Block of the Month Quilt – Page 6

Decoding the Piecing Patterns for the Dreamcatcher Round the Year Quilt

The A,B,C… and 1,2,3…of Foundation Paper Piecing For Beginner Quilters

I love foundation paper piecing! In fact, it is my favourite method of making quilt blocks – it gives such fabulous, accurate results and is so, so very easy. To let you into a secret, I feel like such a cheat every time someone goes gaga over my paper –pieced blocks! There are certain patterns which contain odd shaped pieces or are so complicated that you could possibly not piece them by any other method. Miniature blocks are also much easier to handle if paper pieced.

But I do know there are some of you quilters who have never ventured into the mysterious world of templates, codes, mirror images, the flip and sew method , yet excited about my Block of the Month quilt `Dreamcatcher Round the Year’. So, what is paper foundation piecing? It is like ‘quilting by number’. In a paper piecing pattern, you sew fabric pieces on to paper which is printed with an exact replica of a quilt block or portion of a block. The pieces are numbered in the order in which you should sew the pieces.

There are several tutorials on the subject for beginners, out there on the big world wide web. Here are some great ones I found – I don’t think I can better these.

” In order to learn to swim, you have to jump into the water. You can’t learn to swim by paddling on the floor of your room, no matter how long you practise. You need the courage to actually try it out.”

Tsunesaburo Makiguchi

As one of those tutorials mentioned, paper foundation piecing is one of those things which are much easier done than explained!

Method

By now, you would know there are several ways to ‘foundation piece”.

We will be sewing directly on to a pattern printed on to paper – the most popular method.
I will also show you how to use freezer paper for piecing, in one of the later blocks. Here, instead of sewing on paper, you fold the seam line on the freezer paper and sew along the fold. The template is reusable. As freezer paper is not easily available to all quilters in India, this will be demonstrated as an alternative to the regular paper piecing.
There is great method to foundation piece using strips, which I picked up from tutorials available online. We will use this method, piecing much faster than you would think possible.

Know your templates

This post is also an introduction to help you `decode’ patterns for paper pieced blocks from the Round the Year Quilt.

The paper foundation piecing patterns for the blocks will in the form of downloadable, printable files (PDF). You need Adobe Reader on your PC/ laptop to be able to view them; this is available free online.
Each file contains 6-12 pages. Set your printer settings to 100% ( sometimes referred to as “No Scaling”.
Some patterns are in `portrait’ mode and others in ‘landscape’ mode. Please ensure that your printer settings are adjusted accordingly. No, this has not been done to confuse you, but to minimize paper usage. Don’t forget to view the tip for saving on printing at the end of this post !
Do you remember the colouring books you loved as a child?

The piecing patterns are something like that!

Each file contains a number of figures coded A, B, C etc, These are templates. Each template is pieced separately; the pieces are colour coded and numbered A1, A2, A3…, B1, B2, B3… and so on.

In the picture below you can see templates G (flying geese in an arc formation) and templates L and M in the form of wedges. You can see that each section is marked with a small coloured square, with a number inside – this is the code number for that colour.
If you look carefully, you will observe that only the outermost seam allowance is shown on each template, marked with a dotted line. Cut out each template outside the dotted line. You need not be accurate at this stage; in fact, I always cut slightly outside the seam outline!

Instructions File

I would also suggest that you download the Instructions file provided with each Block pattern. This contains:

The Block design in full colour. Each colour is given a code number and usage is given for each fabric code. For example, in the design given below, the blues are coded 2, 4 and 5, yellow is coded 3, orange is coded 6.

Fabric requirement of each fabric is provided with code for your convenience. So if in place of yellow you want green, just look up requirement for Code 3.
The “Master Template” which shows you how all the templates A, B, C… will be finally assembled to make up the block. Here is an example of a Master Template of a block that I designed and then scrapped because it was `too difficult’ for beginners!.

It shows you how the pieced templates A to P provided in the Templates file will finally be assembled! If you are not doing the quilt in my colours, you need only a print out of the Master Template and a box of colour pencils to see how your final block will look!

