Thursday, November 29, 2018

Jewel Box Quilt Shibori Style (#102)

There is nothing I like more than a simple quilt pattern that looks complicated.  Behold .... the Jewel Box quilt.  
Shibori is a Japanese term for a method of dyeing cloth.  Traditionally using Indigo, it is a form of tie-dyeing that goes back to the 8th century. 

This quilt block is called:  Jewel Box   
I did not use a printed pattern - but by reading this post and the links below you will be able to master this :)
Quilt Specs: 

The fabric: A fat quarter bundle of Shibori II from Moda.  This collection designed by Debbie Maddy contains 20 different designs and I used all of them in this quilt.
The 'background' fabric is Kona white. 

Note: If you are using pre-cuts like charm squares or a layer cake, do not starch or iron with steam - they will shrink.
If you are using yardage for this project, feel free to starch and iron with steam.  

1)  Cut 5" x 5" squares from both the Shibori fabric and the Kona white:  a TOTAL of (126) each.

2)  Take (63) of the blue and (63) of the white squares and make (126) half square  triangles. Use a scant 1/4" seam.  Trim to an unfinished size: 4.5" x 4.5"  
A good tutorial for making HST's with charm squares is HERE from Scrapish.
3)  Take (63) of the blue and (63) of the white squares and make (126) 4-patch units. See pix above.  These should be unfinished at 4.5" x 4.5"
 
Note: A good video tutorial on how to make 4-patches from 5" squares is HERE from Me and My Sister Designs. 
If you are using yardage (cut into 2.5" strips)  - a video HERE from Missouri Star Quilt. Co. is helpful.
Or, you just cut up 2.5" x 2.5" squares and a post HERE from Fabric406 explains this method.

 Assemble all your units the way shown above with the 4-patch focus fabric on the top left - and HST focus fabric - top right.  That's it!  Sew away and stack them up.
I figured out my quilt size based on a 4" finished square.  14 squares across & 18 rows down = 56" wide x 72" long.
                                                          
NOTE ABOUT YARDAGE ...
 The yardage for THIS quilt in two colors would be exactly 2 yards of each.  But since I would err on the side of caution with mistakes, pre-washing, squaring up and starch - I would get 2.5 yards of each to be SAFE !

Bonnie Hunter from Quiltville's Quips & Snips has a great chart for yardage if you choose to make this quilt with just two fabrics ... a light & a dark.  Just figure out how large YOUR quilt will be - and go to the chart column for 5" squares. 
 

See the Jewel Box pattern emerge as you rotate these units and match up the triangles and the four patches. 
 I made this diagram which explains the assembly in detail - the colors are not important. Two good links below are also helpful with instructions & pictures.
    *Make all your units (#1).  
    *Take two units (#2) and rotate them so the focus                        fabric HST's are pointing out (#3)
     *Sew blocks together with 4-patches and triangles next                  to each other (#4 and #5).
The backing is a beautiful midnight blue minky.  Wavy line quilting was done with a walking foot in Aurifil 50wt. threads. Following the seams makes it super easy to quilt and creates cute little squares.
More Links:
1)  Shontelle from England Street Quilts has a great PDF and diagrams for a Jewel Box quilt here While our assembly techniques are different (Shontelle stripped pieced her 4-patches, I made them from 5" squares) - her pattern guides are the best.

2) For some step by step pictures of Poppy's Jewel Box quilt, visit Cuckooblue

Thanks to everyone for their tutorials and for all those who left comments that corrected my horrible math skills.  (2/14/19)


Materials:
Shibori II by Moda / Debbie Maddy
Kona white
Dimple dot minky / midnight blue
Binding: Cotton Couture Midnight / Michael Miller
Aurifil Thread 50wt: #2600 (dove) & #1248 (denim blue)
Warm & White batting
Jewel Box quilt pattern
Size: 56" x 72"
December 2018

73 comments:

  1. thank you - I hope you do try it & if you need any help just drop me an email, good luck :)

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    1. Hi Ruth, did you prewash these beautiful indigos? Also did you use all of your 20 fat quarter fabric, or have some leftovers? Thanks so much!

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  2. This is beautiful - I so want the machi fabric by Debby Maddy for another quilt I have in mind but I may decide on yours instead.

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    1. Thank you- even though this fabric is 'blue' there are so many different designs and tones within it. I liked this pattern because it gave me the little pieces I love to play with but also a bigger square to showcase the tie dye motifs. Good luck on your quilt :)

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  3. I tried to sign into Google to not be anonymous but it isn't optimized for phones. Sorry.

    This is so pretty, I can't wait too get back into my sewing room!

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    1. Thank you so much - it's so nice when a quilt pattern inspires. I am excited to make one in scraps and see how it comes out.

