Red Pepper Quilts

Sunday Stash #141

2012-05-20T10:35:00.001+10:00

Vintage Modern by Bonnie and Camille for Moda Fabrics

Vintage Modern is the recently released collection by Bonnie and Camille. It is a complete collection of forty prints comprising bold, graphic designs, as well as quirky vintage based prints in lovely reds, aquas, pinks, greens and soft greys. Here are some of my favorites which I think will also make great stash additions:

Vintage Modern - Hopscotch in Candy, Sky and Pebble

Vintage Modern Snickerdoodle in Candy, Pebble, Pear, Melon, Sky

Courtesy of Moda Fabrics I am today giving away a Layer Cake of Vintage Modern comprising 42 10 inch squares (includes 2 duplicate prints) to one lucky reader.

To be in the draw all you have to do is leave a comment on this post (please ensure that an email address is available on your profile or is included in your comment - NO EMAIL ADDRESS = NO VALID ENTRY). International visitors are very welcome to enter! One comment per person/email address will be eligible to enter the draw.

The draw will take place at 11pm (Australia - EST) on Monday 21 May 2012, at which time comments to this post will be closed. The winner will be announced by edit to THIS blog post, AND will also be contacted by email.

Enjoy Sunday and THANK YOU Moda Fabrics!
Rita

Vintage Modern by Bonnie and Camille for Moda Fabrics yardage and precuts available here:

Fresh Squeezed Fabrics (Etsy)

Poppy Seed Fabrics (Etsy)
Pink Castle Fabrics (Etsy)

Fort Worth Fabric Studio

Lola Pink Fabrics

The Quilted Castle

Triple O ~ A Finished Quilt

2012-05-18T15:19:00.000+10:00

I think it best to start with a warning of a blog post loaded with pictures. I've finished my quilt featuring three circles in the lower left hand corner of the quilt. I think I'll call it my Triple O Quilt (why is naming a quilt this hard?).

It's been a productive week. The Bernina 820 arrived back from service and repairs on Monday and was immediately put to good use. I am really comfortable on this machine now but it has taken almost two years to get to know just how it likes to be handled. Let's just say that when things are good with this machine it's amazing.

I am still thoroughly enjoying the straight-line quilting, and the modern and uncomplicated look created by the intersecting lines.

Taking photos is hard work (I'd rather be sewing), and when I head out with the camera Oliver is at my heels. I take many photos while I am at it - for this shoot there were 80+ images - and take the camera off it's automatic setting to explore the other options. I then choose the best images to edit. I am still learning.

There happened to be countless good images of the quilt edges and binding this time around. The striped binding fabric is from Sarah Fielke's From Little Things collection (Lecien).

I've listed this quilt in my Etsy Store.

The listing can be found here: Modern and Colorful Patchwork Quilt

As always I am ever so grateful for your visit.

Rita

[workinprogress]

2012-05-17T12:56:00.001+10:00

A little home truth today. I can imagine that it must seem like I am super organized and work to a schedule; that I know from one week to the next what I am going to be working on. Not so, I'm afraid. My quilt design decisions and color choices are usually "in the moment" and evolve while I am working on a quilt.

This new project began as a Katie Jump Rope Quilt selecting only the red, orange and yellow prints from this range. Almost immediately I revisited my fabric stash and started adding a wider range of prints in a similar color palette.

Choosing fabric is definitely my favorite part of the quilt making process. I don't hesitate to combine fabrics/colors and it never ceases surprise me how readily multiple fabric collections mix together.

And then ... at the last moment I decided to use the Drunkard's Path templates that have been lying on my cutting table waiting for inspiration to strike. The three circles are machine pieced (in quarters) and add a little "Oh!" factor to this otherwise basic quilt design.

More soon,
Rita

Fabrics of note:

Elephants: Mod Basics Organic by Jay-Cyn Designs for Birch Fabrics
Amy Butler - Lotus - Wall Flower in Cherry
Large Scale Polka Dot :: Riley Blake - Sugar & Spice - Sugar Polka Dot in Red

Summersville Giveaway ~ Winner!

