Table of contents for March - April 2018 in Quiltmaker

Like most quilters, I love to make quilts for other people. It gives me such a sense of joy creating something that will be loved and used by others. I have shared my love of quilting with my daughter-in-law Emily who recently mentioned that she wants to make a quilt for her son Damion’s high school graduation. Given that she has a full-time job and two children, it wasn’t too early to start. Of course, I invited her to go through my stash to choose fabrics. Since Damion was also visiting, I suggested he join us. This was such an awakening for me! Damion wanted his quilt to be blue, no surprise there. But as we went through my piles of blue fabrics, I was surprised at some of the…

Intermediate Finished Size: 22” x 22”Finished Blocks: 8” materials Assorted White Batiks 1 ¼ yards for patches Assorted Blue Batiks ¾ yard for patches Dark Purple Batik 1 yard total for patches, border #2 and binding Medium Blue Batik ¼ yard for border #1 Backing ⅞ yard Batting 26”x 26” (Although fabric amounts are adequate for foundation piecing, you may need more if you cut very generous patches.) cutting Assorted White Batiks foundation patches Assorted Blue Batiks foundation patches Dark Purple Batik 3 strips 2 ½” x 40” for border #2 3 strips 2 ½” x 40” for binding foundation patches Medium Blue Batik 3 strips 1 ½” x 40” for border #1 The foundations are on the pattern sheet. Delicate foundation-pieced Flying Geese create a miniature quilt with lots…

Easy Finished Size: 42” x 42” Finished Blocks: 6” x 6” materials Assorted Pink Prints ¾ yard total for blocks and binding Assorted White Prints 1 ⅛ yards total for blocks Assorted Yellow Prints ⅞ yard total for blocks Assorted Blue Prints ½ yard total for blocks Assorted Gray Prints ¼ yard total for blocks Backing 2 ⅞ yards Batting 46”x 46” cutting Assorted Pink Prints 9 strips 2 ½” x 20” for binding 2 squares 6 ⅞” x 6 ⅞” cut diagonally to yield 4 triangles (A) Assorted White Prints 4 squares 6 ⅞” x 6 ⅞” cut diagonally to yield 8 triangles (A) 20 squares (H) 6 ½” x 6 ½” Assorted Yellow Prints 56 squares (B) 3 ½” x 3 ½” 8 squares 3 ⅞” x 3…

Easy Finished Size: 39” x 60” Finished Blocks: 6” x 15”, 7 ½” x 15” materials Blue Batik 2 yards for blocks Yellow Batik ¼ yard for blocks Dark Orange Batik ⅜ yard for blocks Navy Batik 1 ½ yards for blocks, sashes and binding Light Orange Batik ¼ yard for blocks Green Batik ⅜ yard for blocks Backing 2 ⅝ yards Batting 43”x 68” cutting Blue Batik 10 strips 1 ½” x 40” for bands 8 strips 1 ¾” x 40” for bands 2 strips 2 ¼” x 40” for bands 4 strips 2” x 40” for bands 9 rectangles (B) 3 ¼” x 7 ¼” 9 rectangles (D) 3” x 3 ¼” 8 rectangles (H) 4” x 7 ¼” 8 rectangles (J) 3 ½” x 3 ¾” Yellow…

The inspiration for the design of this quilt came from my two sons and my wee bit of experience rock crawl’n in Colorado with my youngest. Both of my sons are infatuated with jeeps and riding them around the boulders of dried creekbeds and dangerous mountain ridges. The trails are rough and rigorous, but reaching the views at the top of the mountain are nothing but incredible. When I saw the promotion pages advertising the J is for Jeep® collection from Riley Blake Designs, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with this design—try to capture an image of the ruggedness of mountain trail crawl’n in a jeep. I created a rock surface with fabric from the placement of the medium blue and green tone-on-tone patches in the blocks and…

Easy Finished Size: 58” x 60” materials Blue Tone-on-Tone 1 ⅝ yards for quilt center White Tone-on-Tone 1 ⅜ yards for quilt center and border #2 Green Tone-on-Tone 1¼ yards for quilt center and border #2 Pink Tone-on-Tone 1 ¾ yards for applique, border #1, border #3 and binding Purple Tone-on-Tone scrap for applique Backing 4 yards Batting 66”x 68” Fusible web cutting Blue Tone-on-Tone 25 squares (A) 2 ⅞” x 2 ⅞” 2 rectangles (B) 2 ½” x 18 ½” 21 squares (C) 2 ½” x 2 ½” 22 rectangles (D) 2 ½” x 4 ½” 1 square (F) 6 ½” x 6 ½” 1 rectangle (G) 4 ½” x 18 ½” 2 rectangles (H) 2 ½” x 10 ½” 1 rectangle (J) 12 ½” x 18 ½” 2…

