Materials List: 8 fat quarters- this will give you a nice variety to choose from when sewing the blocks. You will need some variety in value lights, darks and mediums. Leftovers will be sewn for the scrappy second border 1 yard background- this includes the first border acking and atting need to be 50 X 50
Log Cabin efore you begin- Please read all instructions. The assumed width of fabric is 42 for this pattern. ¼ inch seam allowance is used for all seams Cutting Instructions Dark Fabric: 2 1/2 X 2 1/2 2 1/2 X 4 1/2 2 1/2 X 6 1/2 2 1/2 X 8 1/2 2 1/2 X 10 1/2 Light fabric: 2 1/2 X 2 1/2 2 1/2 X 4 1/2 2 1/2 X 6 1/2 2 1/2 X 8 1/2 2 1/2 X 10 1/2
The log cabin is one of the most basic and beginner quilt blocks out there. For the Quilt Along we will be starting with this block. Keeping it very simple. There are strips light and dark. They are sewn kind of in a circle or rotate around the center block. Depending on where the light and dark are placed you end up with a traditional log cabin quilt block or a courthouse steps. The pattern again takes on a new look when laid out.the possibilities are endless! The size of the block is easily enlarged if needed. ecause the log cabin is such a simple quilt block it is perfect to check your seam allowance. Getting this down is the biggest determining factor if you end up with the correct size of block or not. The ripple effect will happen if you seems are not correct. y the end of the quilt you will be very frustrated with your quilt. Working on your seam allowance will let you avoid this. Plus, You can sew anything in the quilting world once you have mastered the 1/4 seam allowance! Testing your 1/4 seams: 1) Taking two scraps of fabric right sides together, sew with your regular seam allowance. 2) Take a ruler and measure the seam allowance- from the sewn seam to the edge of the fabric. Is it 1/4? 3) Make adjustments depending on the answer Is your seam to big? Sew again, going just a little bit smaller and re measure. Repeat until you know exactly how to sew a 1/4 seam. Is your seam to small? Sew again, going just a little bet wider and re measure. After you have found the sweet spot of seams- you can lay a strip of tape along the machine so you know where to line your fabric on. Does your machine have markings next to the place already? Mark the line or measurement which will give you 1/4 seam allowance. You are ready to assemble the block!
Log Cabin lock Instructions: You can lay out the fabric strips out to help you remember what goes where. With a traditional log cabin block, one side is light and the other dark. 1) Pin the two smallest blocks in light and dark fabric together 2) Sew together down one side- checking that 1/4 seam! 3) Iron 4) Pin the next light fabric, then dark, and dark again, then light, light. Repeating sewing, ironing until all pieces are used. Hint * When sewing on the new strip, you will be sewing across 2 seams. If you have only sewn across one you are sewing the strip to the wrong side!
Dresden Plate efore you begin- Please read all instructions. The assumed width of fabric is 42 for this pattern. ¼ inch seam allowance is used for all seams Cut out 7 using the template Fold the larger edge in half and sew 1/4 seam. Repeat with all 7 pieces
Push the point right sides out and iron Lay two pieces, right sides together and sew along the edge. Match the top point- shown by arrow, the bottom will not match {this will be covered up by the circle later} Continue this process until all 7 are sewn together. The angle of the edge allows the wedges to curve naturally. Iron Cut your background 12 1/2 X 12 1/2 square Place the dresden wedges onto background square. Now, before you all wig out I will let you know that this will not fit perfectly!! The wedge works best when going from one side to the other.so please be aware that the end wedges will be cut off. This is ok, because there are some fun and funky or cranky quilt blocks coming up in the quilt and will help this little issue blend in. ecause they are kind of floating at this point you will want to pin them down. Sew in the ditch in between each wedge. You can choose for yourself if you want to sew those tips down. They do kind of blend into the quilt being 3-d like a previous block. They are almost like a little pocket tube! You can sew the whole tip down, or take a few stitches right at the point..or leave them alone. You decide. Corner circle you have two choices here. You can raw edge applique the top circular edge, or you can sew two circles together and then sew the 1/4 circle down. Instructions for both methods: First method- Cut the quarter circle out and place on top of the corner of the quilt square. Pin in place and sew 1/8 inch seam allowance on the curved edge of the quarter circle- raw edge applique Second method- Cut out two circles 1/4 larger than the template. Sew together along the curved edge. Snip the edge- turn right sides out. Iron
Hexagon efore you begin- Please read all instructions. The assumed width of fabric is 42 for this pattern. ¼ inch seam allowance is used for all seams Applique: 1) Cut out template- note on the pattern if the template includes 1/4 seam allowance. If it does, proceed if not, make sure when you cut out your fabric that you add the seam allowance or your sizing will be off! 2) Raw edge applique- pin or glue in place and use a zig zag stitch along the outside edge. You can also use a button hole stitch or other fancy stitch your machine might sew.