2012-05-17T11:21:00.001+10:00

Thank you! --- for all of your entries to win a FQ bundle of Summersville by Lu Summers sponsored by Moona Fabrics. I am not surprised by your enthusiastic response with 700+ entries; I adore Summersville and have certainly added this collection to my fabric stash!

There could be only one lucky winner:

Congratulations Pomegranate Quilter, be sure to keep an eye out for the postman as this bundle of fabric will shortly be heading your way. Happy Stitching!

The winner has been notified by email.

Thank you to Nicole from Moona Fabrics for kindly sponsoring this generous giveaway!

Rita

Moona Fabrics Giveaway ~ Summersville Bundle!

2012-05-16T09:12:00.002+10:00

It's give away time again! I hope that you will participate to be in the running to win a bundle of fabric!

Nicole from Moona Fabrics has very kindly offered to give away a
Fat Quarter bundle of
Summersville by Lu Summers for Moda Fabrics
to one lucky reader.

GIVEAWAY DETAILS:

This giveaway is for a bundle of 8 Fat Quarters from the Summersville collection by Lu Summers as pictured.

The draw will take place at 11am (Australia - EST) on Thursday 17 May 2012, at which time comments to this post will be closed. The winner will be announced here the same day, and will also be contacted by email.

This bundle of 8 Fat Quarters is ready for shipping and will be shipped directly to the winner by Nicole from Moona Fabrics.

Quick Links:

Nicole is also offering 5% off any purchase*
for the duration of the giveaway with the

COUPON CODE: FULLMOON5

*Coupon valid only for use in www.moonafabrics.com

ENTRY HAS NOW CLOSED

AND A WINNER WILL BE ANNOUNCED SHORTLY

Good luck!
Rita

Mother's Day Crafting

2012-05-13T10:43:00.000+10:00

I had rather grandiose Mother's Day crafting plans, but I may have left it a little too late to get started. Ooops!

I did manage to make these patchwork potholders/placemats complete with insulation (Insul-Brite) to make them suitable for use as oven to table pot-holders.

I enjoyed cutting and fussy cutting into my stash of text and cute Japanese prints. Simple patchwork piecing, so relaxing! The potholders measure 10.5 inches x 10.5 inches and each individual square was cut at 2.5 inches x 2.5 inches.

The back of the potholders feature prints by Aneela Hoey from the Sherbet Pips range and a Riley Blake Chevron fabric, both in red/white. I have also sewn tape into the binding at the top left hand corner for the purpose of hanging the potholders. The binding strip was cut 2.25 inches wide, and unfortunately each potholder needed just a little more than 1 strip of binding fabric.

Happy Mother's Day to all mothers!

I hope you get a chance to sit back and reflect quietly with a cup of tea,

or better still a little time behind the sewing machine.

Enjoy Sunday!

Rita

An Indian Summer Quilt

2012-05-11T11:52:00.000+10:00

It's that time again!

A finished quilt and a reflection of the gorgeous Autumn weather we've enjoyed this week, although I hear it will be short-lived with much cooler conditions expected to arrive just in time for the weekend.

As you can see I've had a wonderful time not only with the fabric selection process but also with the quilting of this quilt. I started by stitching the vertical lines just over a 1/2 inch apart and then continued on to also quilt horizontal lines, thereby creating a crisscross of parallel lines. I wish I could easily convey to you the lovely texture and drape of this quilt created by the dense quilting grid.

For the back of the quilt I have used one of my favorite prints from the Flea Market Fancy Legacy Reprint fabric collection :: Leaf & Dot in Grey :: by Denyse Schmidt. The grey complements the tone and feel of the quilt and is further completed by the use of grey/white stripe fabric for binding (From Little Things by Sarah Fielke).

This one is all about the fabrics, the colors, and the quilting. I have thoroughly enjoyed working from stash to create this quilt! As usual, I have updated my Etsy Store. The listing for this quilt can been can be found here: Modern and Colorful Patchwork Quilt. SOLD

Thank you for stopping by!

Rita

Links:

[workinprogress] including details of fabrics used to make this quilt.