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  4. Beautiful quilt! Love the colors and design!

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  5. I consider myself a beginner although I have made 4 different projects. Is this an easy pattern. I want to make a queen size quilt for a cousin who is getting married in June. I can only work on this on a weekend so it need something that can go up fast. Where can I get the pattern. Your quilt is gorgeous!

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    1. Robyn - Find a few tutorials on how to make a 4-patch and Half Square Triangles with charm pack/5" squares. They are easy to make (Missouri Star Quilt Comp. will have videos). Sew a sample block and see how it goes. Best advice I can give is: iron a lot and if your blocks come out wonky - trim them all the same size before final assembly. That always works for me. No one will notice if not all the seams match up. I made a diagram in the post to explain the assembly a little more in depth. Good luck and email me if you need more assist.

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    2. Tina, this pattern is very forgiving and I am sure your quilt will be beautiful. Email me if you hit any snags :)

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  6. Absolutely beautiful quilt. Thanks for the wonderful instructions! I have a stupid question, what does HST stand for? Thanks in advance!

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    1. Oh Pam, I love questions. HST is a short hand way of saying: "half square triangles". It's one of the most used components of quilting and this quilt is made up of 'half square triangles" and a unit called a 4-patch (four small equal sized squares that make one big square).

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  7. Ruth, this is beautiful! i am going to try it and I can see where i will have a new hobby! Thanks so much for the simple directions (not that doing it is going to be simple lol).

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  8. I know you can do it - if you need any assist don't hesitate to contact me. The prep before you start is just as important. Whatever method you choose just starch your fabrics and make friends with your iron. Even if you have to trim up all your blocks to the same size and everything is not totally in line - once your quilt is washed and being used you won't even notice it. :)

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  9. Did you use a different color of thread on the top and bottom when quilting?
    Im pretty new at this and just in the pictures I cannot see white thread in the blue and I cannot see blue thread in the white so trying to figure out how that works.
    Thank you so much
    Your quilt is beautiful I want to try it.

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  10. Yes Janet - I used Aurifil 50wt. Dove #2600 on the top. Its a really light grey but melds nicely in white and other colors. The bottom is Aurifil 50wt. #1248 which is a sort of denim blue. Now, since the backing was minky the thread sinks into the thicker fibers and they don't show up as much as if you were quilting on a cotton back. Good thread tension keeps top threads on top - and bottom on bottom. If you are new at this I would recommend that you use the same thread color for the top and bottom and that will make things less stressful and more fun. Here is a link to a post I wrote about thread show through which might help. Even if you use a lighter thread on the back with a dark fabric - that's fine. I pretty much have fun with the front color and don't worry too much about the back. Think like Picasso - anything goes.
    http://yeoldesweatshop.blogspot.com/2018/01/how-to-make-minky-quilt-part-five.html

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  11. Such a beautiful "monochrome" quilt. I've been wanting to tru a HST quilt and think this is the one for me! Thank you for sharing!!

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    1. thank you Karen - I think you will enjoy making this pattern

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  12. Such a gorgeous quilt and so clearly broken down to make it seem approachable. Great explaination. Thankyou

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  13. Replies
    1. you are so welcome - glad it could inspire :)

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  14. Your quilt caught my eye on Pinterest because I'm making a quilt with the same fabrics. Yours is beautiful! I have a bunch of half-square triangles leftover, so I may try your pattern for a mini-quilt.

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  15. A mini-quilt sounds like a great idea for leftovers - thanks for nice words

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  16. have you tried this using larger squares? my granddaughter LOVES this pattern, so i was hoping to make it large enough for a twin quilt.

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    1. Hi Peg - I have only made this quilt using 5" squares as the base. I did some research after your question and found most quilters use this size (or smaller). You can adjust the size of the quilt by adding more blocks - or maybe adding a large border. I have put on my list of things to try: making a larger block, starting with 6" squares and see how it looks. Stay tuned :)

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  17. Trying to figure out how many 5” squares are needed for this

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    1. Dear Longarm Johnson - thank you for keeping me on my math toes (which are so wobbly) - you need 126 blue and 126 white 5"x5" squares

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  18. Beautiful! This is exactly what I was looking for to make a wedding quilt for my son and his love! Thanks so much for your details!

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    1. So glad you found this pattern for your son's special day.

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  19. Love this pattern. This will be my next project.

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  20. Hello. So how much yardage of each material do I need to purchase? I didn't see that anywhere within the insteuctions. Thanks!,

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    1. Thank you for the pattern and the math!

