Picnic Quilt

SUPPLIES & TOOLS:

• Cotton quilting fabric
• 2/3 yd light yellow
• 3/4 yd dark yellow
• 1/2 yd yellow check
• 2 yds wite Kona cotton
• 1/2/3 yds 90" wide cotton quilt backing
• Curved quilter's safety pins
• 1 1/4 yds white cotton woven fusible interfacing (Shape-Flex by Pellon®)
• Invisible thread
• White cotton thread
• Warm & White® Batting - twin bed size
• Basic sewing supplies
• Rotary cutter, ruler & mat
• Sewing machine with 1/4" foot & walking foot
• Iron & pressing surface

DIRECTIONS:

Note: Approximate size 55" square. 1/4" seam allowance used throughout.

1. Fuse the interfacing to the back of the check fabric.
2. Cut the following:
White Kona cotton - seventeen 2 1/2"x WOF strips (for quilt block).
From six strips, cut thirty-six 6 1/2"x 2 1/2" pieces.
From nine strips, cut thirty-six 10 1/2" pieces.
From white Kona cotton, six 1 1/2"x WOF (for sashing).
From white Kona cotton, six 2 3/4"x WOF (for binding).
From light yellow, ten 2 1/2"x WOF strips (for quilt block).
From six strips, cut thirty-six 6 1/2"x 2 1/2" pieces. From dark yellow, three 8 1/2"x WOF (for sashing).
Yellow check (with interfacing fused to the back), cut twenty-five 3 1/2"x 3 1/2" squares on the bias (for sashing corners).v Set the machine up with the 1/4" foot and straight stitch with a stitch length of 1.5mm.
Sew one light yellow strip on each side of the two 2 1/2" wide white strips.
Press with the seam allowances toward the yellow.
Cut the two strips into a total of eighteen 2 1/2" pieces.


3. Sew one light yellow 6 1/2" piece on each side of the sewn pieces making a yellow square around the white center square.
4. Press & sew one white 6 1/2" piece on each side of the yellow square on the side where the yellow is pieced together. Press.
5. Sew one white 10 1/2" piece on each remaining side completing a white square around the yellow square.
6. Press. This completes the quilt blocks.

For the sashing:

7. Sew the white 1 1/2" strips to the long sides of the dark yellow strips. Press.
8. Cut the sewn strips into thirty-six 3 1/2" pieces.
9. Sew one pieced sashing strip to one side of twelve completed quilt blocks. Press.
10. Put the remaining six quilt blocks aside.


11. Sew one checker square to one end of each of the remaining 18-pieced sashing strips.
12. Press away from the checker square.
13. Sew one sashing with checker square piece between two quilt blocks and one sashing with checker square piece on each end.
14. Repeat with another two quilt blocks.
15. Press the seams away from the checker square.


16. In the same manner sew four quilt blocks together with the sashing and checker square pieces in between each block and at both ends.
17. Repeat with four more quilt blocks. Press.


18. Using the image as guidance, sew one quilt block at each end of a four block strip and a two block strip to form the rows across.
19. Sew one sashing and checker strip between two quilt blocks to form the top row across. Press. Sew the rows together. Press.


20. Cut the outside blocks and checker squares in half diagonally as shown in the image.
21. Use the seam ripper to disconnect the checker triangles from the quilt block triangles on the pieces cut off.
22. Sew the quilt block triangles to the ends of the remaining rows in the same manner and add the checker squares at the ends of the sashing rows.
23. Sew the rows together to form the other half of the quilt.
24. Finally sew the two halves together to complete the quilt top. Press.
25. Trim to straighten the edges.


26. Sandwich the backing, batting and top and secure with the curved safety pins.
27. Set up the machine with the invisible thread on top and cotton thread on the bottom and the walking foot.
28. Quilt with the stitch in the ditch method around the sashing and the yellow center squares or as desired.
29. Trim.


30. Sew the 2 3/4" white binding strips together, fold in half lengthwise with right sides out and press.
Tip: Carefully pin the binding on the edge as you get to each side.
Because the quilt is on the bias the edges will stretch and pinning the binding before sewing will help stabilize the quilt edges.

JOANN Hacks:

• The short stitch length does not come undone when cut.
• The stitching does not have to be backstitched at the end of each sewing section.
• The interfacing stabilizes the checker cut on the bias.
• If another fabric is used for the sashing squares and is not cut on the bias it does not have to be interfaced.
• Cotton thread for piecing tends to pucker the seams less than polyester thread.