Easy Finished Size: 44” x 48” Finished Blocks: 4” materials White Solid 2 ⅛ yards for blocks Assorted Prints ⅞ yard total for blocks and birds Orange Solid scrap for bird beaks Red Print ⅝ yard for border White Print ⅝ yard for binding Backing 3 yards Batting 48”x 52” Fusible web Orange embroidery floss Black buttons 8 at ⅜” cutting White Solid 70 squares (A) 2 ½” x 2 ½” 70 squares (B) 2 ⅝” x 2 ⅝” 1 rectangle (C) 17 ½” x 41 ½” 35 squares (M) 4 ½” x 4 ½” Assorted Prints 70 squares (A) 2 ½”x 2 ½” (35 sets of 2 matching) 3 each patterns E–K Orange Solid 3 each patterns D and L Red Print 6 strips 2 ½”x 40” for border…

Intermediate Finished Size: 52” x 52” Finished Blocks: 6” materials Assorted Green Prints and Tone-on-Tones 1 yard total for blocks Assorted Cream Prints and Tone-on-Tones 2 ¾ yards total for blocks Cream Tone-on-Tone ½ yard for applique center Green Print ¼ yard for border #1 Cream Dot ¾ yard for border #’s 2 and 3 Green Dot ⅝ yard for border #4 Green Solid ⅝ yard for binding Backing 3 ⅝ yards Batting 60”x 60” Fusible web Green embroidery floss cutting (see Step 1) Assorted Green Prints and Tone-on-Tones 320 squares (A) 1 ½” x 1 ½” 40 squares (C) 2 ½” x 2 ½” 27 pattern G Assorted Cream Prints and Tone-on-Tones 160 squares (A) 1 ½” x 1 ½” 1280 squares (B) 1” x 1” 160 rectangles (D)…

Rolling Stone Two simple units, a square in a square and a rail unit, surround a center square to make this Nine Patch variation block that looks more difficult than it is. This is another block that changes drastically depending on where you place your colors and values. It’s such a fun block to play with. Refer to the “Stitch & Flip” technique in Basic Lessons and use the gray A’s, purple B’s and green #1 B’s to make 4 units. Sew the units and patches together as shown to complete the block. cutting Finished Block: 6” For one block, cut the following: Gray Dot 4 squares (A) 2 ½” x 2 ½” Light Purple Print 12 squares (B) 1 ½” x 1 ½” Green Tone-on-Tone #1 4 squares (B)…

Beach Bum I was looking at the quilts in the Sept/Oct ’17 issue (No. 177) with my 4-year-old grandson, Nathan. He really liked Beach Bum, so we decided to use the pattern for inspiration and make our own using a picture he could draw. Nathan drew the picture, picked out the fabric, helped rough cut the palm leaves and crab, and drew the crab net. As I was preparing to fuse the boat to the top, he stopped me, saying he wanted the boat to move. After much discussion and clarification, I fused the boat to very stiff Pellon, then sewed three small craft beads to the back and strung the boat on two dental floss lines to provide a stable line to move the boat. I put one line…

Intermediate Finished Size: 94” x 94” Finished Blocks: 15” materials Cream Print 5 ⅛ yards for blocks and border #’s1 and 3 Green Tone-on-Tone 1 yard for blocks and border #3 Light Purple Print 1 ⅜ yards for blocks and border #3 Purple Tone-on-Tone 2 ⅞ yards for blocks and border #’s 2 and 4 Green Print 3 yards for border #5 and binding Backing 9 ⅛ yards Batting 102”x 102” (Although fabric amounts are adequate for foundation piecing, you may need more if you cut very generous patches.) cutting Cream Print 7 strips 1 ½” x 40” for border #1 168 squares (A) 3 ⅞” x 3 ⅞” 76 squares (B) 3 ½” x 3 ½” 4 squares (C) 6 ½” x 6 ½” foundation patches Green Tone-on-Tone 76…

Intermediate Finished Size: 96” x 96” Finished Blocks: 12” materials Assorted Bright Batiks 8 ⅞ yards total for blocks Cream Batik 9 ¾ yards for blocks Multicolor Batik 1 yard for binding Backing 9 ¼ yards Batting 104”x 104” cutting Assorted Bright Batiks 512 rectangles (A) 3 ½” x 6 ½” (cut 113 sets of 4 matching and 60 assorted) Cream Batik 1024 squares (B) 3 ½” x 3 ½” Multicolor Batik 11 strips 2 ½” x 40” for binding The quilting motif is on the pattern sheet. Color takes center stage in this delightful queen-sized quilt. 1 About This Quilt This one-block quilt looks more complicated than it is due to color placement. The colors in each block corner are determined by the colors in the adjacent blocks. To…

