Peak Hour Half Hexi Baby Quilt (#41)

The fourth, and last quilt to be made with Peak Hour by Riley Blake.  With some left over jelly roll strips and a 10" layer cake, I thought it would be fun to experiment making a hexagon pattern.

Here is what worked best for me:  for the jelly roll 2.5" strips, the small half hexagon from Missouri Star Quilt Co. worked nicely. For the 10" squares (layer cake) I used Lori Holt's  large Hexie Half ruler.

I was very lucky finding a layer cake since this design was released 3 years ago ... and was more short on fabric than I thought.  No worries - white Kona came to my rescue to fill out the gaps.

A half hexagon quilt, much like a  tumbler quilt, has to be laid out row by row to balance color. 

It is easier to see the hexagon shapes when the 'top' and 'bottom' hexi's match, but if you don't have enough fabric - mismatched works fine - as does combining the two different sizes.  

The half hexagon templates are fun - the larger size is my favorite as it comes together really, really fast! Quilting was done with Aurifil 50wt white in a loose zigzag, 2" apart - making a beautiful design through the batting and flannel back.

Materials:
Peak Hour / Riley Blake
White Kona
Amy Butler / Sunspots in olive
Aurifil 50wt. white
Warm & White batting
Size: 47" x 54"
July 2015

Under The Stars (#40)

Cindy Lammon of Hyacinth Quilt Designs made a beautiful quilt with this pattern and was generous enough to post on her blog the dimensions for the fabric squares and sashing.   She said, "feel free to copy away" and so I did.  

Cindy's blocks are more complex and showcased fussy cut images while I kept these simple since the fabric was too cute to cut!

 Fabric.com always gives you an extra inch in their cuts, so 1 yard of each design & careful cutting  gave me enough blocks to make two quilts.  Extra yardage was needed for the boarder which was cut at 4.5" and after quilting - trimmed to 4" on all sides.

The white Kona sashing is cut 1.5" wide and all fabrics were starched. I did make a layout for this quilt before I started sewing ... mostly so two designs wouldn't be next to each other.  Even when I knew I had laid out the middle row wrong it didn't matter because I couldn't figure out my mistake. It just goes to show that this lovely simple pattern is forgiving as well.  

 To make this feel like a camping quilt to snuggle up in - and give the illusion of wrapping oneself up in the night - the back is ash grey minky and the simple zig zag quilting is done with Aurifil 50wt. light sand (#2000) and grey smoke (#5004).  Quilting down the center of the white sashing from top to bottom & side to side - makes a really nice 4" grid throughout.

Materials:
Under the Stars from Timless Treasures
Kona white
Aurifil 50wt. / light sand / grey smoke
Dimple dot minky / ash grey
Warm & white batting
Cindy Lammon / Hyacinth Quilt Desgins
Size: 59" x 72"
July 2015

Chillingsworth Quilts (#38 & #39)

A half yard bundle of Chillingsworth fabric made two great skeleton quilts - inspired by a picture from the International Quilt Market, June 2014.

Left:  59" x 69"             Right:  60" x 69"

The quilt tops were cut and sewn at the same time to help me keep track of the layouts. 

They sat finished for a year, waiting for me to learn free motion quilting so I could stitch around the skeletons.  I never learned so it was time to experiment.

I did a grid pattern that was pretty nice - using this video from Nancy Zieman.  She uses this technique on a placemat but I found it also works on something as large as the skeleton panel (24"x44").  My lines are spaced 3" apart and since this panel didn't have an edge to sew off - I just sewed down the side of the panel until I came to a part that needed quilting.  This panel was done with one continuous line of stitching, following a grid made with a Washable Wonder blue marker.

This skeleton panel was done free form using a walking foot - going forward & backwards and around the image ... much harder since my sewing machine was too small for so much minky & batting stuffed into the throat. Never again!

The darker areas of the quilt were sewn with broken zigzags and straight stitching.  Aurifil 50wt. thread was used for piecing & quilting - and worked really well tension wise - the grey stayed on the top, the light sand on the bottom. 

Materials:
Chillingsworth /designed by Echo Park
Aurifil 50wt.
Warm & White batting
Minky / dimple dot beige
July 2015

Another California Girl Quilt (#37)

Two jelly rolls and two different patterns make up this pretty quilt using California Girl by Fig Tree for Moda.  The patterns are simple - a square block (instructions below) and small strips (or a coin pattern).

