Hey everyone! Today we're making a bold color-block wall hanging, and you'll learn how five solids can carry a whole design.
Meet the fabric first
This is the Boundless Coordinated Stash Builder Bundle - Color Block.
It is a Craftsy Bluprint bundle.
The total is 3 1/4 yards.
You get 5 pieces in all.
These are solid quilt-shop quality fabrics, made in Japan.
Every piece is 100% cotton.
The width is 44/45 inches.
The listed end uses are crafts and quilting.
Here is exactly what you get.
You get 1/4 yard of solid coral.
You get 1/4 yard of solid teal.
You get 1/4 yard of solid mustard.
You get 1/4 yard of solid red.
And you get 2 1/4 yards of solid blue.
The pattern is not included.
That is fine, y'all. We're not reinventing the wheel here.
Here is what I use and why.
I love a solids-only bundle for wall art.
There is no print to hide behind. The color does all the talking. Coral, teal, mustard, and red are the bold voices. That big piece of blue is the calm background that lets them sing.
The project: a color-block wall hanging
We are making one pieced wall hanging.
Finished, it measures about 36 inches wide and about 30 inches tall.
Why does this bundle suit it?
A wall hanging is flat, graphic, and seen from across the room. Big blocks of solid color read beautifully at that distance. Quilting cotton presses crisp and holds a sharp edge. And that generous blue covers your borders, backing, and binding, all from one piece.
The design is simple on purpose.
Four wide bands, one in each accent color, stacked across the middle.
Blue frames the whole thing, top, bottom, and sides.
Coral on top, then mustard, teal, and red. Or red on top and coral last. Or teal beside mustard instead of below it.
Completely up to you.
My pick is coral up top. It is warm and welcoming, and it really really pops against that blue frame.
Materials list
- The Boundless Coordinated Stash Builder Bundle - Color Block - various solid fabrics 3 1/4 yards total, for the top, backing, and binding below
- About 1 yard of cotton batting, at least 40 x 34 inches
- 50-weight cotton thread in blue for piecing and quilting
- A wooden dowel or flat stick about 34 inches long, for hanging
- Painter's tape or sticky notes, for labeling your bands
- Your usual tools: rotary cutter, ruler, mat, pins, iron, and sewing machine
Brief steps
Step one: cut your accent bands. From each quarter-yard piece, cut one band 6 1/2 inches tall by 30 1/2 inches wide. You will have a nice strip left over.
Step two: cut your blue. Cut two side borders 3 1/2 inches wide by about 24 1/2 inches long, and two end borders 3 1/2 inches wide by 36 1/2 inches long. Save the rest for backing and binding.
Step three: sew the four bands together in your chosen order, with a 1/4-inch seam. Press each seam flat as you go. Label them first with tape. I have stacked bands in the wrong order before. Oh my goodness. We laughed, we fixed it, we moved on.
Step four: sew the blue side borders on first. Press out toward the blue. Then sew the top and bottom borders on, and press again.
Step five: layer and quilt. Backing right side down, batting, then your top right side up. Pin well. Quilt simply: stitch in the ditch along each band seam, then echo each seam about 1/4 inch away. Straight lines suit this look, and they are forgiving.
Step six: bind it. Cut blue strips 2 1/2 inches wide, join them, and bind all four edges. Slow down at the corners, or the needle can jump on the thick layers.
Step seven: add a hanging sleeve. Sew a blue strip, about 4 inches wide, across the back near the top. Slide the dowel through, and hang it up. Just like that.
Practical tips
Tip one: press every seam as you go. Solids hide no wobbly seams. Good pressing is most of the polish here.
Tip two: audition your band order on the wall first. Tape the bands up, live with them an hour, then sew. Moving tape beats moving seams.
Tip three: do not chase perfect corners. It does not have to be perfect. You are your own worst critic here. Take your time, it is not a race. If I can do this, y'all can do it.
Alrighty, folks. Thanks so much for sewing along with me today.
We'll see you next time. Bye.
Shop the Boundless Coordinated Stash Builder Bundle - Color Block - various solid fabrics 3 1/4 yards total at Linda's Electric Quilters.
