Four Patch in a Sqaure

It's funny how fabric you loved in 2012 might not be a favorite in 2021.  But when I found some forgotten Lucy's Crab Shack charm packs it brought back fond memories and a desire to make a simple, no stress quilt.

A great source for Four-Patches using 5" squares is Mary from Me & My Sister Designs and her video from The Fat Quarter Shop.  I followed every step of her video to make all my four-patches.

Each four-patch was supposed to end up 4.5" unfinished - but mine didn't - so I trimmed them to 4". 

This extra trim meant that I could cut a 5" square into 4 pieces,  twice on the diagonal - and make a square in a square (or economy block).  The math worked out.  Even a 4.25" center square 4-patch was too large to accomplish my goal - using up all the Lucy's Crab Shack charm squares and no other fabrics.  

Other inspiration came from Jolene of Blue Elephant Stitches - and her lovely quilt and post here. She also has a link to a tutorial on how she made her quilt - and here is my tutorial of the same block but in a larger size.  

The final trim of the block is 5.5" with hardly any waste at this stage.   So, that's what on the sewing table right now - a simple, very beginner friendly block made with  pre-cuts.   

Materials: 

Lucy's Crab Shack from Sweetwater

Four-Patch Tutorial from Me & My Sister Designs here

Thanks to Blue Elephant Stitches for inspiration

January 2021

Bee Joyful Panel & Layer Cake Quilt (Part One)

While I am still putting the binding onto this quilt I figured I could write about how it was made.  

Deb Strain has the greatest bee fabrics ever.  This collection is called Bee Joyful and like her previous bee motifs, all the fabrics harmonize and go together without much fuss. 

This quilt is made with: 1 layer cake, 1 panel, Bee Hive Damask for the binding, cream for the economy blocks and black for the borders.

I cut the whole layer cake into 5" squares and made 4 patches using the method shown in this video from Me and My Sister.  I paired up a light and a dark to make the 4-patches as scrappy as possible.

A nifty way to move small pieces from a cutting table to your sewing machine is to slide them onto your ruler and transport them.  

I trimmed all the 4-patches to 4" x 4" - and to add some interest - took that 4-patch and turned six of them into economy blocks.

2 squares of  cream 5"x 5" fabric were cut once on the diagonal to make 4 triangles and sewn together like any other economy block (or square in a square).  I have a picture tutorial HERE  (but with different measurements). 

Because I made all the 4-patches BEFORE I did any math or layout -  I had to seam rip apart some units to fill in under the economy block.  This made my rows have an odd number of squares and those unpicked little squares didn't have any seam allowance since they were already trimmed. 

 Bottom line - keep some spare larger pieces to help fill in spaces for odd sized rows. Start with the 'fancy block' first and do the math for the pieces around it. I did it backwards and it was a learning experience.  

Like all panel quilts - there is a chance that even though you measure - things don't always line up.  I thought my panel was straight and my rows square - ha ha ha!  They weren't.  The left side came out perfectly - the right, not so much.  

So, I added a black stripe on the top and bottom of the panel unit and did some 'creative' squaring up.    Because I added two black stripes to 'frame' the panel portion - I stopped the 'drift' and the lower borders had a chance to become straight again.  Bottom line:  where things didn't match up, I trimmed and overall it looks just fine.

Always good for a laugh when things go wrong yet again.  I thought I would use painter's tape to help me quilt on the diagonal since my squares weren't all aligned to make a nice grid.  After two rows and the tape flying off the quilt - I realized if I continued with this method, I had to re-position one piece of tape EACH TIME!  Heck no.  

I got out the chalk and marked the lines 3" apart.  It came out so nicely and Part Two will highlight the finished quilt. 

I made a lot of mistakes with this quilt, but nothing that the seam ripper or extra trimming couldn't fix.  Don't get discouraged if things go awry.  Things go wrong all the time and there is usually a way to 'fudge it' and make it work.  Just looking above I can see where I trimmed and my blocks didn't meet the black border ... oops ... but overall it's a pretty quilt.  I learned what not to do and this fabric is telling me to BEE JOYFUL - so, I will!

Materials:

Bee Joyful  by Deb Strain for Moda

Cream Numbers from Lucy's Crab Shack

Cotton Couture black by Michael Miller

Warm and White batting

Dimple Dot minky Marigold / Hawthorne Supply Co. 

Aurifil #2314

February 2020

Baby Quilts Aren't Just for Babies

Today is a departure from the details of assembly and instead, share how I am convinced that  "Baby Quilts aren't just for Babies ... they're for everyone!"

Short story is I messed up my neck and back nerves 8 months ago.  I am still in the rehab stage and sewing was off limits for months. This has really shown me how traditional sized quilts may not be in everyone's future, or mine for a while. 

When I could sew for a few minutes a day, I began with the Guinevere Quilt Kit from the Fat Quarter Shop.  The fabric is Enchanted by Gingiber. Lovely big pieces and an easy to follow pattern from It's Sew Emma (Guinevere). 

Next came a scrappy Kaleidoscope with pieces cut using an Accuquilt die.  (Go to the sidebar and click on Kaleidoscope for more details).

Lastly, a simple 4 patch made with a Lecien jelly roll and some hand cut 2.5" strips of white Kona.

What used to takes weeks - now took months of slow and go sewing.  I started to see the positive aspects of making smaller quilts, and this will be my trend for the immediate future.  Smaller blankets tick all the boxes for that mental kick of creativity.  Less space is needed for layout, less to clean up, easier to finish and manipulate in the sewing machine.  A perfect way to try out different patterns and techniques even at a slower pace.