[workinprogress]

2012-05-09T22:39:00.000+10:00

There's not a lot to say today except that I've started the week with fabric play and by stitching up a storm. I have limited myself to working with just a handful of prints, which I find challenging and was tempted to add more colors and prints as the quilt top progressed.

This quilt will be all about the fabric; the mix of colors and prints. I have used a selection of blue, and green prints, mixed with a yellow floral (Japanese) print, and a large black dot. The colors are inspired by the Indian Summer weather that we've enjoyed this week.

FABRICS USED INCLUDE:

Liberty of London Tana Lawn (2 blue floral fabrics)

Flea Market Fancy - Dotted Leaf in Green and Blue by Denyse Schmidt

Flea Market Fancy - Blue Dot by Denyse Schmidt

Washi - Waves in Grey and Cream by Rashida Coleman

Soleil 2012 by Olympus Fabric (Yellow Floral print)

Sevenberry Black Dot on White background (made in Japan)

Just Dandy by Josephine Kimbering for Robert Kaufman (Green Daisies)

More soon,

Rita

Book Review: Shape Workshop for Quilters by the Fat Quarterly Team

2012-05-07T18:57:00.001+10:00

With a love for all things patchwork and quilting it's no surprise that I love my collection of books on this subject matter. I love browsing through books and magazines for design and color inspiration. My most recent book addition is Shape Workshop for Quilters by the Fat Quarterly Team: Katy Jones, Brioni Greenberg, Tacha Bruecher and John Adams.

Fat Quarterly Shape Workshop for Quilters: 60 Blocks + a Dozen Quilts and Projects!

The Shape Workshop for Quilters is divided into six chapters each with a focus on a shape: Squares and Rectangles, Circles, Triangles, Stars, Polygons and Diamonds.

1. Wonky Star Nine-Patch by Brioni Greenberg

2. Floating Triangles by Katy Jones

3. Satellite Placemats by Brioni Greenberg

4. Tickety Tock Clock by Tash Bruecher

Each chapter features 10 specific shape blocks and two projects (one small project and one large project), which is a great way to explore, practise, and build on shapes in both traditional and contemporary ways.

1. Saw Blade Quilt by Brioni Greenberg

2. Starry Hanging Storage by Brioni Greenberg

I thought it might be fun to try out one of the blocks, this the Quarter Twist Block by Tacha Bruecher in the Chapter featuring the circle shape. (There are of course many easier, simpler block options, however I felt the need to challenge myself with a more difficult block).

and here is my version of the Quarter Twist Block:

The templates to machine piece this block are included in the back of the book. The templates required enlarging, which was no problem, and enlarged to the exact size to create this 12.5 inch block. Rather than make plastic templates I simply used the photocopied paper templates to trace (with rotary cutter) the fabric shapes. Can you picture the impact/design created by addition of many more blocks?

Mosaic of the Quarter Twist Block

The instructions were clear and concise and I encountered no difficulty constructing this tricky block.

I am looking forward to spending more time with this book!

Shape Workshop for Quilters by the Fat Quarterly Team is available from Amazon.

Rita

Sunday Stash #140

2012-05-06T11:51:00.000+10:00

This week's Sunday Stash features some additions to my collection of text prints.

First up: Mrs March's Retro Pop Collection (Lecien)

in Lime, Turqoise and Plum and ....

... additional colors of

Kumiko Fujita text print (Yuwa): Aqua, Pink and Yellow

I love these Japanese text prints and find that they mix well with my already stashed fabrics. You may already have seen snippets of these prints in my projects.

The above fabrics were purchased from Ayumi's Etsy Store: Ayumills

And last a bundle of Flower Basket Collage by Suzuko Koseki (Yuwa) in a number of colors.

To get a better idea of what a fat fat quarter looks like:

This last bundle is from Kit's Etsy Store: BlijeOlifantje

Enjoy Sunday!

Rita

Scrappy Log Cabin Quilt II

2012-05-03T20:14:00.000+10:00

A finished custom quilt (and picture post)!

It's been great sewing weather this week, cold and rainy. Autumn. My favorite season. Although the overcast and grey conditions are not so good for my photography skills, or lack thereof.

