); get extra if you want to use this fabric for your binding as well.

Start by cutting your fabric into 2" squares and put it little piles close to your design wall. You can use a tray or a cookie sheet or a clean pizza box to hold your piles (keep each fabric in its own pile).

Note that while I cut my fabric into 2" squares, you can use any size, you just have to be consistent.  If you have a lot of jelly roll pieces, charm squares, or you cut your scraps into 2.5" pieces for storage, go ahead and use 2.5" squares.  Your blocks will be bigger.

The other thing you need is a design wall.  A design bed, or sheet placed on the bed will work as long as you don't need to sleep in the bed at night.  This quilt takes some time to put together and it will be frustrating if you have to pack it up each time you stop working on it.  A space where you can leave everything will keep you organized and sane.

Start by placing the fabric squares on your design wall.  Begin with the single square that forms the middle of each block.  I used the same fabric I used in the lattice here but you don't have to.  Take four squares of the same print and place them around the center square.  Add another round of 8 pieces, then a round of 12 matching pieces, then a final round of 16 matching pieces.  Now add your lattice pieces.  The lattice pieces will form the outer edges of the adjacent blocks too. 

Once one block is formed, you keep adding additonal blocks to the right and left, above and below the initial block.  Keep expanding outwards until you have the size you want or have completely covered your design wall, whichever comes first.  I made my quilt in four pieces because I could not fit the whole quilt, prior to sewing, on the design wall.  Keep in mind that it will shrink in size after sewing.

 

To keep the block square you use half blocks at the outer edges.  I did not put a border on my quilt. 

 

 

So the big question is, "How do you get from the design wall to manageable blocks you can sew together."  When I first contemplated making this quilt, I thought I would sew the squares together in rows across the entire quilt, then sew the rows together.  I did not initially see how to do it in blocks.  Then I remembered a technique learned many years ago when I was making watercolor quilts.  The lightbulb went on and all was clear!

 

We will construct the quilt in partial blocks of 5 rows by 5 rows, or 25 squares at a time. 

 

And to make it even easier, we'll use fusible, very lightweight interfacing as a foundation for each block.  This will make the sewing easy, fast, and accurate.

 

Pellon makes a product called Quilter's Grid, a very lightweight fusible interfacing printed with a 1" (or 2") grid.  I bought my supply at Joann's.  Use the size of your quilt before sewing to figure out how much of this you need - it is 40" wide.  I used about 3 yards.

If you can't find this product, don't despair.  The grid is printed in yellow and I could barely see it.  I think it would work equally well if you used the lightest weight fusible you can find and lightly draw a pair of perpendicular lines with a ruler and pencil.  Use these lines to line up your squares.

My partial block - five 2" squares by five 2" squares - measures 10" so I cut my pieces of fusible 9.5" square.  (I added an extra square to the end of each row to make the overall look more symmetrical and complete. That's why Ihave 41 squares across and down. This means the last block in each row will be 5 by 6 squares, the bottom row of blocks in the quilt will be 6 by 5 squares and the lower right corner block will be 6 by 6.  So you will need to cut some pieces of infacing 9.5" by 11.5" and one piece 11.5" by 11.5 ".)

Transfer the block, wrong side of fabric to fusible (sticky) side of foundation, being careful to line up the squares precisely.  The top and bottom rows of squares will protrude 1/2" off the fusible, as will the outer left and outer right vertical columns of squares. 

Once you have all the squares in the block lined up on the foundation, fuse with iron per the directions that come with the fusible.  Be careful to pick up and set the iron down, rather than pushing it around, so you don't move any squares out of place.

 

The next step is to begin sewing.  Fold the block along a seam, finger pressing a crease in place.  If you fused the squares down in alignment, the edges will all line up.  I did not pin at this stage.

 

Sew each seam using a quarter inch seam allowance and back stitching 2 or 3 stitches at the beginning and end of each seam.  (In the photo below, you can see that the left and right patches extend beyond the edge of the fusible foundation.)

 

Sew all four vertical seams in the block in this fashion.  Your piece will look like this (photo below).  Using your rotary cutter and ruler on a cutting mat, cut the finest sliver you can from the crease of each seam.  This will cut the seam open so you can press it. 