Hexi Instructions: Cut background 13 X 13 Fold in half twice and iron- these will be a guide for placing hexagons. 1) Cut out hexagon template 2) Cut out 27 hexagon shapes with 5 X 5 squares 3) Fold background in half twice and iron- you are using these crease lines as markers 4) Lay the first hexagon with the center creases right in the center of the hexagon 5) Lay the rest of the hexagons out the edges will touch 6) Pin or Glue each hexagon in place with a dot of glue on the background Fold line Applique Stitching Instructions: 1) Sew along each hexagon outside edge with a zig-zag stitch 2) Trim the background to 12 1/2 X 12 1/2 centering the hexagons in the center
Paper Piecing efore you begin- Please read all instructions. The assumed width of fabric is 42 for this pattern. ¼ inch seam allowance is used for all seams Paper piecing is Instructions: 1. Cut out paper piecing templates 2. Place your number one fabric on top of paper -right sides facing up- and pin in place. Make sure your piece is at least a 1/4 larger than the template it is for..seam allowance is NOT accounted for on the template. # 2 3. With the paper on the bottom and the fabric on the top, fold back one edge until you line up the black line with the edge- Use your wooden pressure here to get a good crease. 4. Open the paper and fabric up- you will notice that there is a crease in the fabric. If you can t see it well enough, refold and repress with the wooden pressure.
Paper Piecing Instructions: 1. Place your next piece right side down on top..let this piece go past the crease 1/4 for your seam allowance. 2. Pinch with your fingers or pin in place, then turn so the paper is now on top showing your sewing lines. 3. Sew on the lines with your sewing machine. * backstitch at both ends- this will help the seam stay when you are removing the paper later. 4. Open up the fabric that you have just sewn and using your wooden iron, give it a good press. 5. Fold back the fabric and the paper {you don t want to cut it!} and trim any extra fabric that is past the seam. If you don t, it will make the block bulky and if there is a lighter color on top the other seam will show through! 6. Repeat the same process with the other triangles. It really is like sewing by number. lol
Paper Piecing Finishing the block: 1. Place the block right sides facing down, paper on top. Trim your block using the paper as a guide. Cut 1/4 past the outside edge {remember this is your seam allowance!} 2. Sew triangle one to triangle two, so the finished block is square. Sew two squares together for the top half of the block, repeat with remaining two squares for bottom half of block. 3. Notice the points won t necessarily matched. This is planned. You can leave the paper on the backside on until the block is sewn into a row. This will help the seams stay secure and the block keep the correct size. When sewing with paper pieced blocks, you are using all sorts of bias and don t even know it. After the block is sewn into the row you can then remove the paper. *Hint- fold the paper over with the folded edge the same as the sewn line, and run your finger along the folded edge to crease it. Open the paper back up and tear along the sewn line. This will allow the paper to tear easier.
