Category: Round the Year quilt

Time to dig into your stash!

Fabric requirement for the ‘Round the Year” Quilt

You know, I used to be a banker! But I don’t remember checking and re-checking the accounts (in those days of manual banking) as many times as I have checked these figures. Each pattern will also be tested by at least one fellow quilter and me before I release it! But please remember, this Block of the Month quilt is more in the form of a quilt along; the fabric requirements that I give you are extrapolated from the five blocks that have been tested. True to my training as a conservative banker, I tend to err towards buying less fabric for a project than needed. This time I have made a conscious attempt to make a more realistic estimate and yet, it may not be very accurate. I hope you will bear with me on that! Having got that off my chest, let us get back to the task at hand.

Here is another look at the fabrics that I dug out of my stash for my quilt!

Several blues, a few oranges, golds and a dash of yellow! There are a few greys too, which I shall use in the background squares.

As you can see, I am using an assortment of fat quarters of Fossil Fern by Benartex and some batiks from The Square Inch. Basically, you need a minimum of 4 shades of the main fabric ( blues here) and at least 4 shades of the focus fabric ( ranging deep orange to bright yellow here), besides the background fabric ( at least two shades of grey here). There is a lot of flexibility in the choice of fabric and colours in the pattern, as long as you use fabric with strong contrast within a block. I have even designed these blocks with just two colours!

The measurements given in the first table are for fabric requirement for 16 circles that are inset into squares to make up the quilt. (Measurements for the background fabric are given in a different table.) In India, most fabric is available in 34″ – 36″ width, so I give that requirement in the last column. So here we go!

Fabric for 16 circles

Colour Fabric 40-44″ width Fat quarters Fabric 36″ width
Deepest blue/ Indigo 1 yard 4-5 1 metre
Dark blue 1 to 1 ¼ yard 4-5 fat quarters 1.25 metres
Medium blue 1 ½ yards 6-8 fat quarters 1. 5 metres
Light blue 1 1/4 yards 5-6 fat quarters 1.25 metres
Blues ( Total 18-20 fat quarters)
Deep orange 1 yard 3-4 1 metre
Light orange 3/4 yard 3-4 3/4 metre
Gold 1 yard 4-5 1 metre
Yellow ¾ yard 3 ¾ metre
Orange to yellow ( Total 12-14 fat quarters)

 

Background fabric

This gives the total fabric requirement. If, like me, you plan to use 2 or more fabrics, the yardage would need to be adjusted accordingly.

42-44″ width 34″-36″ width Fat quarters
Single 18″ Block 12.5″ X 20″ or25″ X 10″ 1 fat quarter ( cut 20″ X 12.5″) 1 fat quarter ( cut 20″ X 12.5″)
16 blocks (72″ x 72″ quilt without border and sashing) 3 yards 3.5 *metres 16 fat quarters
16 blocks ( 90″ x 90″ )
Including borders and sashing		 5.5 yards 6 metres

I have also given the requirement for a single block, so that if you plan making fewer blocks, you can do your own calculations!

(* On second thoughts, have increased this to 3.5 metres from the more conservative 3.25 metres given earlier.)

Backing and batting

Backing fabric 42-44″ width 34″-36″ width Batting
16 blocks (72″ x 72″ quilt without border and sashing) 4 ½ yards 6.75 metres 80″ x 80″
16 blocks ( 90″ x 90″ )
Including 4″ overage		 7.5 yards 7.5 metres 100″ x100″

Batting

If you are buying pre-cut batting, you would need Double/ Full size batting for the smaller quilt and King Size for the bigger one.

 

Binding

2.5″ wide binding Length of binding required 42-44″ width fabric 34″- 36″ width fabric
16 blocks (72″ x 72″ quilt without border and sashing) 300 inches length 5/8 yard (55 cms) 65 cms
16 blocks ( 90″ x 90″ )
Including borders and sashing		 370 inches length ¾ yard (70 cms) 75 cms

 

Now to let you into a secret! I am not going to set my circles into the squares till all of them are done. I will then play around with the settings and layout till I find one that I like. I am not even buying the background fabric till then. You could do the same!