It has also been a week of testing my sewing skills. My Bernina (820) which I use for all of my piecing and quilting - and rely upon - has gone to the workshop for much needed repair and service. The backup Juki came out of the closet and had to step up to the plate. The Juki is a straight stitch only machine and an absolute workhorse. I have LOVED sewing with it! Even the quilting was a breeze once I realized that a simple adjustment of the presser foot pressure was all that was needed to solve the feed problems. It feels like I have passed a sewing skills test.

This custom quilt measures approx 46 inches x 46 inches and has been backed with Robert Kaufman Kona Cotton in Chartreuse. I've quilted a grid of horizontal and vertical (double lines) lines as well diagonal lines intersecting in the center of each block.

Many of the fabrics in this quilt are from my scrap bin, but I have also added fabrics from stash to ensure a balance of colors (with a hint of citrus-y colors as requested) and prints. I have used a black/white stripe fabric for binding, the same as the original Scrappy Log Cabin Quilt.

This quilt is ready for shipping! I am already planning my next project. Maybe a tidy-up is required before I start pulling out more fabric.

Links:

Original Scrappy Log Cabin Quilt

Scrappy Log Cabin Tutorial

Thank you for stopping by,

Rita

[workinprogress]

2012-05-01T10:30:00.000+10:00

A new week and the start of another quilt project. Admittedly Monday is usually my most unproductive day but this week I got my act together, turned my back on the the chores, and instead moved from the sewing machine to the ironing board and immediately back again.

This quilt is a custom order for a log cabin quilt, the same as this previously made quilt: Scrappy Log Cabin Quilt, although smaller and with an extra dose of citrus colors in the mix.

These blocks (laid out quickly and at random to defeat the elements of nature: wind and dog) will be joined together with white sashing in the same way as the original scrappy log cabin quilt.

Another day of stitching today. You won't hear me complaining about that.

Rita

A tutorial for this block can be found here: Scrappy Log Cabin Block

Sunday Stash #139

2012-04-29T10:42:00.000+10:00

Whereas I did a happy dance when I opened this surprise parcel of fabric, the same cannot be said for the hubby when he heard the words hand dyed fabric. I think he feared that I might be venturing into the world of fabric dyeing: solutions, buckets, gloves, masks, powder pigments in every color of the rainbow, and more paraphernalia (which apparently we don't need). Alas, no fabric dyeing for me.

This fabric is Seed Catalogue - Annie's Farm Stand by Hollie Holderman, in the White on White colorway (as featured in Sunday Stash #108), and hand dyed by r0ssie.

Brenda (Pink Castle Fabrics) and Anna (Woollykat) recently participated in a fabric dyeing workshop with Rossie and these fabrics are the end result.

The colors are vibrant and the text is still very legible. What a clever use of fabric! I am so grateful that I was sent some of these fabrics to work with. Thank you Rossie and Brenda!

You can see more of Rossie work here: Rossie's Blog

Woollykat's account of the day: Fabric Dyeing with Rossie

Hand dyeing this particular print was inspired by Jeni from In Color Order.

Read Jeni's blog post here: In Color Order: Fabric Dyeing

Enjoy Sunday!

Rita

A Finished Quilt ~ Summersville Quilt

2012-04-27T13:37:00.000+10:00

Another finish!

Summersville Quilt - Finished size: 33.5 inches x 38.5 inches

This little quilt has been such a joy to piece, quilt and bind! I really have enjoyed working with these cute prints, and I do think that they are "my" colors; a color palette with which I am at ease.

I have uber-quilted this quilt with straight vertical lines just over a half inch apart, which conveniently happens to allow the outer edge of the walking foot to run along the previous stitching lines. I love the texture created by closely stitched lines/designs; it adds to the softness of drape and hand of the quilt.

The binding fabric that I have used is Jewels in Turquoise by Lizzy House from the Hello Pilgrim collection. Backing fabric is Robert Kaufman Kona cotton in Chartreuse.

As usual, I have updated my Etsy Store.

You can find the listing for this quilt here: Modern and Colorful Patchwork Quilt SOLD!