Press the seams open; pressing the seams open reduces the bulk and helps the block lie flat.  Then repeat this process for the seams in the other direction.  Fold the fabric along the line between two rows of square patches, finger press a crease, and sew.  Be sure to keep the seams straight so the patches line up with each other.  You can use pins at this stage but I did not need to.

 

Again, trim the tiniest sliver off each crease and press the seams open.   From the right side, your blocks will look like this (photo below).  The corners of the individual square patches should match perfectly.  If you cut your squares 2", your block will now measure 8" square.  It will have shrunk 2" in size because of the seams. 

 

You can see below how the block shrinks in size after sewing.

Once all the blocks are made, you need to sew them together.  Sew in rows across the quilt.  Match seams and pin.  Because you cut the fusible foundation an inch smaller than the block, these seams will not have any fusible attached to them.  I continued to press the seams open but at this point of joining the blocks, you can press the seams in alternative directions if you would rather because you don't have the added bulk of the fusible backing.

The photo below shows two blocks that have been joined. 

Sew the blocks together in rows then sew the rows together, in the usual fashion.  Your quilt top is finished!

I'm thinking of making another Many Trips Around the World quilt in red, white, and blue.  How about Minick &Simpson's Indigo Crossing fabric collection?

More About Rendezvous

Gosh, thank you all for your kind comments about Rendezvous, my pineapple block quilt.  My last post showing this finish resulted in lots of questions about how I constructed this quilt.  I'll try to answer those here but you may also want to go back and read my post on using the pineapple ruler.

For fabric, I started with a fat quarter bundle (Rouenneries Deux by French General for Moda).  Some of the prints were too large or otherwise unsuitable; I used 30 from the bundle and added more from my stash plus a few new purchases. 

 

My quilt is 68" square (49 blocks, arranged 7 by 7).  For this size, I estimate you need:

• 18 fat quarters of red
• 15 fat quarters of lights
• 9-11 fat quarters of taupe for the blocks that make the outer edges
• a half yard of red for the center squares
• 3/4 yard for binding

I say "estimate" because I was not keeping track of fabric usage at the time of construction.  I pulled some fabric from my stash and ordered some online in half yard cuts.  I have about half of each half yard piece left but only small strips from the fat quarters. 

 

You construct the pineapple block in rounds, starting with the center square (similar to making a log cabin block).  The size of the block depends on the width of your strips and how many "rounds" you have.  I cut my strips 1.5 inches wide (1" finished) and my center blocks 2.5 inches square (2" finished).  My blocks are 10" square. 

The distinctive design is formed as you put the blocks together.  The red square is the center of each block while the last pieces are the red triangles in each corner.  (For contruction, the corners are cut as strips than trimmed after sewing.)  I constructed one block as a test, then chain pieced 4 to 6 at a time thereafter. 

 

I got the idea for the taupe border from a photo I saw on Pinterest.  From analyzing the photo, I realized the border was formed by different color placement in the blocks forming the outer edge.  I had the center red blocks on the design wall and pieced the outer blocks two at a time, basically just visualizing where the red needed to go and where to put the taupe strips.  Once you have the first round of color strips on the block, it is easy to follow with the rest of the rounds.

I made 49 blocks and put them together in a square, 7 blocks by 7 blocks.  Just add or subtract blocks for a larger or smaller quilt.  You can make your blocks larger than mine by adding more rounds of strips to each block.  Nicole at Sister's Choice is working on pineapple quilt using 12" blocks, achieved by one additional round of strips.  And you can put the blocks in a rectangular setting if you prefer.

Making the blocks is not difficult but you do have to be careful.  Each time you trim, you get a bias edge and the blocks can become distorted or mis-sized if you pull on the bias edges too much, something that can happen unintentionally when you iron.  (Lift the iron and press, rather than moving it around on the fabric.)

I hope this has been helpful.  I look foward to seeing many more pineapple quilts out in Blogland!

Four Patch

I'm working away on my Christmas-y version of Crossroads. 

The center part of the quilt is composed of 18 blocks, each of which is which is made up of units.  So far, I've completed all the four patch units. 