3 Dimensional efore you begin- Please read all instructions. The assumed width of fabric is 42 for this pattern. ¼ inch seam allowance is used for all seams 3-D is where the fabric is folded and there are little tucks in the corners. Cutting Instructions Center lock~ 4-- 2 1/2 X 2 1/2 dark 1-- 2 1/2 X 2 1/2 background 2-- 3 X 3 background {cut these in half = 4 triangles} 2-- 5 X 5 Light {cut these in half = 4 triangles} Outer orders~ 12 2 1/2 X 2 1/2 dark 12 2 1/2 X 2 1/2 background 4-- 4 1/2 X 2 1/2 background
3 Dimensional Center Instructions Sew center row of dark, background, dark- using 2 1/2 X 2 1/2 squares Sew triangles (from the 3 squares)to either side of dark 2 1/2 square -match up the flat side. The points will be off the square just a little bit Sew triangles to right and left side of dark square Sew each side piece to the right and left side of the center unit Sew the remaining triangle (from the 2 1/2 squares) to the top and bottom of the center unit Sew the 5 triangles to all four sides of the center block
3 Dimensional order Instructions Fold in half the 2 1/2 X 2 1/2 dark squares- point to point. This will make a triangle. Repeat so you have 12 folded triangles Pin this triangle so the fold is running down the center diagonal of the block. The outside edges will line up with the background block. Repeat these steps until you have 12 folded triangle squares Lay two blocks right sides together and sew a seam Open blocks and Iron Sew the 4 1/2 background piece to the center of two of these units Repeat steps for a second section Take one folded square and sew the either side of the 4 1/2 background piece Repeat steps for a second section
3 Dimensional Finishing Instructions Sew these two sections to either side of the center block Sew the longer sections to the top and bottom of the block Remove pins- you will now have a 3-D quilt block
Flying Geese efore you begin- Please read all instructions. The assumed width of fabric is 42 for this pattern. ¼ inch seam allowance is used for all seams The flying geese quilt block is the perfect way to learn all about points! Making your points, pointy is one of the basic sewing skills for quilts. Points can be tricky, but really after a few tries you will be able to know right where your seam should be and how to get the perfect point. When you are going to sew your points, you will find that there is a 1/4 overlap of fabric, that the point doesn t go to the edge of the block. That is how you need it! You are doing everything right if this happens. If you have points to the edge of the unfinished block, you will be cutting them off with the next seam. This overlap allows the next 1/4 seam to but right up against the point. Perfect. Another part of the flying geese to keep track of is your fabric placement. The background is usually the corners with the geese being the large triangle shape in the center. If you notice in the block above, there is an additional pattern because of the fabric placement. Cutting Instructions Use the diagram to help with fabric selection ackground: #1: #2: #3: 1 1 3 2 2 3 3 2 2 3 1 1
Flying Geese Draw a line from corner to corner on all backs of and #3 squares Lay the background square -right sides together on #2 Sew on the drawn line Cut 1/4 past the drawn line and iron Repeat with #3 square on opposite corner Cut 1/4 past the drawn line and iron Cut to 7 1/2 X 3 1/2 Repeat steps for a total of 4 flying geese blocks 2 3 2 3 2 3 2 3 Using the steps above, repeat the process with #1 as the rectangle and ackground on each side Repeat for a total of 4 flying geese blocks 1 1 1 1
Flying Geese Lay blocks out and sew together two blocks to make one corner of the square Repeat for a total of 4 corner squares Rotate blocks for the following layout Sew two block together, repeat with other two blocks Sew these two sections together 1 1 2 2 3 3 1 2 3 1 2 3
Curved Piecing Cut 5 strips out of different fabric 3 1/2 X 15 1) Lay all strips on top of each other and cut a curve on one side Remove 2 strips. Cut another curve on the other side of 3 strips. * hints: the template will not be as long as the strip. Just move it to the next part and continue cutting Match up the template edge to the edge of the strip, that is why the length of the strip is longer than the quilt block. 2) Line up right sides together 2 pieces. You will be matching up the valley and the hill The sides WILL NOT match!! Don t worry about it. Line up the hill and valley 3) Pin the top of the hills to the bottom of the valley. The pin will only be on the top of hills on one strip and only the valleys of the other strip. You will not be pinning the whole strip. it will look weird, but you will be moving and adjusting things, so just go with a few pins. 4) Sew the 2 strips together. * You will be fiddling with the fabric and pieces from now on..just remember to sew slow and steady. Watch your seam allowance keep it consistent and 1/4 and watch those edges that they stay together. You don t want to find any holes when you are ironing them because the edges snuck away from each other. The strips might need to curl up a little bit so the other hills that are not pinned get lined up properly. Make a few stitches-needle down, readjust the sides, a few more stitchesneedle down, readjust the side. 5) Iron 6) Repeat the process until you have all of the pieces sewn together. The 2 strips with flat sides will be on the outside of the block. 7) Square up to 12 1/2 X 12 1/2