Thank you for stopping by,
Rita

Winner! ~ Fabric Shoppe Giveaway

2012-04-26T22:10:00.000+10:00

The winner of the Fabric Shoppe Giveaway is:

Congratulations Megan! Megan has been contacted by email.

A big THANK YOU to everyone who entered to win this bundle of fabric, and also to Jody from the Fabric Shoppe for such a terrific giveaway!

Rita

Fabric Shoppe ~ Giveaway!

2012-04-25T21:28:00.000+10:00

I am hosting an awesome give-away today

from another terrific sponsor and online fabric store!

Jody from the Fabric Shoppe has very kindly offered to give away

a half yard bundle of one of my new favorite prints.

Wait for it ....

A half yard bundle of Chevron by Riley Blake in 10 different colors!

That's a generous total of 5 yards of fabric.

GIVEAWAY DETAILS:

This giveaway is for a bundle of 10 half yards of Chevron by Riley Blake as pictured above.

The draw will take place at 9pm (Australia - EST) on Thursday 26 April 2012, at which time comments to this post will be closed. The winner will be announced here the same day, and will also be contacted by email.

This bundle of 10 Half Yards is ready for shipping and will be shipped directly to the winner by Jody from the Fabric Shoppe.

Quick Links:

Fabric Shoppe @ Etsy
Facebook
Twitter

Blog :: Everyday Beautiful

Jody is also offering 15% off any purchase
for the duration of the giveaway with the

COUPON CODE: redpepper

Click here to go straight there!

Fabric Shoppe!

GIVEAWAY ENTRY HAS NOW CLOSED

A WINNER WILL BE ANNOUNCED SHORTLY

Good luck!

Rita

Summersville Sneak Peek

2012-04-24T21:29:00.000+10:00

My fabric bundle of Summersville by Lucie Summers has been calling out to me and could no longer be ignored. The call of the fabric - I am sure you've heard it before.

What started off as a mini version of my Tiffany Quilt Pattern evolved as the blocks were pieced, and changed once again on the design floor.

I love everything about the Summersville collection; the hand drawn designs, the colors, as well as the matching solids. The pops of solid color in this quilt top really draw in the eye to take further note of the detail of the prints.

It's a great start to what is an otherwise cold and drab (and rainy) week. This baby quilt top is now ready for basting and quilting.

Thank you for stopping by,

Rita

Sunday Stash #138

2012-04-22T10:57:00.000+10:00

Pat Bravo - Summerlove for Art Gallery Fabrics

in both Blue Crush and Sunkissed color palettes.

A selection of my favorite prints from the Summerlove fabric collection.

Summerlove is Pat Bravo's latest fabric collection for Art Gallery Fabrics. Admittedly the large scale floral prints are not my normal fabric stash purchase but rather it was the combination of colors and patterns that immediately appealed to me. I am looking forward to getting the rotary cutter stuck into these pretty fabrics.

Summerlove by Pat Bravo is avaible from:

Canton Village Quilt Works

It is also time to share a finished yarn project. This time a crochet project~:

The Pattern: Calm Cowl by Suzana Davidovic

The Yarn: Madelinetosh Merino DK (2 skeins) in Silver Fox

Calm Cowl is a snappy quick finish project (and an easy beginner crochet pattern). The cowl is perfectly soft and squidgy, and just long enough for a double wrap. I imagine it is going to feature heavily in my attire this Winter season.

For more details and photos see my Ravelry notebook.

Enjoy Sunday!

Rita

Lifesavers Quilt - A Picture Post

2012-04-20T13:34:00.000+10:00

It's been go go go this week. No stopping that sewing machine until it's all done.

Lifesavers Quilt ~ measures 46 inches x 46 inches.

Mind you, I don't consider playing around with fabric and sitting behind the sewing machine hard work. It's a pleasure really and consider myself lucky with my lot.

As I sew I am usually accompanied by either music or TV/DVD. This week saw a re-play of the UK TV series Downton Abbey. Definitely no hardship.

For the back of the quilt (as pictured above) I have used a single Michael Miller print which nicely complements the colors and tones of the quilt top. The quilt is quilted with a grid of straight lines: vertical, horizontal as well as diagonal lines to intersect in the middle of each block. Lots of quilting.

