TUTORIAL: Hundred Hugs Quilt

This quilt is inspired by twins due in June.  They are far away and most of their hugs will have to be carried by quilt.  At least a hundred each, don’t you think?

HUNDRED HUGS

36-1/2″ x 36-1/2″

MATERIALS

 about 220 2-1/2″ charm squares (you will use 212 of them)

2/3  yard background fabric

1/3 yard binding

1-1/8 yard backing

batting to size

NOTE:  If you do not want to use the “flip-and-trim” method to create your half-square triangles all using 2-1/2″ squares (Some people are upset by the perceived waste, and that is OK.), you can cut 2-7/8″ squares and create half-square triangles from them. In that case, you will need additional background fabric and fabric for the blocks and can reduce the number of charm squares by 56.  If you have questions about this, please ask.  I will be glad to help. The purpose in choosing the flip-and-trim technique was to make the quilt simple to cut and charm-square friendly.

ANOTHER NOTE:  If you have an unused jelly roll that is feeling lonely, you can separate it by colorway (or not) and make three of these quilts from a single 42 strip jelly roll.  I’ll bet you can find three people willing to take them. 🙂

CONSTRUCTION

 1. Using your 2-1/2″ squares, build a 100 patch center (10 x 10 blocks).

2. Using your 2-1/2″ squares, build two strips that are 12 squares long and two strips that are 14 squares long.

3. Prepare your background fabric as follows: 1. Cut 8 strips 2-1/2″ by Width Of Fabric (WOF). From two of the strips, pieces 20-1/2″ long (two total).  From two of the strips, pieces 24-1/2″ long.  From two of the strips, pieces 32-1/2″ long.  From two of the strips, pieces 36-1/2″ long.  You will have a total of 8 background strips. Set these aside.

4. Using the leftover pieces from your strips, cut 56 2-1/2″ squares.  These will form your half-square triangles.  If you can not get all 56 pieces from the leftovers, cut another strip of background fabric.

5. Sew the 20-1/2″ strips to the sides of the hundred patch and the 24-1/2″ strips to the top and bottom of the hundred patch.

6. Sew the 12 square strips to the sides of the quilt and the 14 square strips to the top and bottom of the quilt.

 

7. Create your half square triangles.  Using one colored square and one background square, put them right sides together and sew across the diagonal corner to corner.

Cut off the outside corner, 1/4″ from the seam.

Press open.

You have a half-square triangle exactly 2-1/2″ square.

(SIDE NOTE: You can create a second seam 1/2″ from the first, cut between them, and get your 2-1/2″ HST and a smaller one you can save for some obsessive project later.  If this doesn’t make sense to you, that may be a good sign.  Just use the standard direction. If it does make sense, carry on!)

Do this 56 times.

If you have trouble with your machine eating the corners of the blocks, chain piece very close together.  You can also try starting the first stitch just a little bit inside the exact corner, about a stitch length.  If you throat plate is very open this technique may be difficult on your machine.  If anyone else has a tip or trick for this, I would love to hear it and will add it to the tutorial.

NOTE:  Daphne White of Shelburne, Ontario suggests using a little piece of paper underneath so that there is no “point” to be eaten. Once you are done, the paper just tears away. Works with chain piecing. The slip of paper doesn’t have to be very big. Thank you, Daphne.  It works!

8. Sew together four strips of 14 half-square triangles each. On each strip all of the triangles should be pointed “in” so there is a larger triangle where numbers 7 and 8 meet.  This looks like hands or arms reaching around.  Part of the Hundred Hugs idea.  Use the picture to help you with placement.

9. Sew one strip to each side of the quilt.  On the other strips, attach a single colored square to each end, making a total of 16 squares.  Attach these strips to the top and bottom of the quilt.

10. Sew the 32-1/2″ background strips to the sides of the quilt.  Sew the 36-1/2″ background strips to the top and bottom of the quilt.  There you have it!  One Hundred Hugs top finished.

11. Sandwich, quilt and bind as desired.  I chose a simple straight line pattern that emphasises the huggy design of the quilt.  Even if you have never machine quilted, you might want to give this one a try.  It is small enough to manage fairly easily.

12. Ta-dah!  One quilt finished.  Oh, do please share pictures of yours!  I love to see them.

HUNDRED HUGS GALLERY

Marta in Italy created two!

Kathy’s Version

My new one…

Sister Mary Pat made two of them…

And Kathy did this one for her husband’s coworker

And all the way in the UK…

Lauren built this cheerful version in just a few days–surprising how fast it goes when you are having fun!

Gaby chose Hundred Hugs to be her very first quilt.  Didn’t she do a great job?!

Yummy made this bold and bright version.

your quilt here…