Four Friends Mystery Quilt Top

Four quilt shops (the Four Friends) ran a mystery quilt in January. if you purchased a 2 1/2 in fabric strip roll from one of the shops, you could play along. I purchased my strip roll from Sew Creative Ashland, in Ashland, Oregon. They chose the yellow background and the red fabric in the little triangles for me. I added the mushroom fabric. If you look closely, you’ll find one Garden Gnome holding a mushroom, a welcome, though unexpected visitor!

We were given directions for making the chaining block and the square blocks with the strips and fold over red triangle. But it was up to us to choose our own design from these blocks.

It’s been totally amazing to see how many different configurations folks have come up with. Below are some of the incomplete designs I played with on my design wall. I ended up deciding between the star above and the large diamond.

Right now the tops are only being shared on a closed Facebook group. I hope maybe some of the shops will show them on their websites so more people can see them.

My quilt top is about 64 inches square. I decided to order a wide back fabric as the backing, and the red fabric will be my binding. It’ll be while before I get to quilting it as I had to order both the backing fabric and batting.

This has been an interesting project. It’s not one of my all time favorite quilts but still, I’m glad I did it.

I was recently given a half size strip roll and so I’m thinking about making another quilt just using the square blocks with the strips to make a quick charity quilt. I’ll let you know if I do!

Fussy Cut Medallion Quilt Step-by-Step: Finishing the Quilt Top

In the previous 3 posts there are instructions for building this crib/lap size medallion quilt. In today's post, the quilt top as I've made it, will be finished. But feel free to continue adding to the quilt if you want to make it bigger!

Step 9: Adding plain border strips

I add plain borders every couple rounds as accents or to give the eye a place to rest since this is a busy pattern.

• Cut (2) 34 x 2 1/2 inch strips from a solid color
• Cut (2) 38 x 2 1/2 inch strips from the same color
• Sew 38 1/2 x 2 1/2 inch strips to the sides of the quilt. Press.
• Sew the 34 x 2 1/2 inch strips to the top and bottom of the quilt.

Step 10: Narrow Piano Key borders

Use a variety of the jelly roll strips for this step

• For the side strips, Cut (40) 3 1/2 x 2 1/2 rectangles from the jelly roll strips
• Cut (2) 3 1/2 tall x 3 3/4 wide spacer blocks from the sidestrip sets. I used fussy cut patches for these spacer blocks.
• For the top and bottom strip Cut (32) 3 1/2 x 2 1/2 rectangles
• Cut (2) 3 1/2 tall x 4 inches wide spacer blocks. As for the sides, I fussy cut these patches from the novelty fabric
• Fussy cut 4 corner blocks, 3 1/2 x 3 1/2 inches from the novelty fabric.
• For the sides, sew together (4) strip sets of 10 3 1/2 x 2 1/2 inch patches. Note: Sew the patches together on the longer 3 1/2 inch sides.
• Sew one 10 patch strip to the side spacer block, 3 1/2 x 3 3/4. Then attach a second 10 patch strip

• For the top and bottom strips, sew together (8) 3 1/2 x 2 1/2 inch patches. Make (4) of these 8 patch strips.
• For the top strip, Sew a 3 1/2 x 3 1/2 inch fussy cut corner block to an 8 patch strip. Attach the 3 1/2 x 4 inch spacer block. Attach another 8 patch strip and a final 3 1/2 x 3 1/2 inch corner fussy cut patch.
  Repeat for the bottom strip. If your fussy cut patches have directional designs make sure you check to make sure the design will be upright in the strips.

The finished Polar Medallion Quilt Top

Step 11: Final Solid Border Strips

• Cut (2) 2 1/2 x width of fabric from contrasting solid fabric. 
• Sew one to the top of the quilt and one to the bottom.
• Cut (3) 2 1/2 x width of fabric from the contrasting solid.  Sew these 3 strips together either straight or on the diagonal.  Sew to one side of the quilt. Then cut and sew the left over strip to the other side of the quilt.
• For greater accuracy in cutting, measure the length and width of the quilt in the center of quilt rather from the ends or sides. Use those measurements from the middle of the quilt side and top to cut the last border strips.

That's the completed Polar Medallion Quilt top!  If you've been using these directions to make a similar quilt, I hope you had fun. Please let me know if you find errors in the instructions.

In my final Polar Post, next week, I'll show my finished quilt and give some recommendations for books about Medallion quilts.

Fussy Cut Medallion Quilt Step-by-Step: Working in the Round

In the last post I started the directions for making a Crib/lap size Medallion Quilt. 