Cranky 9 Patch Materials needed: 9 5 X 5 squares 1) Sew 3 rows of 3 squares in each row 2) Offset the second row you don t want those seams to match, we are going cranky here 3) Sew the last row on, offsetting again 4) Taking your ruler, turn it just a little bit on an angle and cut your quilt block to 12 1/2 X 12 1/2
Cranky 9 Patch Since we have been diving into the I go by my own rules for the last couple of blocks we are going to tackle something totally different for this last block. You will be making a block using raw edge applique technique AND using a coloring page for your template and pattern! How fun is that?! Let me tell you that with the internet in your hand and your imagination you can go wild with this! You don t even need to be an artist or have a fancy drawing program. You will be given the templates for the fox- but I wanted to let you in on making your own template so you can choose your own character for the corner. You can change the title too- Quick as a Rabbit. Quick as a ird. See? You are learning how to step out of your comfort zone and into your imagination. Trust yourself and give something new a try. Site to use for templates. Please make sure that you can use the drawings and that they are copywrite free or open to the public. With that out of the way- let s find some examples of shapes that will work for raw edge applique. * simple shapes- don t go to complicated. Very simple. Nothing embellished. The more complicated the drawing, the more pieces to cut, sew and stress over fabric choices with. * use a lot of contrast in your fabric when layering one on top of the other * giraffe- very simple neck and head shape, a few ears, and the dots would be fun to do too. Turtle- simple layered shell, a couple of feet, tail and head. I wouldn t do toenails on the turtle.
See where I m going with this? Keeping it simple will let you enjoy your applique experience a lot better. The hardest part would be picking the animal I think! Now that we have the animal chosen we need to pick it apart and make templates for cutting out our fabric with. Materials needed: ackground fabric cut to 13 X 13 1) pile of paper to trace onto 2) sharpie marker 3) printed picture blow this up to the size you prefer. The finished quilt block is 12 X 12. You can lay the paper on top of you block to audition the size. Make your adjustments before making the templates. Let s get started! If you are sewing along and would like to use the fox for the block- download the fox template and continue with step 4 of the instructions- 1) Trace all the lines of the drawing with a dark and kind of wider sharpie marker. You need to see these lines when you lay another piece of paper on top. 2) Lay a blank piece of paper on top of the sharpie marker copy 3) Trace around the outside body line. The whole body. For the giraffe it would be the whole head and neck, for the whale it would be the top body part. See the process? Then move the paper so you have a fresh spot and repeat tracing around the next shape- say the ears. You will be cutting these out so you don t want any of the templates to be on top of or overlap on another template. It looks a bit kooky, but this will keep you from tracing and retracing the parts over and over again. 4) Cut out the templates and pin on the right side of the fabric cut out 5) Pin the fabric pieces on the right sides of your quilt block {i recommend cutting the background block just a little larger than the size, so if anything shifts or is miss-aligned you can make an adjustment with the final sizing of the block, that is why in the materials list it says to cut your background 13 X 13 } 6) Pins get in my way when I am sewing with raw edge applique technique, so we need to replace them with a few dots of glue. I have used glue sticks.or roxanne, or whatever glue you prefer. Glue the pieces down layered correctly and remove the pins. A few dots or spots of glue on each piece will work just fine. 7) For stitching raw edge applique you can use a dark thread. This does show up a bit more, but gives it a more whimsy-ish feel to the block. You can also decide to use matching thread, light thread or whatever thread! For this quilt I used a light or white thread.