One thing can confuse you – the templates are all mirror images of your original pattern! In this block, the geese are flying clockwise, but in the in this Master Template, they travel anti-clockwise!

I did mention that I am using Quilt Assistant a great free quilt design software for these blocks, didn’t I?

TIP FOR SAVING PAPER

I hate wasting paper! This is what I was left with after cutting the 16 identical looking templates for Block One.

So, when I was making my next block, I used a method I learnt from a BHG quilting book.

I took only one print out of a template I was going to need eight of, two sets of 4 wedges – mirror images of each other.

I stapled it securely to seven sheets of waste printer paper (a good alternative is leaflets, old directory pages, tracing paper ) and took it to the sewing machine.

Unthreaded the needle and started sewing on the pattern lines! ( Good idea to keep aside an old needle for the purpose if you are going to be making several templates.)

In no time, the 8 identical templates are ready. All that remains is to code them with the template number, piece number and colour code on the correct side. That is 4 wedges on one side, the others flipped over and marked on the other side. Here, be very, very careful or you will be lost!!

One drawback of this method is that you miss out on the alignment markers ( the crosses and the small lines on the seam line) that help you when assembling the block, unless you take the trouble to mark these.

However, when needing several identical templates for simple blocks– eg when making a quilt with several rows of pieced flying geese, this is a very useful trick to save on your printer ink!

Tuesday, 15^th July is when the pattern for the first block will be posted – in less than 48 hours from now! I do hope you have your stash sorted and are ready with fabric for the quilt? I would love to see your selection!

Meanwhile, if you are not following my blog, you just might miss out on some quilting tips and tricks I shall be sharing with you all…

Dreamcatcher Rainbow Round the Year Quilt – Fabric Requirement

If you like this colourway for your Round the Year Block of the Month quilt, there is good news for you. I have worked out the fabric requirements – but again a disclaimer! This is an estimate based on my calculations. Again, I hope these will not be too far off the mark!

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.

Fabric for 16 circles

Colour	Fabric 40-44″ width	Fat quarters18″ x 20″	Fabric 34- 36″ width
Black solid	1/4 yard	1 FQ	25 cms
White solid	1/4 yard	1 FQ	25 cms
Cobalt/ bright/ sky blue	2 yards( You could also take two shades of same blue – 1 yard each)	8 fat quarters	2 metres
Dark Grey solid	1 1/2 yards	6 fat quarters	1.5 metres
Light Grey solid	1 1/2 yards	6 FQs	1.5 metres
*Black and whilte print/s	2 yards	8 FQs	2.5 metre
Solids ( scraps will do) in at least 8 bright/ neon colours across the spectrum – except sky blue	Assorted, totalling up to 1 yard	½ FQ (1 fat eighth) each colour	Assorted scraps totalling up to 1 metre

Suggested : Modern geometric / text small –medium sized black and white prints

Background fabric

This gives the total fabric requirement. If you plan to use 2 or more fabrics, the yardage would need to be adjusted accordingly. You could use white, black, grey/s or blue ( same blue as used in the circle). You could purchase the background fabric once you have all the circles done. Since these circles have a modern look, a modern setting with lots of negative space would probably look good.

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

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

Here Fabric requirement – Rainbow Round the Year is a downloadable PDF file with the fabric requirements. You will need Adobe Reader ( available for free download online) on your laptop to be able to view this file.

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 1^st /15^th of each month from 15th July 2014.

The .pdf files which can be downloaded include

The block pattern in colour, with colour codes and fabric requirement.
Colour coded templates for paper foundation piecing where required.
Individual templates where needed.
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.

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 15^th of July! In the meanwhile, you can decide which of these you would like to make.

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!

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!

Tag: Block of the Month Quilt

Decoding the Piecing Patterns for the Dreamcatcher Round the Year Quilt

The A,B,C… and 1,2,3…of Foundation Paper Piecing For Beginner Quilters