In this tutorial we will show you how to cut 2 1/2" strips accurately and then how to cut these strips into rectangles and squares. We are using a 6"x 24" ruler to cut our 2 1/2" strips. The maximum number of 2 1/2" strips we can cut with this ruler is 2 so we need to cut our first strip at 5" and subcut this strip at 2 1/2". 1 Making sure your fabric is on grain, cut one strip 5" by width of fabric. 2 Move your ruler 2 1/2" to cut this strip into 2 width of fabric strips. 3 For these smaller patches we are using a 6" x 12" ruler. The maximum number of 4 1/2" rectangles we can cut with this ruler is 2…

You do need stitches! But not the kind a doctor puts in. You need embroidery stitches! There is nothing like a little hand embroidery to put you at ease, to help you relax and to take your mind and put it in a happy place. Hand embroidery has enjoyed a comeback over the past few years—although for many people, it never really left. The popularity of patterns by designers like Kathy Schmitz and Meg Hawkey/Crabapple Hill Studio are proof that we all love a few stitches. Three projects in this issue include some embroidery to whet your appetite. Before you begin, let’s make sure you have the correct tools, and then I’ll help you get comfortable. The Tools for Hand Embroidery Needles: Take the time to find or purchase embroidery…

I have been in love with applique since I started quilting. My second quilt had applique on it. It was Quiltmaker’s Starbear & Friends* quilt [photo 1]. As a matter of fact, I loved this pattern so much I made it 5 times! I know many quilters are put off by anything to do with handwork. I was too at first. What really got me going with applique was learning the starch and press technique. In this method you prepare all your applique shapes before you stitch them to your quilt blocks. That way you aren’t struggling to turn your seam allowances under while you stitch. With a few simple preparations, making applique blocks can be both relaxing and fun! Let’s get started. First, you need heat resistant template plastic.…

Basic Styles of Quilting Quilting can be grouped into three basic styles: free-motion, pantograph and custom. Each style offers a variety of looks for finishing a quilt that will make it uniquely yours. Free-motion quilting is the cornerstone of longarm quilting. It can be done on any machine and requires no tools or accessories. Basically, free-motion quilting is doodling or drawing with your machine. Think of the machine as the pencil and the quilt as the paper. As you hand guide the machine across the quilt top, the machine stitches what you create: a simple meander, stippling, loops, stars, writing and so on (photo 1). You can free-hand quilt an entire quilt or selected portions. Free-motion is a favorite way to create small filler patterns for blank space, such as…

Change the Center. There are a lot of options for substituting the shamrock applique in Wendy’s design with another design element. Here are a couple of alternative designs replacing the center shamrocks with an applique wreath and a pieced basket block. Can you envision the 15”center with a favorite block or theme design of your own? Tricia Patterson • QM Managing Editor…

“Quiltmaking is my passion, it’s what fuels my enthusiasm for life.” — Linda Franklin “I have always loved cats and enjoy their individual personalities,” said Linda Franklin of Middletown, California. “I don’t remember where I got the panel with whimsical cats, but when I saw the pattern for Swoopers in the March/April 2016 (No. 168) issue of Quiltmaker, I knew that was the pattern that would make those cats even better.” Inspired by the cat panel and Swoopers, Linda created a quilt she named SophistiCats. “This panel enhances the personalities of some very sophisticated cats,” she said. “They are bold, they’re modern, they’re rock stars!” Because of the rectangular dimensions of the cats as well as having only a limited number of them, Linda had to make adjustments to the…

1 Begin with two patches of equal size. Cut squares equal to the finished size of the triangle-square plus7/8". 2 On the wrong side of one patch, draw a diagonal line from corner to corner. Align the two patches, right sides together. 3 Sew a seam ¼" to the left side AND ¼" to the right side of the diagonal line. 4 Cut on the drawn diagonal line. 5 Flip the patches open and press as shown. Products used: OLFA Ergonomic Rotary Cutter, OLFA Rotary Cutting mat, OLFA Frosted Advantage Ruler…

Intermediate Finished Size: 75” x 87 ½” Finished Blocks: 12 ½” materials (see Step 1) Assorted White Solids and Prints 6 ⅛ yards total for blocks Assorted Light Gray Prints and Tone-on-Tones ½ yard total for blocks Assorted Dark Gray Solids and Tone-on-Tones 2 ⅞ yards total for blocks Assorted Orange Solids and Tone-on-Tones ¾ yard total for blocks White Solid ¾ yard for binding Backing 7 ⅜ yards Batting 83”x 96” cutting Assorted White Solids and Prints 32 squares (A) 3 ⅜” x 3 ⅜” (8 sets of 4 matching) 64 squares (B) 3” x 3” (8 sets of 8 matching) 34 squares (C) 13” x 13” 13 pattern D Assorted Light Gray Prints and Tone-on-Tones 32 squares (A) 3 ⅜” x 3 ⅜” (8 sets of 4 matching)…

