"Cheater Quilts" with Floral Pets

Some novelty fabrics are just too cute to cut up - enter Floral Pets by Mia Charro (read more about Mia here). 

 It was time to make a few 'cheater quilts" with the cutest dogs and cats ever and coordinating flower borders. 

A cheater quilt features fabric designed and printed to look like patchwork or applique. All you have to do is quilt and bind. A cheater quilt can also be a panel or isolated image - the choices are endless.  Basically - you don't cut up and sew back together!

I pre-washed the panels (the dog & cat yardage), and they did shrink and slightly skew.  I was not fussy and straightened them up as best I could. But this video from Laura Ann Coia of Sew Very Easy has a wonderful tutorial on how to Square up a Quilt Panel.

It was a great time to pretend stitching in the 'ditch' - something I never get to do since I press my seams open.  

The same rules apply to cheater quilts - starch, iron and have fun.  I loved using a bright Aurifil 50wt. #2220 (light salmon) on all the quilts ( I made 3), and straight stitching lots of grids.  

For each quilt I bought 1.25  yards of pet fabric for the inside and 1.5 yards for the border & binding. (Note: when I made these Floral Pets was sold as yardage not panels.  Each panel now sold from Hawthorne Supply Co. has 4 rows of rectangles.  I have 7 rows in my quilts - so 2 panels should be perfect to make this sized quilt).

The border fabric was cut at 6.75" and then attached.   2 yards of fun bright minky for each quilt and I was good to go!
Tip:  Since your binding will come out of the boarder fabric, cut binding first. Play around with some numbers.  Estimate how big your quilt will be with a border 'this many inches' - and cut your binding to fit that size. Even if you make a mistake or have to fudge a little on the border - you absolutely will have enough binding.  

Note: I really wasnt thinking when I pre-washed that the panel would go wonky. I just didn't want the cute animal faces to be too crinkly when the quilt was finished.  Maybe on the next cheater quilt I will not pre-wash ... but since this fabric had a big grid - a little trimming was no big deal. 

These were very fun to make and if you leave off the wide border - super easy and approachable for a beginning project. A small cheater quilt is also a great way to make a minky quilt for those of you who are a little hesitant of jumping into that fluffy world of minky!

Materials:

Floral Pets by Mia Charro / Blend Fabrics

Dimple dot minky : Shell & Coral from Hawthorne Threads

Aurifil 50wt. #2220 (light salmon)

Warm & White batting

Size: 50" x 53"

March 2019

  

Modern Half Rectangle Quilt (#104)

This modern half square rectangle quilt is a combination of fabrics, pattern and techniques.

The fabric: whites, grays & blues from many different Zen Chic collections by Brigitte Heitland and Kona white. Kona Ash is the binding and a grey dimple dot minky for the backing called Silver from Hawthorne Threads. 

The pattern:   Harlequin by Robin Pickens was my inspiration.  I bought the pattern to help me figure out color placement and guide me towards a modern vibe.  

The Technique: Deb Tucker's Split Rects template and video for assembly. I made a few blocks following the Harlequin pattern - but found I liked the consistent way Deb Tucker allows you to make over sized blocks and then trim down. This quilt block can be called "half rectangle", "split rectangle" or "split rects".

The way you cut your fabric makes a big difference. If you cut the fabric with all pieces right side up - the diagonal goes left to right. If you cut the fabric with the wrong side up - the diagonal goes right to left.

To  achieve the mirror image or diamond look of this quilt - I cut the fabric both ways, right sides up AND wrong sides up.  

It wasn't possible to follow exactly the Harlequin pattern for fabric placement - but it did give me a starting point.  My objective was to balance the darks and lights and scatter the blues so they looked even. 

I laid out the bulk of the pattern row by row using the unfinished, un-sewn half rectangles.  I took a picture as I did each row in case anything fell off the design board.  I put numbered pins on the left side of every 'unit' when I was ready to sew them together. 

After sewing and still keeping the numbered pins on the left side - I trimmed them to their final size of 3.5" x 6.5" using the Split Rects ruler. Then I sewed a row together and put it back on the board.  (above left is an unfinished unit - the right one is unfinished but trimmed)

You can see how much smaller the finished units all sewn together look next to the original cut pieces - but the accuracy and perfect matching up made it all worth while.

Last to do was layout the top, bottom and sides with a variety of whites. It was easier to sew together the 'inside' of this quilt and do the whites last because I ran out of room on my design board.  

Quilting was done with a walking foot, straight lines 1/4" on either side of the seams. Lots of vertical, horizontal & diagonal lines in Aurifil Thread 50wt. #2311 (muslin) on the top and #2600 Dove for the bottom.  Not the fanciest of quilting but I think it makes a nice 'modern' design for those of us who don't know how to free motion.

Final tips:  
I did wash and starch all the fabric.  
Trimming on a rotating mat was very helpful.  
I am not a math wiz but:  1 yard of fabric yields around 90 separate half square rectangle  pieces.  There are 38 separate pieces per row across and there are 12 rows down.  Total separate pieces: 456 for a quilt 58"x 73".  That means over 5 yards total for this quilt. 

Why did I over cut and have lots of extra fabric?  I needed units that went 'right' and 'left' to create the diamond effect - and figuring out how many of each and in what colors was beyond me.  This is someone's wedding quilt and needed to be pretty perfect.  Good news is that I have enough left overs to make a more relaxed pattern where the diagonals can go any which way - whew!

