Summer Plans :: Moda Bake Shop

Today on Moda Bake Shop I'm sharing my Summer Plans quilt tutorial. This is a fun buzz-saw quilt that I have made several times using different variations. This time around I made the traditional block with the bright, contemporary Grunge Hits the Spot fabrics by BasicGrey.

The background fabric is from BasicGrey's upcoming Meraki line. I love the positive affirmations of this simple black and white print.

The playfulness of the dragonfly quilting gets me every time I look at it! It reminds me of the summer evenings I'm longing for. Quilting was done by Utah Valley Quilting.

This is my first buzz-saw quilt which I made in 2007, using 1930's reproduction fabrics. It's just 12 blocks with a 1" white border and a 6" outer boarder. The perfect size for a baby quilt!

Clementine Quilt Along :: Broken Berries

Today I'm sharing the block two in the Clementine Quilt Along by Fat Quarter Shop. I love that the Broken Berries blocks are made from a few of my favorite sub-blocks: square in a square, flying geese, and half-square triangles.

It's been fun to follow the #clementinequiltalong hashtag on Instagram. It's also great to know that the donations for the block patterns help to benefit St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

Clementine Quilt Along :: Watermelon Wheel

I'm so excited to be part of Fat Quarter Shop's Clementine Quilt Along, benefiting St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. This is the second time that I have participated in the the annual quilt along. It's such a fun way to work on a large quilt, little by little, and to help a worth cause.

Although the patterns are free, FQS asks that you donate a small amount each month in lieu of paying for the pattern. You can click on the above link for more information on how you can participate.

This year I decided to make my quilt using Moda Bella Solids. I'm eager to see how it all comes together. These Watermelon Wheel blocks are made using Gray, Mango, Buttercup, and French Blue. I love the way that the colors pop agains the freshly fallen snow!

SaveSave

Saguaro Quilt Tutorial

I've been promising a tutorial for my Saguaro Quilt for quite some time, and today I'm finally going to deliver! I actually had the idea for this cactus quilt rolling around in my head for several months before I put pencil to paper, and it was last October that I made my first block and posted it to Instagram. You can see more pictures of this quilt on my blog post HERE.

These Saguaro blocks are a good way to make a dent in your green scraps. For more variety, I recommend swapping some 2.5" green squares with your friends! I'm SO grateful for my friends who donated their scraps when I made my quilt! 

Keep in mind that this isn't a quilt pattern...simply a tutorial, so you may have to do some figuring out on your own. But you're smart, so I'm sure it won't be a problem. I will give you measurements assuming that your seam allowance is a perfect scant 1/4" and all of your blocks measure a perfect 12.5"x 20.5" (unfinished). Please measure your completed blocks before cutting your sashing and borders. You may need to adjust the lengths to fit.

FABRIC REQUIREMENTS FOR QUILT

3-1/2 yards PINK BACKGROUND

Lots and lots of GREEN SCRAPS

BLOCK CUTTING GUIDELINES

Color	Size	1 Block	12 Blocks
Green	2.5" x 2.5"	30	360
	1.5" x 1.5"	2	24
Pink	8.5" x 4.5"	1	12
	6.5" x 4.5"	1	12
	12.5" x 2.5"	1	12
	10.5" x 2.5"	1	12
	4.5" x 2.5"	1	12
	2.5" x 2.5"	1	12
	1.5" x 1.5"	2	24
	1" x 1"	6	72
P/G HST	2.5" x 2.5"	2	24

P/G HST = Pink and Green Half Square Triangles. Use your favorite method to make 24.

These cactus quilt blocks have ten "stitch and flip" corners. Placement is shown in the diagram (typed in BLACK) and photo below. Place the square on the corner of the fabric, right sides together. Stitch diagonally, press back to check for accuracy, then trim.

The unfinished block measures 12.5" x 20.5".

NOTE: You will need to make SEVEN blocks as diagrammed below, and FIVE that are opposite.

You may notice that the 1' x 1" squares aren't added to the bottom of this saguaro.
This was my prototype, so they were added later.

SASHING AND BORDERS

Horizontal Sashing	12	12.5" x 4.5"
Vertical Sashing	3	72.5" x 4.5"
Side Borders	2	72.5" x 4.5"
Top and Bottom Borders	2	58.5" x 4.5"

Assemble the cactus quilt blocks as diagrammed below.

I'm so eager to see your Saguaro Quilts! Will you use a pink background or do you have another color in mind? Please use the following hashtags when you share your pictures on social media.

#saguaroquilt

#cactusquilt

Saguaro Quilt

Now that the holidays are over and I'm done traveling for a while, I'm finally able to blog about my Saguaro Quilt. The idea for a cactus quilt has been been rattling around in my brain for almost a year now, but it wasn't until I was at a quilt retreat last November that I actually made my first block.

