Some Thoughts on Workshops and UFO's
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Scrap Happy
91" x 91"
Fabric Requirements
4 yards background
4 yards total assorted dark prints
3 yards sashing, outer border, binding
¾ yard inner border
Cutting List
|
Fabric |
Strip width |
# strips |
Piece size |
# pieces |
|
Background |
2" |
26 |
2" x 2" |
512 |
|
|
|
10 |
2" x 3" |
128 |
|
|
3 ½" |
16 |
3 ½" x 4 ½" |
128 |
|
Assorted dark |
2" |
16 |
2" x 4 ½" |
128 |
|
|
|
20 |
2" x 2" |
384 |
|
|
3 ½" |
16 |
3 ½" x 4 ½" |
128 |
|
Sashing |
1 ½" |
20 |
1 ½" x 18" |
40 |
|
Inner border |
2" |
9 |
|
|
|
Outer border |
6" |
9 |
|
|
|
Binding |
2 ¼" |
9 |
|
|
This quilt was pictured and directions provided in Fons and Porter's Love of Quilting Magazine in June 2010. The directions they wrote were a little different than mine, and I think mine are easier. I also wrote them to take advantage of my tool, the Gizmo. Of course, you can make the quilt without the Gizmo, but I think it's easier! These directions are free for your use, but are not for distribution to guilds, or internet groups, or any other entity. Please ask anyone who wants to make the quilt to come to my site to get them. Thank you.
Introduction
For many years I've been making scrap quilts using the fat quarters that I collect at quilt shops and at shows. Those fat quarters threatened to take over my sewing space at one time, till I figured out a way to cut them up to make them the most usable for the kinds of quilts I like to make. I cut them into strips – 6 sizes of strips – and then when I am ready to make a new scrap quilt, the bulk of the cutting is already completed because I can just go into that stash of strips and choose what I need. There is no need to go to the shelf (or store) and find a fabric, unfold it, press it, square up the edge, cut my piece, refold the fabric and put it away on the shelf. It is a huge savings of time, and if you like to make scrap quilts as much as I do, it's nice to have that resource available when the urge to make a new quilt hits.
The quilt here, Scrap Happy, is made with 3 ½"- wide strips and 2"-wide strips. All the pieces except the sashing and borders can be cut from strips of these sizes.
One of the things I often do to provide continuity to many of my scrap quilts is to use just one background fabric – sometimes it helps to lessen the visual confusion that can happen when you use both scrappy darks and lights. That is true of this quilt.
I'm using two techniques that are new in this quilt. I'm making half-square triangle units from rectangles rather than from squares, and I 'm using two-for-one piecing to make some of the units. The reason for this is that I am using pre-cut strips, and had to find a way to make the correct size of triangle squares from the strips I already had. These techniques are very simple to accomplish, and can be done with standard quilting tools, but are easier with a tool that Sally has invented called the "Gizmo." We'll show you both methods for doing these techniques.
For half-square triangles, place a dark and light 3 1/2" x 4 1/2" rectangle right sides together. Place the gizmo so that the short end of the gizmo is on the long side of the rectangle. Make sure that one side of the gizmo comes out through one corner of the rectangle, and the other side of the gizmo comes out through the opposite corner. Draw lines along both sides of the gizmo. Sew on the lines, then cut between them. Press the seam to the darker fabric. Each pair of rectangles will yield 2 triangle squares.
If you are using standard quilting tools, you'll need a square ruler that has a diagonal line through the center. Place the ruler so that the diagonal line is on one short side of a pair of rectangles, and the corner of the ruler meets the corner of the rectangle. Draw the line from the corner to the opposite side (not the opposite corner). Turn the fabric around and repeat on the other side. Then sew the units together as above. Your unit will look like this.
Use the same technique as above for drawing lines on the 2" x 3" background pieces that you will be using for the two-for-one piecing. It is important that the lines on the 2" x 3" rectangles go in the direction indicated, otherwise the stars in the center of the blocks will spin in the opposite direction.
Construction
1. Sew the 2" background squares to 2" print squares. Press seams toward the darker fabric. Sew pairs of units together to form four patch squares.
2. Draw diagonal lines as shown above on all the 3 ½" x 4 ½" background rectangles. Place each rectangle right sides together with a dark rectangle. Sew on both drawn lines, then cut apart between the lines. Press the seams toward the darker fabric.
3. Draw diagonal lines as shown above on all the 2" x 3" background rectangles. Place a rectangle on one end of a 2" x 4 ½" print rectangle. Sew on both lines, then cut apart between the lines. Press the seams on the resulting triangle squares toward the darker fabric, and press the seams of the pieced rectangles toward the corner (toward the background).
4. Sew a 2" background square to one side of a 2" triangle square as shown. Press the seam toward the background square.
5. Sew the unit from step 4 to the pieced rectangle remaining from step 3. Make sure that the two ends match.
6. Arrange 4 triangle squares with 3 four patch units and two units from step 5 as shown. Sew the units together into rows; sew the rows together. Press seams in opposite directions from row to row.
7. Arrange 4 blocks together, rotating each block ¼ turn around the center, so that a star appears in the center of the unit. Sew the blocks together to create one large block.
Assembly
1.
Arrange the blocks on a design wall; check to be sure that identical fabrics are
not placed next to each other, and that the color distribution is pleasing to
your eye. Add 1 ½"-wide sashing strips between the blocks, and 1 ½" setting
squares at the junction of each set of sashing strips. Sew the blocks and
sashing strips together into rows; sew the rows together. Press seams toward the
sashing strips wherever possible.
2. Add a 2" inner border on all sides of the quilt, stitching the border to the side edges first, then to the top and bottom edges.
3. Add a 6" outer border on all sides of the quilt, stitching the border to the side edges first, then to the top and bottom edges.
4. Bind the edges with 2 ¼"-wide strips of double-folded binding.