Step 1 was creating the 9 1/2 x 9 1/2 inch central focal block for the medallion quilt.  This post will include the steps for the concentric strip sets, working in Round, keeping the quilt square.  Step 2 and Step 3 can be seen with the central medallion in the picture above.

Step 2: patterned strips

• Cut 2 strips 9 1/2 x 2 1/2 inches from your jelly roll strips
• Cut 2 strips 12 1/2 x 2 1/2 inches from your jelly roll strips
• Sew the 9 1/2 inch strips to the 2 sides of the central block. Press
• Sew the 12 1/2 inch strips to the top and bottom of the central blocks. Press
• Trim to 12 1/2 inches square

Step 3: Flying geese strips

• Cut (12) 4 1/2 x 2 1/2 inch strips from a solid fabric
• Cut (24) 2 1/2 x 2 1/2 inch squares from 1 jelly roll strip
• Cut 2 corner blocks 2 1/2 x 2 1/2 inch squares from a jelly roll strip which contrasts with the jelly roll strip used for the flying geese
• Draw a diagonal line down across each of the (24) 2 1/2 inch squares.  Place a square on the right side of the solid rectangle and sew just to the inside (closer the the corner) of the drawn line. Press.  Trim seam to 1/4 inch. Repeat on the left side of the rectangle to complete the flying geese block.
• Sew 3 flying geese blocks together on the short ends of the rectangle.  Sew 2 of these units to the sides of the quilt
• Sew 1 2 1/2 inch square corner block to each end of the other 2 flying geese units. Press.  Sew to the top and bottom of the quilt
• The quilt should now measure 16 1/2 inches square

Round 4 of the Polar Medallion Quilt

Step 4: Strips with Fussy Cut Corner Blocks

• Cut (4) 16 1/2 x 2 1/2 inch strips from a solid color
• Fussy cut (4) 2 1/2 x 2 1/2 corner blocks from the novelty fabric
• Sew two solid strips to each side of the quilt.
• Sew a corner block to each end of the remaining 2 solid color strips. PressBe careful of the orientation of the design in your fussy cut block if there is a right way up in the pattern.
• Sew the strips with the corner blocks to the quilt. Press.
  • The quilt should now measure 20 1/2 inches x 20 1/2 inches

Polar Medallion Quilt Step 5

Step 5: Squares with center-strip spacer units

• Cut (44) 2 1/2 x 2 1/2 inch squares from an assortment of the jelly roll strips
• Cut (4) 1 1/4 x 2 1/2 inch spacer blocks from a coordinating solid fabric (good use of scraps)
• Sew four units of (5) 2 1/2 square blocks
• Sew (1) 1 1/4 x 2 1/2 inch spacer blocks to 1 strip of 5 blocks. Then sew another 5 block strip to the other side of the spacer.  Make one more unit this way.
• Sew four units of (6) 2 1/2 inch square blocks
• Sew (1) 1 1/4 x 2 1/2 inch spacer block to 1 strip of 6 blocks. Then sew another 6 block strip to the other side of the spacer block. Make one more unit this way.
• Attach the shorter strips to the sides of the quilt
• Attach the longer strips to the top and bottom of the quilt
• The quilt should measure 24 1/2 x 24 1/2 inches square

Next week working in the round will be finished and the quilt will be changed into a rectangle.

Blocks on the Clothes Line--A New Quilt in Progress

I recently found a quilt pattern which intrigued me. I knew immediately that Karen Lewis' "Blueberry Park" line printed by Robert Kaufman Fabrics would be perfect for it! 

The Blueberry Park prints, except the flowers, are grid based and the pattern I'm using, "Salt Air Crossings" by Moda Bake Shop is very clearly a grid based pattern. The crosses in the quilt pattern also echo the design in the fabric. 

I used "Disruption" to create more interest in the quilt designs for my last 2 quilts, the Low Volume Plus Signs/Floral Latte, and the Lab puppies. If you look very carefully at Karen Lewis' designs in the fabric above you'll see that she has used "Disruption" too! It was so much fun to find that in her design!

The "Salt Air Crossings" quilt pattern was designed for a jelly roll but I had fat quarters in my stash.  That turned out to be great. I was able to choose the colors I really wanted to use and I just cut my own 2 1/2 inch strips.

I can't wait to put these blocks together! 

My stack of UFOs (quilts in need if finishing) is starting to grow!! I'm going to need to do some quilting...soon!