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  21. I have been saving batiks for a quilt for our room. I think this is it! Mine will be scrappy as I have all sizes of pieces. I am seriously thinking I will try using 8" HSTs and 4" squares for the 4P. I have quite a few larger pieces of fabric that would accommodate this and I need to make a queen+ size quilt. Sadly I have a few other projects in the works that I have to accomplish before I start this one. LOL

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  22. A large Jewel Box quilt sounds great and will come together faster. I would like to know how it works with larger squares. If you wanted to do a combination type look - make an 'inside' like mine (using the specs in the blog) - and surround the "jewel box panel" with batik squares. That way you can see the whole jewel box design isolated in the center of your larger quilt - rather than have it drape and get lost on the sides. I would love to hear how it goes :)

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  23. Your quilt is beautiful. I did an Irish chain in those colors. I love how crisp and clean the quilt looks! So I just bought the fabric today to do this one and between the scraps I had from the last one I should have enough. If I did my math right it's 3.66 yards of each. Total square inches divided by 36 twice. Thank you for posting the instructions. I can't wait to dazzle my friends.

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    1. Dear Anonymous - I wish I could do math - just re-adjusted the specs to what I hope is the right yardage. I came up with 2 yards each if this quilt was made in two colors. For safety sake I would get 2.5 yards for squaring up, mistakes and steam ironing. Thank you for keeping me on my math toes. I added a link to Bonnie Hunter's guide for yardage and how many squares one can cut - its way better than me in the math department!

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    2. Thank you. My math was wrong. Hope I didn't mess any one up!

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  24. Your quilt is just beautiful. And the blue and white are lovely. Want to join the band wagon and make one!
    How much fabric to buy?
    1) How many styles of blue were used?
    2) And how many yards of each blue Shibori?
    3) I guess to make your size would be 3.66 yards of white?
    Thank you

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    1. Thank you Carole - there were 20 different type of Shibori fabric in the fat quarter bundle that I purchased. I am so not a math wiz because I just redid the specs for yardage. If I was doing this in two colors I would purchase 2.5 yards of EACH for a total of 126 5" x 5" squares of blue, and 126 5"x 5" square in white. I added a link in the post from Bonnie Hunter that may help you more than me when it comes to math !

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  25. What is the finished quilt size as described in this project? Queen, King, Reg, or Twin?

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  26. This is a lap quilt, the finished size is 56" x 72"

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    1. I have four 5" packs of the Shibori fabrics and hopefully I can make a similar quilt with what I have. Wish me luck.

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    2. You should be fine for a quilt this size - If each charm pack has 42 squares, you are good with (3) packs. The best advice I can give is go scant 1/4" for those half square triangles. I know it's better to have larger squares for the HST's and trim down but I had already cut my pieces at 5"x 5" - so was careful and everything worked out fine. Good luck and if you need any help - drop me an email :)

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  27. Your quilt is beautiful! I have never made a quilt for myself but always wanted a blue & white one. This is the one ! Thank You

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    1. Thank you so much - there is such much to like with blue and white and glad you found this one to inspire. Let me know how it goes and if you need any help - drop me a line.

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  28. I love your quilt. I have been looking for one to make for my daughter. using 2 layer cakes of various blues. I think I could make it work if I have enough fabric in the squares. It wouldn't really be a jewel box as the fabrics are flowers but I love the looks of this pattern. Thank you for sharing. Carolyn

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    1. Dear Carolyn - your kind words made my day. Your 2 layer cakes (of 42 pieces each) will result in (336) 5"x 5" squares - and my lap quilt used a total of (252) 5" squares - so you can make it even larger than mine. I am sure your quilt will be like a wonderful field of flowers for your daughter to enjoy :)

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  29. Thank you for your inspiration. I had the shibori fabric, and when I saw your quilt , I knew it was the perfect fit. I am quilting it now, and it is looking great. I made it 82 inches sq. so it is a big baby to move around on my Tiara. Thanks again for all your work putting it up for gals to enlarge their quilting experience.
    Doreen

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    1. Ahh Doreen - what a lovely thing to write, I am so happy that you are enjoying the one you are making. I bet it looks great. I think a lot of us had this fabric and were a little unsure what direction to take and the jewel box pattern seems to be a perfect fit. Anytime you want to share a pix just drop me an email :)

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  30. I read that Doreen made this quilt 82 inches sq. I also would like to make my this size. How many blocks and what size block? Thanks

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  31. Finally a modern quilt that catches my eye! I am a beginner and have started going to quilting classes. With instructions from my teachers do you think I could achieve a king sized bed quilt? Or should I start with something easier. I have pieced together 9inch squares throw rug with a backing. I just love the artwork of japanese fabrics. Cheers, Jane (Australia)