I was tempted to use my go-to black/white stripe binding fabric for this quilt, however I don't like being too predictable and so chose a red/white stripe fabric instead. It's not too far outside of my comfort zone. The red/white stripe fabric is from Simply Sweet by Barbara Jones of QuiltSoup for Henry Glass.

I have updated my Etsy Store. You can check out the listing here: Lifesavers Quilt

Thank you for stopping by,

Rita

Lifesaver Quilt Progress Links:

RPQ Blogger Bundle
The Humble Chevron Print
Iced Watermelon Shake in Action

Iced Watermelon Shake in Action

2012-04-18T11:51:00.000+10:00

My Pink Castle Fabrics Blogger's Bundle has been sitting near my sewing machine for the last week or more. It has been calling my name. You may have already seen the red/white Chevron blocks made last week using two of the fabrics from the Blogger's Bundle, and so here is the rest.

I am really enjoying how nicely these fabrics, colors, and blocks are coming together as work is progressing.

I even love the blocks made from the black polka dot fabric on a white background; which I initially didn't think would work with this traditional block design. It is probably my favorite block now alongside the Chevron print blocks.

It's back to the sewing machine for now.

Have a great week,

Rita

RPQ Blogger FQ Bundles - Iced Watermelon Shake - are available from Pink Castle Fabrics.

Sunday Stash #137

2012-04-15T12:51:00.000+10:00

I admit to being a huge fan of dots and spots - and I have no doubt that you probably already had guessed as much - but I couldn't resists adding this bundle of fabric to my stash.

Oh yes, a Fat Quarter bundle - and the complete set - of Michael Miller ~ Ta Dot. There are 37 different colorways and all 37 fat quarters were squeezed neatly into one shipping envelope (that's over nine yards of fabric!).

Unfortunately it seems that one Fat Quarter played shy during the photography session, and because I know that there will always be someone who counts the fat quarters in the top image, here is fat quarter number 37 - Ta Dot in Lime (I won't tell you how many times I recounted and how long it took to work out which FQ was missing from the image : )

Ta Dot by Michael Miller is available from:

Fort Worth Fabric Studio (the entire collection in FQ and Half Yard Bundles as well as yardage)

also available from:

Hawthorne Threads

Fabric Worm
Fashionable Fabrics
Fresh Squeezed Fabrics
Pink Chalk Fabrics
The Quilted Castle
Pink Castle Fabrics

Ballarat Patchwork

Enjoy Sunday,
Rita

Summersville!

2012-04-13T10:32:00.001+10:00

I was the lucky recipient this week of a bundle of yet to be released fabric by Lucie Summers.

The bundle consists of a selection of prints and solids from the Summersville fabric collection by Lu Summers for Moda. Lu has been designing, hand screen printing and selling (Etsy Store :: Summersville) her own designs for some time now, but this is her first commercial collection for Moda Fabrics.

Lu's designs are all hand drawn, and are inspired by the textures and shapes found in the (UK) country side where she lives and her growing collection of thrift store ceramics. The Summersville collection comes in five distinct color palettes: Coal, Bus Red, Leaf, Orange Zest, and Seafoam.

Each color palette is complemented with a carefully matched solid fabric: Bella Solids (Moda) in Black, Christmas Red, Kelly Green, Betty's Orange, and Horizon Blue.

Congratulations on your debut fabric collection, Lu. I hope to (and somehow I think we will!) see much more of your work!

Rita

The Summersville fabric range is marked for arrival in stores in April, so any day now!

The Humble Chevron Print

2012-04-11T12:23:00.000+10:00

I have started the week with a new quilt project and in doing so found myself pondering what I could do with these two fabrics:

Chevron in Red by Riley Blake Designs

Bella Solid in Scarlet

With careful fussy cutting and fabric placement it doesn't get any easier than this for a quick but impressive quilt block that changes it's appearance with each variation in fabric placement.

How versatile the Chevron print!

Rita

Postage Stamp Quilt ~ Finished!

2012-04-09T12:20:00.001+10:00

And so finally the Postage Stamp Quilt is finished.

