Miter She WroteJessica Four-Patch presents: Case #108Make a 64" square quilt top which includes an optional friendship block swap mid-way through the series. Or, keep all of your own blocks and gather your own bunches of signatures for your quilt. After all, as they say, "Friends are the Flowers in the Garden of Life!" |
Fabric A: This is your "background" fabric. We recommend a pastel blue, suggesting a sky. Keep in mind that this is the fabric which will be written on if you decide to take part in our friendship block swap. You will need 3 yards of this fabric. | |
Fabric B: A multi-color, medium-to-large scale floral print is suggested here. Be sure there is some contrast between this fabric and your Fabric A. You will need 1 3/4 yards of it. | |
Fabric C: A medium-value plaid (either woven or printed) which coordinates with your Fabric B, and which also has some contrast with your Fabric A. You will need 3/4 of a yard of it. | |
Fabric D: (optional) This should be an accent fabric in a "leafy green." One yard will include your binding. |
Again, if you have chosen to use Triangles on a Roll, you will need your remaining two 6" strips of Fabric A, plus your two 6" strips of Fabric B. Layer these strips in pairs, with right sides together. Then, count out two more long pieces of Triangles on a Roll, with 13 rows of the grid on each. Following the manufacturer's instructions, make a total of 104 half-square triangle units from your Fabrics A and B.
Go back to your remaining Fabric A and cut one 13" wide strip (width of fabric) plus one 16" strip (width of fabric). On the wrong side of your 16" wide strip of Fabric A, and leaving about a 1/2" margin around the edge of the fabric, draw a 2 7/8" grid with 13 rows across the width of the fabric (selvage to selvage). Please be accurate!! Add four more full rows adjacent to the first row you just drew. Draw diagonal lines through the squares on your grid in one direction only, as shown below. (Diagram only shows the first two rows of the grid which needs to be drawn.)
Next, layer this piece of Fabric A right sides together with your remaining piece of Fabric C (should be about 18" wide). Pin them together and sew 1/4" away from each side of your diagonal lines only! When all of your sewing is complete, rotary cut on all of the lines you just drew, including the diagonal lines. You should now have a total of 130 half-square triangle units. This quantity includes two extra units (you "only" need 128 units!), so set the extra two units aside for a future scrap quilt project. Press the seam allowances toward Fabric C, and trim off the "dog ears" (these are the little pieces extending past the seam allowances after pressing). Each unit should measure 2 1/2" square (unfinished size).
Following the same procedure as above, draw a grid on the wrong side of your remaining 13" strip of Fabric A. This time, though, you'll only need to draw four full rows (with thirteen 2 7/8" squares) across the width of your fabric (selvage to selvage). You won't need the partial row as you did before (for one thing, there's not enough room for it!). Layer this piece of Fabric A right sides together with your remaining piece of Fabric B. Pin them together and sew 1/4" away from each side of your diagonal lines only! When all of your sewing is complete, rotary cut on all of the lines you just drew, including the diagonal lines. You should now have a total of 104 half-square triangle units. Press the seam allowances toward Fabric B, and trim off the "dog ears" (the extra little pieces extending past the seam allowances after pressing). Each unit should measure 2 1/2" square (unfinished size).
That's all for now! Tune in next time for Part 2 of Jessica Four-Patch's Case #108.......