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    1. Dear Jane - greetings to Down Under ... I am sure with your teachers help your could make a king sized quilt and it would be awesome - but I would make a smaller quilt around 45" x 45". It's a nice manageable size, it would be a completed project all the way to that last stitch of binding. You will finish it and enjoy the process and learn along the way. You can practice walking foot quilting or free motion if that is your style - but it would be something totally satisfying to use, look at and enjoy before you take up a larger sized project. See how long it takes to make this little lap quilt - what parts of the process you like more. Is it pattern searching, is it fabric hunting ... is it chain piecing ... is the quilting part your passion or is it just seeing your work and knowing how much you have mastered. The last thing you want is a project that makes you feel pressured or unhappy because it has no end in sight. I think from your enthusiasm you want to continue your quilting journey and what better way than to start with something really cool and fun. not a time sink or financial drain if things go wrong. I wish you all the best and if you have any questions please feel free to contact me - I learned how to quilt through the internet and enjoy helping in any way I can.

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  32. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  33. I will be making this quilt. Your directions make it look so easy.
    Thank you

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    1. Thank you Joyce - and if you run into any snags - just send me an email and I will try and help :)

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  34. Amazing quilt!...i'm starting to do it in green shadows (2 type of green) and white...It's my very first time making a quilt ^_^
    I'm following the Bonnie Hunter instructions and yesterday i cutted all the pieces...but i have a trouble! :D
    I don't understand how many 2,5" stripes i have to cut!!!..I cutted 15 white stripes and 7 stripes for every green fabric...i know...something gone wrong :(

    Anyway, i'll show you my quilt when i'll finish it if you like! ^_^

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    1. Mary - I would love to see your finished quilt. It is a little hard to help you without knowing more details about your quilt - the size and what you have cut and sewn so far - so if you like, give me your email address by contacting me here:

      thefabrichog@gmail.com

      and I can help you a little better. Don't give up :)

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    2. wow!..Thanks Ruth for your replay <3 ^_^
      I'm sorry but i was wrong in my prev comment!...I'm following the Shantelle instruction for the Sparkle (i'm a newbie as i wrote above :D and this quilt will be a special gift for my little sister wedding day on september).
      ...So, what i meant was about the stripes to make the 4-patch using white fabric and 2 shades of green. I didn't understand how many stripes i have to cut: 15?...7?...

      Anyway, i'll keep your email address and if i can i'll write you...for sure when i'll finish the quilt, and if a can, when i'll have sone doubt! ^_^

      (sorry for my bad english...)

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  35. Thank you so much!! I plan to use this pattern for all my children and grandchildrens quilts for next Christmas!!

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    1. I think that everyone is going to love your Jewel Box quilts :)

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  36. I'm having trouble "nesting" all my seams, any tip?

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  37. Hallo Ruth, here my Jewel Box quilt finished!
    The post is in italian language, but you can view all the pics...alsa the pics while my Friend is quilting with Juki Longarm

    https://bit.ly/2kEI5U6

    Hope you like it! ^_^

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  38. I also wrote an article on a similar subject will find it at write what you think. gems and jewels

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  39. Here is the way I made my 4 patches. The video "how to Make Four Patches using 5" squares by Me & me Sister Designs"
    The 4-patches end up unfinished at 4.5".
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PDPlie9PkE

    And an article from scrapish.com
    (https://www.scrapish.com/half-square-triangle-quilt.html)
    explains how to take charm squares (5"x5") and make HST that are unfinished at 4.5"

    I hope this helps

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  40. Now I know what to do with that huge pile of charms that I've been saving for a special quilt! Thank you!

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  41. Hello Ruth,
    Your quilt is absolutely beautiful! My son loves it so much he wants his grandma and I to make him one exactly like yours. I am having some trouble finding the Shibori II fabrics though. Do you have any hints as to where I might purchase them?
    thank you,
    Liesl

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    1. Hi Liesl - while the Shibori II fabric I used is out of print, a good substitute may be Shibori Blues by Robert Kaufman. It is available on-line. If you email me at: yeoldesweatshop@gmail.com with an email address - I can give you some sources if you get stuck. Since this collection has some lighter designs, you may be happy to purchase a few yards of the darker pieces instead of a layer cake or fat quarter bundle.

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  42. Hi Ruth, thank you for your inspiration and excellent instructions. I have now finished my own version of this quilt and both my daughter and our cat are thrilled. I couldn’t get all of the fabric during lockdown so it ended up a bit of a patchwork (pun intended).

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  43. So this is my very first quilt😅 my goodness! Been going at it for two days now and I realise now that this is a marathon not a sprint🤣
    But thank you so much for the easy instructions- it’s been really helpful in this daunting but fun task.

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  44. Hi, so beautiful, Thank you for sharing this post

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