The truth is, I began two different quilts at two different times and had already cut the jelly rolls for each.  When both quilts were going to end up too small -  I just combined them into one.

The best part of using the pre-cut collection from Moda (or any other manufacturer), is that the end results harmonize - and that was a plus for me since the fabric came out in 2012. There was no stress since every piece worked - and there were many, many pieces.

I opted for a dimple dot minky in taupe instead of honey browns or light creams since this quilt is going to a home with that palette. Those colors would also work for the back. (The coordinating coral color binding was also a request - but a nice choice is the ocean blue like my other California Girl quilt - more of a contrast.)

While California Girl has overall softer colors, its like many other muted collections that benefit from white accents or sashing.  The white allows the designs to pop out and makes the final quilt look clean & fresh.

Quilting was done with a medium broken zigzag using the sides of the squares as a guide - then straight stitching using a 3.5 stitch length down the middle of each square.

The basic pattern for the block uses a pre-cut jelly roll or 2.5" wide piece of fabric.  Begin by cutting a center square 2.5" (I used white throughout) and chain piecing the 2.5" squares on the top and bottom.  
Move to step 2 and sew 2.5" x 6.5" on the sides - chain piecing again.  
I press my seams open and trimmed to 6".  Join 4 six inch squares together and make a block - trim to 11"
White sashing was 2.5" strips of Kona cotton.

Materials:
California Girl by Fig Tree/Moda
Kona white
Dimple dot minky / taupe
Aurifil 50wt / light sand (#2000) & beige (#2314)
Warm & white batting
Size: 65"x83"
July 2015

Far Far Away Quilt (#36)

The challenge with Far Far Away by Heather Ross was to "save the unicorns and the princess" from the rotary cutter. A quick measure showed that a width of 6" was the best for both.

Except for the princess fabric, I cut 14 fat quarters into 6" squares to make a simple quilt.  Enter my recent love affair with the Accuquilt half square triangle and the fact that I found you could make an hour glass block with it ...well, the first quilt idea went out the window. (Pictures how to do this are below)

There is no pattern for this quilt which means there are no 'mistakes' or rules.  First, I cut out as many unicorns as I could - then matched the remaining fabric in pairs to harmonize.  There is a lot going on with all these patterns and similar colors seemed best.

I sewed all the 'hour glass blocks' together and trimmed to 6" - and didn't count or stress about how many or where they were going.
After this basic sewing was done, I cut the princess fabric to 6" wide and made two long strips - one white, one pink. 

The princess fabric gave me my starting point for length -  after that it was just laying out what looked best, making sure the unicorn squares were balanced on either side.  I never made a count for how many squares I had - there is a scrappy element to this design and leftovers would just 'fill in' when necessary.

When the middle portion was finished, I needed to 'build' up the rest of the quilt to a twin size.  I got a request for 'more pink' - so 2 yards of pink princesses made up the sides. 

 Left over hour glass blocks were added to another yard of frogs - and they made up a big border on the top and bottom.  

Star minky makes up the back and the quilting was done with a bright pretty pink Aurifil 50wt.  Only after I did my usual zig zag over the large seams did I experiment with 3" diagonal lines in a diamond pattern using a straight stitch (length 3.0 to 3.5). 

Materials:
Far Far Away / Heather Ross
Warm & White batting
Aurifil Bright Pink / #2425
Star minky
Accuquilt 4.5" finished HST
Size: 72" x 85"
April 2015 

How to make an hour glass block with the Accuquilt half square 4.5" finished triangle.

Starch and cut your fabric as usual - a 6" square of fabric works best on the die.





Shown here is how you make a regular half square triangle - you sew on the LONG side - using a scant 1/4" seam.

This is your basic method for making the herringbone, chevron and diamond blocks that use HST.

However - to make an hour glass block - you take your triangles - and sew the SHORT sides together.






Lay out one hour glass block at a time to minimize mistakes.






After you have your 2 halves - sew those together and trim to a perfect 6" square ... voila, an hour glass block.

Sweet As Honey Quilt (#35)

Sweet as Honey by Bonnie Christine is a beautiful collection of autumn hues that look so pretty in a random tumbler pattern.  20 fat quarters were cut using a 6.5" Accuquilt tumbler die - with left overs cut into small squares that filled out the sides.  