Your turn to get cracking, while I can relax for a day or two after all these mathematical calculations! Enjoy!

P.S. I have been thinking about this a lot – this seems to be such one way communication! Why don’t we start an online group, like perhaps a facebook group, where we can share our fabrics, blocks etc and drool over what others are doing? I’d love to hear from you, so please do write in to me!

You can download the fabric requirements for the blue-orange-yellow colourway from this link. Fabric Requirement -Round the Year – Dusk.

Some of you may prefer a more modern look! Like this one below? 20140704-194518-71118342.jpg

You can download the requirement for the `Rainbow” colourway from this link. Fabric requirement – Rainbow Round the Year

What You Can Do With A Single Quilt Block…

…and why you are going to enjoy this Block of the Month!

I am one of those people who jump headlong into a project and the enthusiasm peters out in no time. I often don’t start a great looking new quilt, because I don’t know if I’ll finish it. Who doesn’t hate the thought of adding to those sad orphan blocks calling out to them to do something, anything with them!? Besides, what a waste of money and effort, which most of us cannot readily spare. I don’t want that to happen to any of you lovely people out there who embark on “Round the Year”, my Block of the Month Quilt! So I decided to pattern all my blocks to be versatile, stand alone blocks. At any stage, you can say, “Okay, that’s enough, I am not going to make any more of these!” (Though I do hope you won’t!). There are lots of ways you can use them, just as many as you end up with. I was playing around with my laptop and here are the options I came up with. (One of the advantages is that we have fairly big blocks which finish at 18″ with a 15″ inset circle.)

So what if you decide to make only one block?

Quilt it and make into a small table topper 18″ square. Incidentally, this is a test block made by my online quilter friend Nikhat Syeda– hasn’t she done a marvellous job? Reduce the size of the square to 15″, which is a great size for cushion cover. You could make a set of cushion covers depending on how many blocks you end up with. Add a border, quilt it to make a stunner of a wall hanging! Another quilter friend Sobana tested the same block. (She has even blogged about it here – you must see the other wonderful work she has done!). She is going to use it as the centre of a quilt she is planning! I am waiting to see what she comes up with – but this does give you an idea of what you can do with a single block! I almost forgot to remind you of what I did with a single block – in fact , with a little less than a single block… I skipped the outer square and quilted the pieced circle into a pretty, round table top.   This is my friend Aliya Mir’s test block , which I have photoshopped to show you the look. Well, tomorrow evening I give the fabric requirements for the full quilt, do tune in! But before that, tomorrow morning I am experimenting with various quilt layouts here on this blog!

Testing, testing…and some welcome confusion!

I decided to try out one of the alternative colour ways that I suggested for my Block of the Month quilt ‘Round the Year’, before I post the fabric requirements on the 7th  July. There were a few glitches in this block pattern, but I have sorted those out.
Here is a first look at the under-construction block , which I call “Hope” after the famous blue diamond!

"Hope" aka "Blue Diamond"
Block “Hope” / Blue Diamond from the “Round the Year” quilt

I absolutely love this and am tempted to scrap the other blue- orange-yellow and make this one instead! Or perhaps I’ll make both the quilts !? My daughter in law loves the blue and orange combination, so that goes to her. This – the ‘modern’ version – shall be mine! Meanwhile, here is a look at Block Two “Evening at the Pond”  from the other one…

Evening at the Pond
Block Two – Evening at the Pond “Round the Year” quilt

What do you suggest? Which one? If you are on facebook, why don’t you visit my page “Patchwork of my Life” ? Click on the link, visit my page, like it and tell me what you think. I so  look forward to hearing from you!

Introducing – the “ Dreamcatcher – Round the Year” Quilt!