To get my four patch blocks to lie flat without a lot of bulk in the center, I'm using a technique I learned about on Carrie Nelson's blog, LaVieEnRosie.  She calls it "popping the seams."  These four patch blocks are made up of two light squares and two dark squares.  In the photo above, the last seam, the one the connects all four patches together, it at the top.  You can see another view of it below, where the finished seam is standing up. 

Ordinarily, I would press this seam to one side.  The problem is that this results in a bit of bulk in the center, where the two perpendicular seams intersect.  The "popping the seams" method reduces this bulk.  It means removing the stitches in the seam allowance above the seam line, on both sides, allowing the two sides of the final seam to fall in different directions.  In the photo below, all four seams are pressed counter-clockwise. 

This technique reduces the bulk in the center of the block and also helps ensure that all the seams snug up to each other when you get to the step of sewing the blocks together.

A full tutorial on the technique is on Carrie Nelson's blog.  It is listed in the sidebar to the left of the blog posts, first item on "Random Stuff."

Now for the nine patch units.

Magic Eight Square - A Tutorial for Layer Cakes

Yesterday, I told you about my adventure with a "kit" and how, with imagination and experimentation, I figured out how to make the block I had seen in the store's display quilt.  I call this block Magic Eight Square, though for all I know it has another name. 

I am using layer cake squares to make this block, though you could cut the 10" squares yourself from fat quarters or yardage.  The first step is to divide your layer cake squares into pairs of a light and dark color (or two contrasting colors such as blue and gold, or red and green - here, I am using light and dark).  Using a rotary cutter and long ruler, cut each pair of squares diagonally twice, as shown. 

Separate the four quarters, and keeping the two pieces together,  cut across each triangle pair with a ruler and rotary cutter, 2.5 inches from the longest side.

Now, switch the pieces and sew the light colored small triangle to the dark colored trapezoid and the dark triangle to the light trapezoid.  To sew, line up the pieces, right sides together, so the points of the bottom edge of the triangle like up with outer edge of the top of the trapezoid.  Press the seams (I pressed mine open).  It will not look exactly right as the trapezoid extends beyond the edges of the triangle - see the photo.

The next step is to take care of that wonkiness by trimming.  I used a 9.5" square ruler.  (You can use a different size but I found 6.5" was too small.)  Line up a corner of the square ruler with the 90 degree corner of your two-part triangle and trim off the parts of the trapezoid that fall outsdie the edges of the ruler.  You now have perfect right triangle. 

Sew two trimmed right triangles together a shown below, matching seams.  It is important to match the seams where the light and dark colors come together, rather than matching the ends of the pieces.  Handle and sew carefully, as you are dealing with a bias edge.  Press the seams carefully so you don't stretch your fabric.

Sew two of these units together, so all of one color comes together in the center (light in this case) and the other color forms the outer edge (dark here).  It looks more complicated than it is!  The last step is to trim the dog ears at the corners. 

Here is an alternative setting for the blocks. 

I'll show you the progress I've made on this quilt next week. 

Ohio Star Variation Quilt Block Tutorial

I have 12 star blocks finished; 8 more to go!

Here is a tutorial I put together (with lots of photos!) to show you how to make this star block.  It is a variation on the Ohio Star.

First, you need four fabric squares, each cut 5.5" square.  Two green squares for the star points, one square cut from your background fabric, and one square from the light contrast fabric. 

Additionally, you need the center red square, cut 4.5" square, four 2.5" squares cut from the light contrast fabric, twelve 1.5" squares from red fabric, eight 1.5" squares from background fabric, and eight rectangles, 1.5" by 2.5" from the background fabric.   

I found that laying all the pieces out on a block board helps tremendously with organization and keeping track of the steps.  I have six of these boards so can cut and work on several blocks at one time.

We'll make the center square-in-a-square first.  If you have another construction method for this that you like, by all means use it.  Just be sure the final piece comes out 4.5" square (4" finished size).

You need a marking pencil and ruler.  I like the Sewline mechanical pencils; they seem pricey but the lead lasts a long time and doesn't break.

Use the pencil and ruler to draw a line diagonally across each 2.5" square of contrast.  This will be your sewing line.  This construction technique is sometimes called "corner flip."