Materials:

Zen Chic variety / Brigitte Heitland
Kona White and Ash
Warm & White batting
Silver (gray) minky / Hawthorne Threads
Aurifil Thread 50wt. #2600 & #2311
Deb Tucker's Split Rects Ruler
Pattern inspired: Harlequin by Robin Pickens
Size: 58" x 73"
February 2019

Baby Scrap Kaleidoscope Quilts

To start the new year here are two scrap mini quilts.  This size of 40" x 40" is perfect for a baby, child or to cover your legs when sitting in a chair.  Except for some shiny bright white Kona - these quilts are scrappy in every way. 

The batting is made up of smaller pieces sewn together. 
Trim the pieces straight. Sew with a generous 1/4" seam.  Press open.  Flip over and zig zag on the flat seam side. Sewing on the front with a zig zag is optional but I do this so the quilts will be ready for lots of machine wash & drys.  Also, my quilting is not dense because it's minky on the back and I want that batting to stay together.   

The minky backs are a collection of three or four left over pieces - usually different colors. Rotary cut these as straight as possible.  Sew right sides together with a 1/2" seam.  Iron seams open using a low temperature - minky will melt & distort on high temps.

Turn the minky over and sew on the soft fluffy side with a large zig zag stitch on the seam.  This too is optional, but now they can handle lots of wear & tear.  Yes, the stitching could be prettier - but it's a scrap quilt and you have saved a ton of money.

Left over binding is sewn altogether and attached as usual.

Two previous posts: here and here will give you specs and information on how I make these scrap kaleidoscope quilts - or go to the right sidebar and click on "Kaleidoscope".

Aurifil 50wt. is my go-to thread for piecing and quilting.  There are so many colors with this type of scrap quilt and using white thread goes with them all. The star pattern made by novelty fabrics is the focus - the quilting not at all.  I do wavy line quilting on the seams and then down the middle of all the 'triangles' - no marking, just by eye.  Easy peasy.

These are going to a grade school with a box of my fabric scraps. The scraps will be used in various art projects. I wanted the kids to see that random colors and designs can be combined to create something beautiful.

Materials:
Novelty cotton fabric / Kona white
Aurifil 50wt. #2024 (white)
Warm & White batting
Dimple dot minky
Accuquilt dies: Triangle-Isosceles 5"x 6" / HST 3" Finished
Size: 40" x 40"
Date: January 2019

De La Luna Family Portrait (#103)

The fabric:  Here is the very popular De La Luna collection from Tula Pink. It has everything a Day of the Dead fan could want:  eye balls, skulls, bats, beautiful bright colors and so much more.  Better yet, I was able to purchase the fabrics as part of a quilt kit - a first for me. 
(Quilt kit from DIY Addict here.) 

The pattern:  The pattern is free (here) and called Family Portrait. It has since been updated to include the correct amount of yardage and fussy cut instructions. Unfortunately not in time for me - but luckily for those now making this quilt.

I like to pick a quilt pattern that can be made from a few simple blocks - put them together and call it a day.  Of course this pattern was nothing like that!

Here are some tips I found helpful especially since these blocks were not oversized for final trimming.

1) Measure the fabric and make sure it can handle slight shrinkage that will come from using starch & steam.

2) Make a dummy block and get a handle on unfamiliar angles or techniques.

3)  Sew slowly and be as precise as you can with your seam allowance.

I did all of the above and after more sweaty palm moments than I would have liked -  totally enjoyed the pattern, the fabric and the challenge of making something so different.

Quilting:  Because there is so much going on in this quilt I kept it to simple lines 1/4" on either side of the seams with a walking foot.  I did not sew over the faces and opted for a beautiful Aqua thread from the Tula Pink Chipper collection - Aurifil 50wt. #2835.  

The backing is black dimple dot minky. The pattern called for 2.25" width for binding - yikes. I usually do 2.5" width because of the bulk of the minky & batting.  But the good news is - a 2.25" wide binding can work with such a ' thick' quilt sandwich. 

Materials:

De La Luna / Tula Pink

Family Portrait pattern / Free Spirit
Quilt Kit from DIY Addict

Aurifil 50wt #2835 (bright Aqua) #2692 (black)
Warm & White batting

Dimple dot minky / black

Size: 59" x 59"

December 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

It's a "Swell" Christmas Quilt (#101)

Nothing says Christmas like this fabric from Urban Chiks called Swell.  Cute retro images in soft cream, pink and green with a bright punch of Santa red.

If you happen to pick up a jelly roll and are not sure what to sew ... Thimble Blossoms Patchwork Swoon pattern (here) is a perfect fit.  For my first holiday quilt I wanted something that screamed CHRISTMAS, so instead of using a solid background fabric I used this happy red & white Christmas text by Henry Glass.

This is a nice pattern to follow with good directions and diagrams.  I chose to put a solid Santa square in the middle rather than patchwork.   

There are some overages of half square triangles (HST) that are a by product of the design. Quite enough for another project like a table runner or little blanket.

Quilting and piecing was done with my favorite off/white Aurifil 50wt. thread #2311.  It's sometimes called Muslin and it just melds with white Kona & the softer creams of Swell.  I love little squares created by jelly rolls (and 2.5" squares) because they create a ready made grid for me to follow when I quilt.  A wavy line following the seams with a walking foot is my 'go to' quilting method for most projects - it's pretty fast, easy to do and looks consistent.

For a large quilt with lots of design punch Patchwork Swoon is perfect. There are smaller versions of the same Swoon design, a 16" block just came out and is demonstrated here on the Fat Quarter Shop YouTube channel. 
Materials:
Swell by Urban Chiks / Moda
Holiday Wishes / Henry Glass
Kona white
Aurifil 50wt. #2311
Patchwork Swoon pattern / Thimble Blossoms
Warm & White batting
white flannel
Size: 73" x 73"
November 2018