Hey everyone! Today we're making a cozy throw quilt, and you'll learn a simple block plan that lets color do all the work.
Meet the fabric first
This is the Boundless Coordinated Stash Builder Bundle - Lancaster Square.
It is a Craftsy Bluprint bundle.
The total is 16 3/4 yards.
You get 11 pieces in all.
These are 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 7 yards of navy solid.
You get 1 1/2 yards of red solid.
You get 1 1/2 yards of purple solid.
You get 3/4 yard each of light blue solid, light turquoise solid, dusty green solid, lilac solid, and pink solid.
You get 1 yard each of sky blue solid, turquoise solid, and lime green solid.
The pattern is not included.
That is fine, y'all. We're not reinventing the wheel here.
I love solids for a throw like this. No prints to match. The navy grounds everything, and those bright colors just sing against it.
The project: a throw quilt
We are making a throw that finishes about 48 by 60 inches.
That is a good couch size, folks. Big enough to share. Small enough to finish without a fuss.
The design is big simple squares. Twenty blocks in all. Four across and five down. Each block finishes at 12 inches.
Why does this bundle suit it?
A solid shows your quilting beautifully. Stitch in the ditch will look crisp. A simple meander will read as soft texture.
My pick is navy for every other block. Then rotate red, purple, sky blue, lime green, and pink through the rest. Or try a rainbow run corner to corner. Super duper fun too.
Completely up to you.
Materials list
- The Boundless Coordinated Stash Builder Bundle - Lancaster Square - various solid fabric 16 3/4 yards total, for the blocks and backing below
- For the top: ten 12 1/2-inch squares cut from navy solid
- For the top: ten 12 1/2-inch squares cut from the other solids, one or two of each color
- For the backing: about 3 1/2 yards total, pieced from the remaining navy solid
- Batting: one piece about 54 by 66 inches, to give you a few inches extra all around
- For binding: about 1/2 yard from red or purple solid, cut into 2 1/2-inch strips
- 100% cotton thread, 50-weight, in navy or gray for piecing and quilting
- A size 80/12 universal needle for piecing
- Your usual tools: rotary cutter, ruler, mat, pins or clips, iron, and sewing machine
Brief steps
Step one: press well. Cut your twenty squares at 12 1/2 inches. Take your time here. Big squares forgive a lot, but straight cuts help.
Step two: lay out four across and five down. Step back and look. Move colors until it feels balanced to you.
Step three: sew each row together with a 1/4-inch seam. Press seams in one row to the left, the next row to the right, so they nest.
Step four: sew the five rows together. Pin at every seam join. Sew at about 8 to 10 stitches per inch.
Step five: layer backing wrong side up, batting, then your top right side up. Baste well with pins or spray.
Step six: quilt it simple. Stitch in the ditch along the block seams is my first choice here. Or echo a 1/4 inch inside each square. Here we go, nice and steady.
Step seven: trim the extra batting and backing even with the top. Sew on your 2 1/2-inch binding strips, miter the corners, and hand or machine finish the back.
Practical tips
Tip one: solids show every wobble, and that is okay. It does not have to be perfect. You are your own worst critic. Take your time, it is not a race.
Tip two: I have sewn a whole row in backwards before. Oh my goodness, yes. I laughed, I unpicked it slow, and I sewed it again. Just like that, fixed.
Tip three: press, do not push, with your iron. Pushing can stretch a big square. Lift and set, lift and set.
Tip four: slow down at thick seam joins when you quilt. Slow down or the needle snaps.
If I can do this, y'all can do it. Really really good for a first big finish.
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 - Lancaster Square - various solid fabric 16 3/4 yards total at Linda's Electric Quilters.