Easy Finished Size: 94” x 94” Finished Blocks: 12” materials Light Blue Print #1 3 ½ yards for blocks and bands Medium Blue Tone-on-Tone #1 1 yard for blocks and bands Green Tone-on-Tone 1 ½ yards for blocks Medium Blue Tone-on-Tone #2 1 ¼ yards for blocks and binding White Print 1 ⅝ yards for blocks Light Blue Print #2 1 ⅛ yards for border #1 Blue Plaid 1 ¾ yards for border #2 Dark Blue Print 1 ¼ yards for border #3 Backing 9 ⅛ yards Batting 102”x 102” cutting Light Blue Print #1 3 strips 2 ½” x 40” for bands 98 squares (A) 3 ⅞” x 3 ⅞” 10 squares (B) 4 ⅞” x 4 ⅞” 10 squares (C) 2 ⅞” x 2 ⅞” 9 squares 4…

If foundation piecing intimidates you, help has arrived! Foundation piecing is really quite simple. A willingness to “just do it” until you understand the concept is the biggest hurdle. If you can sew on a printed straight line, you can foundation piece. Although the patches can be tiny and the angles can be sharp, the final appearance of foundation piecing is not related to the difficulty. Really! That’s what makes it so wonderful. You can piece intricate and/or tiny designs with very little trouble. If you’re new to foundation piecing, start with something simple. Keep these things in mind as you learn the technique: • Foundation piecing feels “backward” at first. • Judging the size of some patches is tricky. You’ll improve with practice. • Angles mess everyone up in…

Easy Finished Size: 14” x 27” materials White Print ½ yard Light Brown Tone-on-Tone 1 fat eighth (a fat eighth is approximately 9” x 20”) Light Blue Tone-on-Tone 1 fat eighth Assorted Tone-on-Tones and Solids scraps Pink Check 1 fat eighth Pink Tone-on-Tone ⅜ yard for binding Backing ⅝ yard Batting 18” x 31” Fusible web Blue rickrack 30” Yellow buttons 3 at ¾” Black embroidery floss cutting (see Step 1) White Print 1 rectangle (A) 15 ½” x 28 ½” (trim to 14 ½” x 27 ½” after applique) Light Brown Tone-on-Tone 1 each patterns B and C Light Blue Tone-on-Tone 1 pattern D Assorted Tone-on-Tones and Solids 1 each patterns E, F, L, M, Mr and N 6 patterns G 5 patterns J 3 patterns K Pink Check…

Easy Finished Size: 42” x 42” Finished Blocks: 12” materials Yellow Solid ⅝ yard for blocks White Print 1 yard for blocks and border #’s 1and 2 Green Print #1 ½ yard for blocks and border #2 Blue Print #1 ½ yard for blocks and border #2 Blue Print #2 ½ yard for blocks and border #2 Green Print #2 ½ yard for blocks and border #2 Blue Print #3 ⅝ yard for border #3 Blue Print #4 ½ yard for binding Backing 2 ⅞ yards Batting 46”x 46” cutting Yellow Solid 16 squares (A) 4 ½” x 4 ½” 32 squares (B) 2 ½” x 2 ½” 2 squares (C) 3 ⅞” x 3 ⅞” White Print 3 strips 3 ½” x 40” for border #1 48 squares (B)…

Getting Started About our Patterns We recommend that you read all of the instructions before starting a project and that you cut and sew one block before cutting all of your fabric. Using a rotary cutter, mat and an acrylic ruler, cut the shape to the size indicated in the cutting list. Pressing tabs indicate the direction to press the seam allowances. Our patterns list finished block sizes, which are typically ½" smaller than unfinished block sizes because they do not include seam allowances. Preparing Your Fabric We recommend that you pre-wash your fabrics. A shrinkage factor is included in our yardage computations. Techniques Machine Piecing It is important to cut accurately and to sew exact ¼" seams. Templates Trace the patterns on template plastic and cut out accurately. Planning…

Feeling frustrated and sometimes even exhausted from listening? Whether it happens suddenly or gradually, hearing loss can affect you physically and emotionally. Being unable to hear impacts your ability to communicate with your loved ones, hear in noisy environments, talk on the phone, and may force you to become more reliant on your family members to interpret for you. Cochlear implants work differently than hearing aids. Rather than amplifying sound, they use sophisticated software and state-of-the art electronic components to provide access to the sounds you’ve been missing. Q How do implants differ from hearing aids? Hearing aids help many people by making the sounds they hear louder. Unfortunately as hearing loss progresses, sounds need not only to be made louder, but clearer. Cochlear implants can help give you that…