I am so happy and excited to introduce my “Block of the Month” (BOM) quilt “ROUND THE YEAR” from July 2014 – June 2015!

You do not have to be an experienced quilter to be able to make the blocks (which look so difficult!!) that make up this quilt. Initially, one just needs to know how to stitch on a straight line printed on paper.

Lots of pictures shall guide you each step of the way, just like a quilt along!

 The Quilt

Designed by me on Quilt Assistant sotware, and inspired in part by the Camelot quilt by Trish Harper, the quilt will have sixteen blocks, each a 15” circle set in an 18” square.

Unlike the Camelot (which is hand-pieced), these are, as far as possible, paper foundation pieced.

The blocks have been drafted/ designed  using  traditional patterns based on circles/ curved piecing ( yet simple to assemble)  like the Mariner’s Compass, New York Beauty, Dahlia, card-trick, drunkard’s path, winding ways etc. besides improvised Camelot-like blocks etc. However, an attempt is made to incorporate other techniques, where possible, in the blocks that come up later, so that the blocks do not become repetitive and boring over the year.

To help you along, complete patterns in .pdf files and several pictures will be posted with each block, tested by me or generous fellow quilter volunteers!

Layout

One to two blocks will be released each month, a total of 16 over 10 months. The last two months are set aside for putting together the top and quilting and finishing the project. We shall be joining them up them up in the traditional 4X4 layout, but…if you find this too much to handle…you could piece just a few blocks surrounded by a lot of negative space to make up your quilt.

You may also square up nine in a 3X3 layout for a lap quilt, a 2 X2 to make a table cloth, line up 3 or 4 or 5 to make table/ bed runners. The possibilities are endless, whether you decide to make all the blocks or not…

You could even make a single circle block and use it as a table topper like the DAHLIA here (which even a beginner can whip up in a few hours!) This, incidentally, is also Block Number One of the quilt!

 

Round table runner
DAHLIA – a traditional quilt block that makes up Block One of the quilt

Colours

–          I am making my quilt with shades of blue as the main colour and yellows to oranges as the focus fabric. I am setting them in squares in various shades of blue to grey.

–          For each of the blocks, I am suggesting 2 more colour ways! Firstly, there is a two-colour option. There is another option with a black & white print as the main fabric and the colour wheel as the focus. The circles are set on a blue background.

You could, of course, use any other colour-way that you like or go totally scrappy!

 What you shall get

I shall post the fabric requirement on 7th July 2014 here on my blog. The detailed instructions for each block will be made available on this blog on the 1st /15th of each month from 15th  July  2014.

The .pdf files which can be downloaded include

  1.  The block pattern in colour, with colour codes and fabric requirement.
  2. Colour coded templates for paper foundation piecing where required.
  3. Individual templates where needed.
  4. A Master Template with block assembly instructions.

Fabric 

I shall be using fat quarters of Fossil Fern by Benartex, with some batiks thrown in! Here is a look at my fabrics.

062814_1137_Introducingt2.jpg
My Fossil Fern by Benartex fat quarters for the quilt!

 

And here is a look at the options for the first block, pattern for which is coming up on the 15th of July! In the meanwhile, you can decide which of these you would like to make.

062814_1137_Intoducingt3.png

 062814_1137_Intoducingt5.png062814_1137_Intoducingt4.png

 

My friend, Aliya Mir has been kind enough to test this block for me, using her own colour combination. Watch this space to see  her oh-so-pretty block ! Would you like a sneak peek at it?  Here it comes!

A Sneak Peek at Aliya's Dahlia
A Sneak Peek at Aliya’s Dahlia

 

Meanwhile, this is how my `DAHLIA’ block is shaping up – I quite love it!

062814_1137_Intoducingt6.jpg
My DAHLIA – Block 1 of the ‘Round the Year’ quilt

 

Perhaps we can start a facebook group to share pictures of our blocks as they come up. Or share them on flicker? I look forward to your suggestions!

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