Simple Square Quilt in Feather Flock

The third and final quilt made with the prettiest novelty fabric called Feather Flock by Tina Givens. Feather Flock came out in 2015 but some pieces are still available on Etsy.  How can a little quilt this cute really be called a scrap quilt?

Quilting is straight lines on either side of the seam with a generous 3.4 stitch length and then down the middle with Aurifil 50wt. #2425 (light pink) and #2311 (muslin) on the back.  

I sewed two left over minky pieces together as well as scrap batting for the interior.  You can see here how the quilt lines from the front create those little pockets of minky puffiness that make this type of blanket so fun.  I am still a big fan of dimple dot minky and an added bonus is how many colors are now available.   Quilting with minky is always done with a walking foot, going slow and steady.

A little purple and some Kona white made a small border and binding is in hot pink.  Perfect for it's new owner who just turned 9.  

Novelty fabric does not always translate into cute quilts. But here you can see how simple quilt patterns like the 'snowball' and 'granny square' can work with bright, bold designs - especially when paired with a crisp Kona white.  

There was something about the colors, the fairies and little birds with crowns that appealed to me and I have loved every quilt I made with this collection. 

Luckily I had a left over granny square and some true scraps to make this funky block for myself ... I have no idea what to do with it for now ... but this block is staying with me!

Materials:
Feather Flock / Tina Givens
Warm & White Batting
White minky from Hawthorne Threads
Vanilla minky from Fabric.com by Shannon
Aurifil 50wt. #2425 & #2311
Kona white and scrap purple/hot pink
Size:  44" x 45.5"
April 2019

Granny Square Quilt (#58)

This granny square quilt block is reminiscent of the crocheted squares many of us made with yarn. My focus fabric is 3.5" x 3.5" - larger than most tutorials which use a 2" or 2.5" square.  I love this bigger size. 

Each Block: 
13 colored fabric squares 3.5"x 3.5"
12 squares background: 3.5" x 4" (rectangles) 

Sew all small squares & background rectangles together in rows except for the top & bottom rectangles. 
Iron seams open (top right picture).
Next - sew all the rows together.  (don't iron yet)
Now sew on the top & bottom rectangles so they can be centered over that middle square (middle left pix).

It's almost time to iron the horizontal seams but here is a tip: finger press the seams in the proper direction from the FRONT before ironing.  These seams are NOT pressed open.
Finger press 3 seams towards the top square and iron from the front.  
Finger press 3 seams towards the bottom and iron from the front.  
Now feel free to flip your block every which way and give it a good iron since all your seam directions are perfect!

There are many ways to make this block - most vary in how big to cut the background fabric pieces.  You can cut all squares the same size - or even use half square triangles for the sides -  I tried those methods and while ragged edges will probably get 'trapped' in the 1/4" seam I opted to use more fabric with waste for piece of mind. My background rectangles  are 3.5" x 4" ... 1/2" bigger than my colored fabric. I found this tip on Wombat Quilts.

Each block was trimmed to 13.25". A little awkward but since I didn't have a pattern and need to keep everything within 60" wide - this math worked best. 

Kona white sashing between blocks was cut 2" and the top/bottom and sides sashing cut 2.5".

Everything trimmed nicely after quilting with wavy lines in Aurifil #50wt. white - and of course, beautiful soft minky on the back. 

This is "Teen Quilt No. 3" for my daughter's friends.

Materials:
Feather Flock by Tina Givens
Kona White & Pansy (binding)
Dimple dot minky / vanilla from Fabric.com
Aurifil 50wt. white #2024
Warm & White batting
Size: 60" x 74"
November 2016

Snowball Quilt in Feather Flock (#50)

A perfect way to showcase large repeat fabrics is with a snowball block.  

 Feather Flock by Tina Givens is rich in saturated colors and harmonizes so well that only a little white is needed to separate all the different patterns and hues.  Some quilts look good with a random placement, but this collection needed similar colors to be grouped together so the weaker fabrics wouldn't get lost.

I used the Accuquilt snowball die, fat quarters and lots of starch.  Once you have had fun cutting out the center pieces, its just routine to do all the corners and iron.  

For all its simplicity in assembly, the final effect of a snowball quilt is a winner every time.  Aurifil 50wt. is my go-to choice to piece & quilt through spray baste, minky & batting.  By following the seam lines and then through the snowball, the finished blanket always looks good front & back.

One of my favorite dimple dot minky's is vanilla - great when I need a 'neutral' to go with a strong colorful quilt top.  A minky & batting blanket is heavier than a traditional quilt, but when I give everyone a choice of backing, they want "that soft fluffy stuff"!   My standard size of maximum 60" wide and no longer than 74" makes it machine wash & dryer friendly. 

Some fabrics are thinner than others but Feather Flock is regular quilting weight and needed a #14 needle to attach the binding.  Sometimes I can get away with a #12,  but after my thread kept skipping I knew it was the needle size, not the Aurifil Dove #2600, which blended well with the Kona Grape Mist. 

Materials:
Feather Flock by Tina Givens (LlamaFabrics)
Kona: White & Grape Mist for binding
Dimple dot minky in vanilla (Fabric.com)
Accuquilt snowball die
Warm & White batting
Aurifil #50wt. White, Light Sand #2000, Dove #2600
Size: 58" x 74"
April 2016