If you would like to make a modern quilt that is quick and VERY easy to put together, this is a great one to try. I've made this quilt with a quick cutting and sewing method using fat quarters and instructions from this tutorial by Lindsay at Craft Buds.  Hop over to the tutorial as see how easy it is, you will make 8 blocks at a time!

I was first inspired by this picture of a Diamond Ripples quilt block done by Hadley at Flying Blind On A Rocket Cycle.  This was just one quilting bee block, and the large finished quilt is just stunning.  You can see it HERE.

Source: Flying Blind on a Rocket Cycle

I LOVE the grey, pink and orange together and was looking for something similar, but when I saw Comma From Zen Chic for Moda, and that it matched well with the wedding invites, I knew I would have to be working with these gorgeous greys and golds.  BUT... I wanted my pattern to be on a much, much larger scale, so Lindsay's tutorial was perfect!

Fabric Requirements:

16 Fat quarters (18" x 22") (8 in grey or dark print and 8 in gold or light print)
3 1/2 yards of coordinating backing fabric
3/4 yard binding fabric
Twin size batting (at least 58" x 73")
Coordinating quilting thread

Instructions:

- This quilt is made from 63 - 8" Half Square Triangles (HSTs) that are laid out in a 7 x 9 grid.

- Using Lindsay's method, with 8 dark and 8 light fat quarters, you will make 64 HSTs, leaving one extra HST that you will throw in your scrap bag and find next year.

- START by going to the tutorial and begin under the 3rd photo with the instructions that read "Spread out and stack two of your fat quarters, and trim to an 18″ x 18″ square ".  I go ahead and pair one light FQ and one dark FQ together, right sides together at this step and then continue on with the instructions until you have sewn and cut all 8 of your pairs of FQ's and trimmed the HSTs down to 8". (To make it even faster, you could cut 4 or 6 layers at a time.) You should have 64 HSTs when you are done. Be sure to leave Lindsay a nice comment about her awesome tutorial!  Thank you!

- NOW lay out your HSTs in 7 x 9 grid that looks like this:




- With right sides together, pin blocks in each row on one side, use a 1/4" seam allowance and stitch the blocks together in each row.  Press seams open (Alternatively, press all seams to one direction in one row (right) and one direction in row below (left) and continue alternating left and right until all 9 rows are done.)


- With right sides together, pin rows together, sew with a 1/4" seam allowance, and press seams open.



- Prepare your backing fabric by cutting it into two large sections, and sewing it together with a seam across the width (horizontal).  Press seam open.  Your backing will be approximately 63" x 88".

- Baste your top, batting and backing together as desired.  I like to use spray basting.  This is a great tutorial for spray basting.

- Quilt as desired.  I have quilted with gold thread in the gold fabric and grey thread in the grey fabric, using a straight line quilting method, following the diamond pattern in the quilt. To do this, I started with the centre grey diamond, quilting in the ditch, and then continuing on to quilt all the grey areas of fabric, and then the yellow.  I quilted approximately 5/8" (I think!) apart using a quilting bar attached to my machine to measure. However, I would recommend you measure the width of your coloured stripes and divide it into equal parts to determine how far you want apart your lines. As recommended by my local quilt shop, this time I used a top-stitching needle with my integrated walking foot and it worked like a dream.  



- Bind using your favourite method.  I did machine binding, using this method from Red Pepper Quilts and it worked fantastic for me. The only thing I do differently is attach my binding on the BACK of the quilt in stead of the front in the very beginning so that it folds over to the front when I am machine sewing it down.  I machine sew it down on the front instead, and yes you will see all the stitching on the front of the binding, but I feel it gives me better control of how the front of the quilt will turn out.  If I do it the "proper" way, I am sewing on the front side and it looks pretty, but sometimes when I flip it over I see that I have missed the binding edge and it makes me grumpy.  You can decide on your favourite way, her tutorials are so amazing and helpful.

I hope you make one of these for yourself or someone else.  They make a great gift, and are just the right size for two to cuddle under on the couch!









 

Woohoo!  Finally got some sewing done last weekend.  I finished up the June, July and August foundation paper pieced quilt blocks that I'm doing in the Lucky Stars BOM hosted by Don't Call Me Betsy.  I think this quilt is really starting to come together, but it's getting increasingly hard for me to pick fabrics from my selected stash that have enough contrast between lights and darks.  I'm finding a lot of my fabrics fall into the medium (warm) level when it comes to colour values.

Here are the blocks, I particularly LOVE July, but June and August didn't turn out how I had envisioned.  But.. I don't think they are horrible.  They will go with the rest of the blocks even though I don't think they look good individually.  You can see the rest of the blocks HERE in the flickr set on my photostream.

June Block - Sunlight Star

July Block - Dulcet Star

August Block - Pinwheel Star

AUGUST SPECIAL:
"Double Happiness" Zipper charms!  Right now I have a special going on my website where you get a free gift if you purchase over $15.00 worth of bag hardware/purse supplies.  (This does not include sewing pattern purchases and this promotion is only available while supplies last.)  Get yourself a double happiness zipper pull, they are cute!



What else have I been doing?  We have a new puppy named Laney.  She is a mixed collie/lab/terrier (possibly), 6 months old, and we adopted her from the Second Chance Animal Rescue Society that operates here in Alberta. She's a lovely companion for our 8 year old son. We love her, but my flower beds have lovely new holes in them, so that keeps me busy.  When I'm not filling holes, I'm PLANNING the next time I can get some bag making and tutorials done.  Summer is so short here in Canada, so I guess I'm making the most of it too!

Thank you for reading! I would love to hear what you've been up to.

Laney, 6 months old.

 

I'm honoured to be featured over at the ChrisW Designs blog today in the Pattern Designer Interviews series.   Get a 20% Discount at the Emmaline website until the end of August 2013, just by reading the interview. Lucky for you that I didn't babble on for hours and hours like I did with my last interview feature. I do love to talk, oh yes I do, and I am paying you with a discount to listen!

As for what's happening around the blog and shop.... SUMMER, summer in Canada is happening... so not much creative work is happening indoors.  Don't worry it only lasts 2 months and then I will be locked inside again until April!  Thank you for reading, I would love it you stopped over to read the interview.