"Summer Nights" Firefly Quilt

Here is my finished “Summer Nights” firefly quilt! (Clearly it isn’t summer here at the moment)!! The firefly fabric is from the “Let Your Light Shine” line by Blank Fabric Corporation. The information about how to make this quilt is in my previous post.

It’s a small lap quilt, 38 1/2 x 48 inches. The quilting is straight line, 1/8 inch, just to the right of the blocks, following the grid of the quilt. There is one yellow “light” block with a free-motion quilted initial of the child to whom this quilt will belong.

Here is the quilt’s label. I incorporated the fabric’s name from selvedge in the label.

Quilt label, with a message of encouragement!

The bright-lights-in-the-night theme is carried on in the backing fabric.

Starry backing fabric

This was a fun project which I especially enjoyed making. And it comes with a little secret which won’t be evident until the light are out—the fireflies fabrics are glow-in-the-dark! Best surprise ever!!

"Summer Nights" Firefly Quilt Design

This is the quilt fabric I am so excited to show you. The two feature firefly fabrics are from the “Let Your Light Shine” line from Blank Quilting Corporation. Fireflies! They remind me so much of summer nights.

I wanted to make an easy quilt so I designed this Four Patch variation. There is a little light shining in The corner of one of the firefly-in-the-bushes blocks.

The 4 patch blocks are cut 5 1/2 inches square. The variation block has an inset cut at 1 1/2 inch square with a 4 1/2 x 1 1/2 inch strip. These two patches are sewn together and then f set into a block which is cut 4 1/2 inches x 5 1/2 inches. It’s that simple!

Here is the quilt design I created in Electric Quilt 8.

“Summer Nights” Firefly Quilt Design

In my next post I’ll show you the finished quilt.

Four Patch Quilt: "Four Patch for the Fourth"

The quilt which I started cutting out in my post last week is done in time for the Fourth of July! This is my design, a simple four patch block quilt that I call “Four Patch for the Fourth.” It’s a small quilt…just big enough for two little children to sit on together.

It’s a easy quilt and sews up quickly.

I love blocks that have 4 sections such as this four patch block or pinwheel blocks. In order to have the seams on the back of the block lie as flat as possible, the seams and be “spun”. The top seam can be gently opened up so that one side of the seam can be pressed upward and the other side pressed downward. The result is a tiny four patch on the back of the block. I think of these tiny central blocks as a hidden quilt in a quilt!

The back of a 4 patch block with the seams “spun”. Note how each of the four seams is pressed toward a different patch, so the seams look like the vanes in a windmill.

All the quilting in this quilt was done with a walking foot. Each of the square blocks as been quilted and there is diagonal quilting across the large blocks to anchor them.

It’s easy to keep a long diagonal course of quilting straight by marking it using painter’s tape. Lay down the tape, quilt the line just beside the tape, not ON the tape. Then remove the tape. Do not leave the tape on the quilt for a long time. I find I can tape 2 diagonal lines at a time. But if I tape more than 2 diagonals, the tape tends to lift off the quilt as I’m stitching. Once the long diagonal line is quilted, additional lines of quilting can be added following the initial diagonal line with the edge of the walking foot. Remove the tape before addition parallel lines of stitching. The tape could be left in place but it’s easier to quilt additional lines without the tape on the quilt.

Don’t use masking tape which may leave glue residue on the fabric.

This quilt looks great on the back of a rocking chair too. I like summer quilts that are on the small size. It’s just too hot in the summer to have a big lap quilt.

Here’s my Fourth of July quilt with Douglas, a classic Waldorf type doll which I made.

Ready for Staying at Home on July 4th, 2020.

Have a safe, happy, and healthy weekend!

Four Patch Quilt for Fourth of July

“Can she do it???”

I got this collection of fabrics in the mail from Bits ‘n Pieces Quilt Shop in New Hampshire yesterday. The two focus fabrics and a different red fabric were one of their weekly “3 yard picks” that they showcase on their Sunday Facebook Live at 1 PM EDT.

So I have 10 days from today to get a quilt made for the Fourth of July holiday to make this 37 x 45 inch quilt.

The two feature fabrics were designed by Beth Albert for a line called “American Spirit” printed by 3 Wishes Fabric ™. The dark blue tonal is for the back of the quilt is “Shadow Play” by Maywood studio. Then there is a one of the Kona® cotton reds from my stash and a white on white with a cherry design which has been in my stash for years.

Here’s a mock up of the quilt I designed in Electric Quilt 8. First as a line drawing, and then as a mock up with the focus fabrics shown.

If you want to make this four patch quilt, here is the information you need to cut the pieces. This isn’t a pattern but this does give the information needed to make this quilt.

The four patch blocks are cut as 4 1/2 inch squares and the large feature fabric blocks are cut as 8 1/2 inch squares. The completed blocks will finish at 8 inches square. The tiny white outer border is cut at 1 inch and finishes at 1/2 inch. The outer border is 2 inches wide. The red border blocks are cut at 2 1/2 inches square. The top and bottom blue border strips are cut at 7 1/4 x 21/2 inches and the blue side border strips are cut at 9 1/4 x 2 1/2 inches.

“It should go together quickly" she said. We’ll see whether or not that’s really true!