A year and a half ago I made a pineapple quilt, using a tutorial by Jackie Padesky. Two and a half-inch squares and half-square triangles are the basis for the pineapple blocks. These saguaro blocks are similar. Thirty 2.5" squares, a couple of half-square triangles, and a handful of "flip and stitch" corners. When chain pieced, these big blocks go together quite quickly.

I knew from the beginning that I wanted to make this cactus quilt with a pink backing, but these cute note cards from the Dollar Spot at Target reconfirmed my decision! I used the 2017 Kona Color of the Year, Pink Flamingo (AKA the perfect pink!), as my background choice.

I was somewhat uncertain which fabric I wanted to use for the binding. I ended up going with this green gingham, which I cut on the bias, even though most people chose a green and white bias when I posted a poll on my Instagram story. But I'm very happy with my decision!

This awesome Kaffe Fassett backing was purchased at The Quilter's Lodge (Thanks, Robyn!) and the modern loops quilting was done by Utah Valley Quilting.

As promised, you can find a free tutorial for the Saguaro Quilt HERE.

A big shoutout to my daughter, Kirsten, who was my quilt holder. We made several stops in the desert on the way home from California last week. Mother Nature gave us a run for our money, but we won in the end!

#saguaroquilt

#cactusquilt

Dacha Quilt :: What Shade Are You?

I'm so excited to finally be able to share my Dacha quilt. It was made for the RJR Quilt With Love blog and features their beautiful Cotton Supreme Solids. For more photos and information, you can find the original blog post HERE.

I've also written a tutorial for this fun quilt made of simple house blocks. Click HERE for the tutorial.

Quilted by Utah Valley Quilting.

Dacha Quilt Tutorial

It was such a privilege to make this Dacha quilt for RJR's "What Shade Are You?" blog. Working with all of these bright fabrics was so much fun! Don't you just love the way that they stand out against the freshly fallen snow? You can find the original blog post HERE on the Quilt With Love blog.

I've had several people ask me if I was going to make a pattern for this quilt. That wasn't my original plan, but I decided to throw together a quick tutorial, for those who might be interested in making something similar.

Although I love this quilt in solids, I can also imagine this as a scrappy quilt, so I'll give directions for an individual house block, and will also include basic guidelines for making the quilt as it is shown.

For each house block you will need the following pieces:

House

• One (1) - 3.5" x 6.5"
• One (1) - 2" x 2.5"
• Two (2) - 5.5" x 2.5"

Door

• One (1) - 4" x 2.5"

Background

• Two (2) - 3.5" x 3.5"

To make the roof, draw a diagonal line on the back of each background square. Sew on the line, as shown below. Press back to make sure your blocks is square, then trim. Repeat on the other side to make one flying geese...or is the one flying goose? Haha.

Sew the small house piece to the top of the door piece.

Assemble the block as shown below. Block size is 6" x 8" (finished).

You will need 49 blocks to make the quilt as shown. It measures approximately 57" x 72".

For this design, I selected the 12 house colors from primary, secondary, and tertiary colors of the color wheel, in deep saturated shades. I used RJR Cotton Supreme Solids, which are listed on the Quilt With Love blog.

IMPORTANT: You will need 1/4 yard of each fabric. Please note that 1/4 yard will allow enough to make 4 houses. If you do the math, you'll realize that only gives you 48 houses, so make sure that you have a little extra of one of the colors to make the 49th house.

The cutting requirements for the house fabrics are pretty tight, so be mindful that you have a full nine (9) inches from which to cut.

FABRIC REQUIREMENTS:

HOUSE FABRICS - 1/4 yard - 12 different colors 

From each solid, cut the following.

One (1) 3.5" strip, subcut into:

•  Four (4) 6.5" x 3.5" (roof)

Two (2) 2.5" strips, subcut into:

• Eight (8) 5.5" x 2.5" (house)
• Four (4) 2" x 2.5" (house)
• Four (4) 4" x 2.5" (door)

BACKGROUND FABRIC - 2.5 yards

Nine (9) 3.5" strips, subcut into:

• Ninety-eight (98) 3.5" squares

Nine (9) 1.5" strips, subcut into:

• Forty-nine (49) 6.5" x 1.5" (horizontal sashing)

Eight (8) 1.5" strips (vertical sashing)

Note: you may be able to get by with only seven (7) cuts, if you use leftovers from the horizontal sashing.

• Cut and piece together to fit

Seven (7) 4" strips (borders)

BINDING - 1/2 yard

I hope that you find this tutorial helpful. If you make your own Dacha quilt, please use the hashtag #dachaquilt and tag me on Instagram (@kairleoaks). I'd love to see your work!

Quilted by Utah Valley Quilting.