8) Sew around each shape, 1/8 inch seam. I know there are pieces overlapping other pieces, just sew them the best you can stopping and starting at the overlaps. When you sew the top piece it will of course be sewing all the other layers beneath it at the same time. 9) If you are going for a super whimsy look, sew twice! This will forgive any stitches that went crazy and are a little off. Don t try to make all your stitching perfect. This quilt is about letting go a little bit and having a little freedom in how you are piecing and sewing. If you want, you can even put a quilting or walking foot on your sewing machine and guide the fabric with your hands. *notice that the belly on the fox is tucked behind the legs and that the part inbetween the legs has been cut out.
Jumping right in- sashing. What is a sashing? Well, for a quilt it is the little trip that goes in between the quilt blocks. There are times when these need to be spaced apart and separated because they are- too busy, the size of the blocks don t match, you need the quilt larger, to take over the design with a whole new design, a place for the eyes to rest..they are kind of important. In this Quick as a Fox Quilt Along, I decided not to add any sashings in between the quilt blocks. They weren t crazy busy. They were a pretty perfect size when sewn together, and there was enough background that I didn t really want to add any more resting space. Even though I didn t add them in my quilt, I wanted to mention a few options with sashings. They really can be a simple thing- Add a bit more interest and go with a second pattern- how about 4 patch in the corners You could even throw the quilt blocks totally off and do a half square triangle, but when put all together, they make their own friendship star. You can really do a lot with sashings {or not}. Play around with some of your fabric when you get to this point and audition some options. Look around the internet and find out what layouts that catch your eye. What did they do in the sashings?
orders they are usually added to give the eye a place to rest. Quilt blocks are busy, and your eye is traveling around everywhere. There needs to be a place on your quilt where your eyes take a little rest. This is where the borders come in. They can be any size, and you can have as many as you like. Usually there is a first border or a stop border {where your eyes stop} and then a larger border showcasing the fabric. orders can also be made up of pieced blocks. Again it s kind of like the sashing- what is your purpose for the border? What kind of style or look or design are you going for? This will determine the border or borders and what fabric or blocks you will sew with. In the Quick as a fox quilt along, the first border is made with the background fabric. That way the quilt blocks are visually larger and keeps the busy second border away from the busy quilt blocks. I kept it simple {this is for a beginner sewer} so there is nothing fancy. Just a place for the blocks to get some spacing and the eye to rest. The second border is a pieced border. I had used fat quarters for the quilt blocks and had a bunch of random sized pieces left over. I wanted to use as much as possible of the fabric so I cut them into the same size of strips sewing those together, they made up the outer border. If you have a piece of fabric that you would like to showcase on your quilt/border, then that will work fine too. This second border can handle being a little busy because it is competing with the quilt block center for attention. Let s get back to our layout Lay the quilt blocks out and move them around until you like the layout the best. I chose to put the quilt blocks with the most background in the four corners and in the center. That s what I found the most pleasing, but feel free to move them around to what you like the best. Sew the blocks into 3 sets of 3 blocks. Then sew the sets or rows together to form a new quilt top! Cut 2 strips background 37 1/2 X 2 Cut 2 strips background 39 X 2 Sew these strips to the sides and then top and bottom of the quilt blocks or new quilt top center. Outer order: Cut leftover scraps of fabric from the quilt blocks into 4 strips x random lengths. {your scraps might determine how long the strips are} Sew these strips into long strips. Measure and cut: 2 strips 4 X 39 2 strips 4 X 46 Sew these strips to all four sides of the quilt.
Thanks for sewing along with the Quick as a Fox lock of the Month. If you have any questions- please ask! For ideas and tutorials on how to bind your quilt- I have a few posts and instructions on my blog. http://www.patchworkposse.com/blog/2010/03/focus-friday-how-to-bind-a-quilttutorial-series/ A copy of How to ind your quilt pdf file will be sent to you to when you sign up too!
Fox Face Fox cheek Fox- ear tip Fox- tail tip
Fox- elly Fox- ody Cut out this area- the belly tucks under the legs
1 2 1 3 4 3 2 1/4 Not Included- 4 copies per block