Ticker Tape Giraffe Quilt Block Ticker Tape Giraffe Quilt I recently posted a tutorial for this guy s friend, Ticker Tape Owl. It was so fun to make using my fabric scraps, that I decided I needed a giraffe. Of course, he can be any color but if you have yellow, brown and orange fabrics, you ll want to jump right in! Scroll to the bottom to see how insanely fast you can create borders with an applied trim?used in the border of this project by simply using a Seamingly Accurate Seam Guide.
Finished size: 18? x 18? project sizes can vary depending on how you finish the block. Supplies Elmer?s School Glue Sulky Monofilament Thread Water Soluble Marker Seamingly Accurate Seam Guide Fusible Interfacing 1/2 yard linen (I used a recycled garment from the thrift store.) Assorted fabric scraps 1 fat quarter (18 x 22 ) solid yellow fabric 1 package brown single fold bias tape PDF Giraffe Template Prep The first thing you ll need to do for this project is print the downloadable PDF Giraffe Template. Tape him together, matching his nose and neck lines.
I used a shirt back from a thrift store garment. After measuring, a?14-1/2 square will be as big as I can?cut. Apply the fusible woven interfacing to the wrong side of the linen.
If you are using the 1/2 yard linen for your background, you?can cut to any size you prefer. For my project, the background fabric is 14-1/2 x 14-1/2 and is cut after the interfacing is applied. Mark the center of the linen square. Use a window pane as a light box by taping the owl to the glass. Tape the linen background over the template, matching the marked centers.
Use the water soluble marker?to trace the image onto the right side of the linen background square.
Ok. He looks good and I can see all his marked lines.
Fabric Scraps Any scraps will work. All scraps will take a moment or two to sort and organize. I m going with traditional-ish colors on this first giraffe. My ticker tape giraffe?uses pieces ranging from 1/4 to 2 in size. Work on a surface that will allow for ironing. By that I mean, a towel, portable ironing pad, or ironing board. Starting with the horns, arrange fabric scraps leaving a small space between each shape. Keep the scissors close and trim scraps into needed shapes as you go.
Before moving onto another section, add a tiny dot of?glue behind each fabric scrap to secure it in place. Use an iron to set the glue.
Continue to add fabric scraps, trim as needed and glue baste them in place.
This is the pile of trimmings from my already-small scraps. Whoa.
Secure the Scraps Use?Sulky Monofilament Thread?and a free motion quilting foot to stitch around each shape. Why clear monofilament thread and not a coordinated color? Using the monofilament on the ticker tape fabric scraps will allow you to travel from shape to shape without needing to trim threads. Simply stitch on over to your next shape. No one will ever know. Apply Trim to Borders For the borders, unlike the owl which features a half square triangle border, this giraffe will have a solid yellow border with applied trim. We ll miter the corners. I m going with the brown single fold bias tape. Since we will be mitering the corners of the border, cut 4 strips 2-1/2 x 18-1/2 from the yellow fat quarter of fabric. Determine where you ll place your trim. I m placing mine 1/2 from the cut edge. Once the border is applied, the trim will be 1/4 from the block.
You can measure this the whole length of the border, adding pins and hoping the pins don t cause the trim to skew. OR you can use the 1/2 guide mark on the Seamingly Accurate Seam Guide. Simply line up the yellow cut edge of fabric with the solid grey 1/2 mark. Lay the right side of the trim under the needle. As long as both of these two things are in place as you stitch, the trim will be applied accurately. I created a youtube video to show you how to apply trim. The video features a demo project so you ll need to use our 1/2 giraffe measurements when applying your trim.
Sew along the right side of the trim. Flip the piece and stitch along the left side. Perfect. Ok. Now over to the design wall.
I wanted to get an idea of how the giraffe ticker tape quilt would look once it was framed. For my project, I hadn t trimmed my block to 14-1/2 x 14-1/2. I did that right now, before I added any borders. Add Borders Fold the giraffe in half along each side, making a small crease with your finger. Fold the borders in half to find their center. Match right sides and pin the centers of the top and bottom borders to the giraffe block.
Use a 1/4 seam allowance to join the border to the giraffe block. Start and stop 1/4 from the cut edge of the block.
Pin the right and left sides to the block. Matching right sides and centers. Fold the top and bottom borders out of the way, gently as you stitch. Start and stop 1/4 from the block s cut edge. Open all four borders and press the seam allowances towards the yellow fabric.
Your corner area should look like this:
Miter the Corners Work with only one corner at a time. Fold the block at a 45 degree angle, matching the cut edges and seams of the border fabrics. Pin the border, making sure the brown trim matches perfectly on the top and bottom fabric layers. Using a quilter s ruler, draw a line to extend the fold into the yellow border. The line will also be 45 degrees and should intersect the corner of your border strips.
At the sewing machine, position your needle on the line, directly where your previous stitching lines stopped.sew directly on the marked line to the corner.
Open the corner;?check that the trim matches and there are no bubbles created on the block at the corner seam. If you notice something you don t like, simply rip the stitches, press the block flat and refold. Most of the time, errors come from: 1. starting the stitching line in the wrong place 2. not having the 45 degree fold accurate. If it looks good, trim the excess fabric to create a 1/4 seam allowance and press to one side. Here s the front:
Repeat those mitering steps for all four corners. Ah-dorable. This guy is ready to go!
Use a damp cloth or misting spray bottle of water to remove the ink marks.