Good sizes start at 41" to no more than 45" square.  A nice size to drape over a chair or couch and not end up on the floor.  Big enough to snuggle up with and cover your legs - or chest - obviously they are not going to cover everything unless you are a baby :)  

And ... if you want to experiment using minky as a backing - this is the perfect time. Minky is sold at 60" wide - so 1.5 yards of the soft stuff will cover your project perfectly!

Here are some older smaller quilts that fit into this size category.  I must have been making "Baby Quilts for everyone" and didn't realize it! So, if you don't know a baby -  pick out a favorite adult fabric, find a simple new block and enjoy making yourself a 'Baby Quilt!"

Materials:
Enchanted by Gingiber (Geinevere pattern by It's Sew Emma)
Lecien Retro 30's Child Smile jelly roll
Novelty cottons
White Kona
Warm & White batting
Dimple dot minky: vanilla & midnight blue from Fabric.com
Hawthorne Supply Co. minky: Quartz
Sizes: 41" to 45" square
Date: August 2019

Little Ruby 4 Patch - Square in a Square

How cute is this square in a square quilt?  It may look complicated but it is very forgiving because you trim ... and then trim again. Here is what my starting pile looked like below.  

There are two names for this block - square in a square or the economy block.  Here are the sizes and techniques I did for making this quilt.  Lots of pictures to share but shown in different fabrics since I ran out of Little Ruby to demonstrate.

I cut all my scraps into 2 1/2" x 2 1/2" squares - or made them that size by sewing a few pieces together. (see below)

All squares were sewn together into a 4 patch with two similar patterns per block if possible. The important thing is to make sure the center points look good in the middle. The outside edges can be wonky since all 4-patch blocks will be trimmed to 4" x 4" unfinished.

3 3/4" x 3 3/4" squares are cut out of the background fabric.  Then sliced on the diagonal into triangles.  Finger press the triangles to create a little crease - wrong sides together.

Lay your triangle with the little crease, right sides together on a seam on the 4-patch. I have a little blue line marked on the wrong side that shows you where the crease is in the pix below. The crease kind of nestles into the seam and easily lines up your center point.  If you made the crease with right sides together it would create a little 'bump' and not lay flat when you sew. 

Sew two triangles on opposite sides of your 4 patch.  Don't call the quilt police because I am not sure if this is the 'right' thing to do - BUT I always flip my units over and trim off the little 'ears'.  Now press open the seams and do the whole thing all over again on the remaining sides. (pix below - the blue marks are only to show where the crease/fold lines are for this post)

You now have another lovely wonky block.  No worries.  Press seams open and trim again. How you do this final trim is up to you - whether it's with a square ruler or on your cutting mat. The final size you are aiming for is 5 1/2" x 5 1/2" unfinished.

I enjoy using Deb Tucker rulers where her technique is to make over sized units and trim down.  She has two rulers that do this for a Square in a Square.  One template is for sizes 1" - 6", and then a 2-ruler set that makes sizes 1" - 12".  The link is here.

I positioned the Square in a Square ruler with the dotted lines on my 4 patch - lining it up with the number 5 on all the points. There is little waste and the 4-patch is nicely centered.  Trim to 5 1/2" x 5 1/2".

The rest was pretty fun - laying out the squares all in rows.  Nothing on the diagonal and all straight stitching.

The same technique and same size was done for the red 'diamonds' on the side.  The only reason it looks different is because this 4 patch is made with two red and two background squares.  

When the background fabric is used as part of the 4 patch - the dominant color creates a nice pretty diamond effect.
Quilting was done with wavy lines in Aurifil 50wt. white #2024 on the top and red #2265 in the bottom bobbin.

There was one little snag that disappointed me with this quilt. The minky was pre-washed a few times and I can't remember if the Little Ruby was way back in 2017.  But even with Shout Catchers there is a slight pink tinge to the background fabric. 

This quilt is solid proof that while I may see a 'pinkish' flaw - the sentiments and thoughts for making this quilt in the first place are what's important.  It's with great joy I gift another quilt to someone new - a lovely lady called Barbara - so she can snuggle up and enjoy  something made especially for her.

Materials:
Little Ruby / Bonnie & Camille / Moda
Modern Background Paper / Zen Chci / Pin Dot - Silver white
Red dimple dot minky
Warm & White batting
Aurifil 50wt. #2024 & #2265
Deb Tucker Square Squared Ruler
Size: 45.5" x 45.5"
March 2019

Four Patch Quilt (#77)

To  make a quick child's quilt I used some left over Lecien Retro 30's jelly roll pieces and RJR Pixie Strips.  Color scraps went on a white strip and then cut to widths of 2.5".

I sewed them into four patches and should have stopped to trim them all the same size - I didn't. 

There is always some distortion with pre-cuts and slight variations with different brands.  They didn't look too wonky but in the final assembly my seams were off in some rows.  No amount of tugging was going to match them.  But some careful trimming around the quilt top and a border fixed everything up nicely - whew!

I like the whole idea of pre-cuts just not the fact they vary in size a lot of the time.  Happy with the final result since no one is going to get upset with a few unmatched squares and using up scraps is great ...win/win. 

Materials:
Lecien Retro 30's jelly roll
RJR Pixie Strips / Supreme White
Warm & White battinga
Dimple Dot minky in Azurite /  Hawthorne Threads 
Aurifil 50wt. #2311
Binding: Marmalade Stripe Raspberry / Moda
Size: 41" x 41"
May 2017