Ironing and starching are a must since Art Gallery fabric is thinner and more delicate than most quilting cottons, so don't go too fast when you start sewing your pieces. 

 If you go too fast with those first stitches (mine were very small at 1.5) this thinner fabric can dip into the needle 'hole' and you end up with lots of really small stitches on top of each other - almost impossible to cut apart since the fabric is so fragile.

I tried a new combination of layering - cotton top / Warm & White batting / minky back.  

I was worried that minky and batting would be too massive for this dainty cotton - but it wasn't.  There didn't seem to be much weight difference between using my usual flannel in the middle versus the Warm & White - and I kept the size modest with lap quilt dimensions.

(Note:  Warm & White/Natural seems thinner to me now than when I started quilting a few years ago.  Back then, a minky/batting combo seemed just too heavy.)

Quilting was a medium sized broken zig zag in Aurifil 50wt. Sand, following the tumbler shape and then down the middle from top to bottom.  

Materials:
Sweet as Honey / Art Gallery 
Warm & White batting
Aurifil  Sand 50wt.
Minky dimple dot in Camel
Accuquilt 6.5" tumbler
Size: 58 "x 75"
April 2015

Gypsy Caravan Snowball Quilt (#34)

Rustic chic doesn't get any better than a snowball quilt made with Amy Butler's Gypsy Caravan and real linen.

Linen is so organic & soft after washing, and as always, Gypsy Caravan doesn't disappoint. Amy Butler's patterns & colors harmonize next to each other and the linen adds a natural element.

There are lots of tips for sewing garments with linen but not many on how to make a quilt with it.  The biggest caution seems to be a concern with the linen edges unraveling when using a 1/4" seam.  Internet advice suggests that sewing with a larger 1/2" seam is a safer option. 

Good advice but this was not possible if I wanted my corners to fit into the 'snowball' and not make a distorted block.

 A scant 1/4"  was my only choice.  I pressed my seams open and quilted on them in a grid pattern, as well as through the middle of the snowball using a medium broken zigzag  stitch.  That way, any stray or loose linen edges are sewn down on the inside - and the seam is really secure.

 I did pre-wash in hot water & dry the linen on hot a few times to maximize shrinkage (which was a few inches). This really did tighten up the fabric weave (which was a good thing). Between starch and ironing, the linen did become 'shiny' - but in the end everything looked great after washing.

 If you are nervous about how the linen will look in it's final stage - iron and starch a decent sized scrap piece.  Throw it in with your hot washes a few times.  Afterwards you will see that you really can't ruin this natural fiber and be able to sew with confidence. 

The most time/labor portion of this quilt seemed to be in the ironing. Fabric for 528 corners and 132 snowballs needed to be starched/cut/sewn - and ironed again - but the Accuquilt die was fun and the cutting part went quickly. 

The end goal was not to make this look like beautiful pressed linen bedding - but a textured quilt worthy of a 'very cool & fancy gypsy caravan."

Materials:
Amy Butler / Gypsy Caravan
Natural Linen IL090 from Fabric-Store.com
Warm & White twin sized batting
Aurifil 50wt. Light Sand 2000 for piecing & quilting
Accuquilt Snowball die
Faultless Starch (lots)

Size:  71"x 83"
February 2015

Herringbone Baby Quilt (#33)

This herringbone pattern made with half square triangles is so easy and effective for any quilt - not just a sweet baby boy blanket.

Using my Accuquilt 4.5" finished sized half square triangle die, starch, a scant 1/4" seam and small stitches (1.5) - the squares came out perfectly.

This template here from Riley Blake Designs can be saved to your computer and then printed out - making layout very simple.

The best part is that everything is easy to keep track of.  Chain piecing only two colors is fun - and using a dainty broken zigzag on the seams didn't take too long since the blanket was so small. For a larger quilt I would recommend a larger zigzag but still in the grid pattern. 

Lastly, Riley Blake Blenders (or Shades) add such depth because of their mottled/uneven coloring.  I've used this slate gray before in the Fancy Fox and Mustache quilts - and it is so much prettier in real life than any photo can show.  For a selection of colors, check out The Loopy Ewe or Stash Addict Quilts.

Materials:
Riley Blake Slate Blender
Kona white
Backyard Baby / Michael Miller for backing & binding
Isacord #40 thread
Warm & White (Crib size)
Accuquilt HST 4.5" 
Size: 40.5" x 45"
March 2015