Postage Stamp Quilt :: 54 inches x 54 inches

Please be warned that what follows here is a picture post of the quilt: the colors, the fabrics, the binding, etc. Yawn ... I hope not to bore you with too much detail.

My thoughts when I started quilting this quilt? :: What have I started? I must be insane!

This quilt is a catalog of the fabrics that I have used in my quilts in the last three years - over 1200 squares of fabric and an estimate of 300+ different quilting cottons including the odd vintage scrap.

It is an "I Spy" of quilting fabrics and also of running puppy dogs (Sherbet Pips) by Aneela Hoey (Hi Aneela!), Matryoska Dolls and text prints in a range of colors.

For the back of the quilt I have used a print that I have been ~~hoarding~~ saving as backing fabric for just the right quilt. This fabric is from the Del Hi collection by Valori Wells - Paisley in Scarlet.

For binding fabric I have used Running Stitches in Turquoise (from the Lush fabric collection) by Patty Young, which is a nice change from my standard black/white binding fabric. I do like to mix it up a little.

This quilt was listed in my Etsy Store, but it was SOLD before I finished writing this post. I know it is going to a wonderful home where it will be used often and much loved.

Postage Stamp Quilt :: Handy Links

Work in Progress (Part 1)
Postage Stamp Quilt (Part 2)
Postage Stamp Tutorial

Thank you for stopping by!
Rita

Postage Stamp Quilt Tutorial

2012-04-07T11:32:00.000+10:00

Postage Stamp Quilts are many and varied - with variation in layout and size of each square - and so is the way to approach making a Postage Stamp Quilt. I have chosen to make my Postage Stamp Quilt from fabric scraps and by sewing 16-patch strip pieced blocks with a random layout.

I started by tipping over my scrap bin and noticed that many of my fabric scraps were small/narrow strips (trust me, you don't want to see this mess!). And so it started:

Step 1 - Cutting Strips

Cut strips of fabric measuring 2 inches x 7 inches.

You'll need a total of 432 strips to make a Postage Stamp Quilt measuring 54 inches x 54 inches. However I rarely cut all fabric in advance for a project, and prefer to have short cutting sessions followed by sewing sessions.

Step 2 - Sewing Strips

Sew four strips together, pressing all seams to one side (press all seams in the same direction). This block now measures 6.5 inches x 7 inches. Press carefully without pulling the strip set out of shape.

Step 3 - Cross cutting the strip set

Cross-cut the strip set at 2 inch intervals. You will have some excess fabric left over which may you may need if your strip set is a little wonky. Make sure that you are cutting at a 90 degree angle to the sewing lines. If not, straighten up by trimming back.

Step 4

You'll need a total of 324 of these units :: four units for each 16 patch block. (Again, there's no need to make all of these units first ~ it does get a little tedious).

Step 5

Sew together four units into a 16 patch block. Each block now measures 6.5 inches x 6.5 inches.

This is where direction of seams allowances becomes important!

Arrows indicate the direction of the seam allowance.

The direction of the seam allowance is indicated by the arrows above; sewing and pressing ALL blocks the SAME way ensures that you will be able to easily match the seams when eventually sewing the blocks together into a quilt top.

Step 6

Press all final seam allowances in one direction. Be consistent in pressing seam allowances for all blocks. I am left handed and found it easier to press these final seam allowances toward the right.

The back of your block should look like this.
Make a total of 81 blocks.

Step 7 - Quilt Layout

Arrange the 81 blocks in 9 rows each of 9 blocks. The arrows above refer to the direction of the final seam allowances of the individual blocks in Step 6. (For example, the final seams of all blocks in the first vertical column should be pressed up). By alternating the direction of the final seam allowance all of the other seam allowances will also "lock" together and will make matching of seams a piece o' cake.

Sew blocks together into (horizontal) rows. Press all seams in one direction; and in opposite direction for every second row.

Sew all 9 rows together into a quilt top! Press seam allowances (direction not important).

You're done! Quilt top measures 54.5 inches x 54.5 inches.

Any questions? Please feel free to ask by leaving a comment, and I will reply in the comments sections.

Happy Stitching,
Rita