Place a small light contrast square in the corner of your red center square.  Sew across the corner on the line you drew.

Repeat with another contrast square on the opposite corner.

Using a ruler and rotary cutter, or pair of scissors if easier for you, trim off the corner a quarter inch from the stitched line.  I know some quilters think this method is wasteful but I think it is justfied by the accuracy.  However, I have been stitching the cut-off triangles into triangle squares and tossing them into this basket for some as yet undetermined future use.

Press your seams to one side or open (I like to press them open to reduce bulk); the result will look like this.  

Repeat with the two remaining light contrast squares on the other corners.  Your final square-in-a-square will look like this. It should measure 4.5" on each side.

Next, we'll make the star points, using the 5.5" squares.  We are using the four squares to make four quarter triangle squares, also known as hourglass blocks.  Again, if you are used to another technique, use it, as long as the final pieces are the correct size (4.5" uncut).

Draw a diagonal line from corner to corner on the back of both the background square and the light contrast square. 

Pair up the background square and a green square, right sides together, and sew a quarter inch from the center line you drew on the background square.  This is key; instead of sewing on the line, this time it is a guide and you sew a quarter inch to the right of the line.  Then turn the square and sew again a quarter inch from the other side of the drawn line.

Pair up the light contrast and the other green square and repeat, sewing on each side of the diagonal line you drew on the wrong side of the contrast square. 

Using scissors or a ruler and rotary cutter, cut along the drawn line; each square will be cut into two right triangles, like this:

Press them open, pressing seams toward the green fabric.  You will have four half-triangle squares like this.  Two have a triangle of background fabric and two have a triangle of light contrast fabric. 

On the squares that have the background fabric, draw a line on the back, from corner to corner, perpendicular to the seam.  Pair a background/green square with a contrast/green square, right sides together as shown.  Because you pressed the seams toward the green fabric, your seams will butt up against each other at this stage. 

You want to be sure the seams butt up tightly, without overlapping or leaving a gap.  This will ensure the four points meet in the center of the block.  Pin to hold in place. 

Sew a quarter inch from the drawn line, on each side of the line, the same as the step above.  Cut the squares apart on the drawn line.  You will have four pieces again. 

Press the seams to one side (does not matter which direction you press).  Your four squares should look like this:

Two opposing sides in the green star point fabric, one in the light contrast fabric, and one in the background fabric.   

Next, we trim the blocks to size.  I use the 4.5" fussy cut ruler from my Quilt In A Day Fussy Cut Rulers, but there are lots of other rulers out there specially for cutting quarter triangle square blocks.  You need a ruler that has 90 degree diagonal lines marked on it.  Line up the lines on the diagonal seams and cut to 4.5" square. 

Here is the trimmed square.  So far, it looks just like an hourglass block. 

Now for the radical part, the cut that creates the look of the star block.  Using a ruler (I am using a 6" square Olfa ruler here), you will trim the block down to 4.5" by 3.5" by trimming from the side with the contrast fabric triangle.  Don't trim the background triangle!

You are cutting an inch from one side.  (I know some of you are shuddering at the "waste" but this method is much easier than cutting out each shape using templates and then piecing individually.  Instead, you get this complicated look using easy techniques.)

You have five pieces of the final block finished; put them on your block board and see how it looks. 

(If you want to keep it simple, you can at this point use 3.5" squares of your background fabric for the corners of the block, instead of the pieced corners.) 

To piece the corners, lay out the small red squares and the remaining background pieces to form the corners.  Sew eight red squares to the ends of the eight background rectangles and four red squares between pairs of background squares.  Press toward the red.

Sew the three resulting strips together to form the corner squares.  I press these seams open to help keep the piece flat. 

Put the block together on your block board.  I sew the block together by working in rows across.

I chain piece without cutting the threads between the rows.  This keeps everything together in the correct sequence.  Press seams toward the star point blocks.  This will allow the seams to butt when you put the rows together. 

Sew the three rows together and press seams away from the center.  You have finished one block!

Now, start again and make another one!

You can change the size of the final block by varying the size of the squares used for the hourglass blocks; a smaller square will yield a smaller final block (you will need to downsize all the other pieces too).