TUTORIAL: Pint Size Baby Quilt

Little squares again?  Yep, I never seem to get tired of them.  This quilt is based on 2-1/2″ squares and you might have some of those, or something close to it, laying around.  You can use plain old scraps, jelly roll leftovers, a charm pack (with a few friends)…really just about anything.  I have a plastic shoe box where I put 2-1/2″ squares as I cut them.  All I had to do was sort through the box and find pieces that worked.  Don’t worry…the box is still full.  In fact, the box is ALWAYS full.  Scraps don’t seem to match the laws that govern the rest of the universe.

PINT SIZE

37-1/2″ 37-1/2″

block size:  8″ finished (8-1/2″ raw)

MATERIALS

192 2-1/2″ squares.  You can use scraps, a jelly roll, or take one-and-a-little charm packs and cut them into quarters

1-1/3  yards background fabric (in the model I used two different colors, but both the white sashing and borders and the very light blue in the blocks is background)

1-1/4  yard backing fabric (or as required for quilting technique)

batting suitable

1/3 yard binding fabric

CUTTING DIRECTIONS

1. Prepare your colored squares.  Because I am sometimes a little obsessive, mine get sorted by color.  But, you don’t have to do that.  Just make sure a good pile is ready.
2. Background fabric–for each block you will need 4 2-1/2″ x 2-1/2″ squares and 4 2-1/2″x 4-1/2″ rectangles.   That means a total of 64 2-1/2″ x 2-1/2″ squares and 64 2-1/2″x 4-1/2″ rectangles.
3. Background fabric, continued–for sashing and borders you will need 24 1-1/2″ x 8-1/2″ rectangles, 9 1-1/2″ x 1-1/2″ squares, 2 1-1/2″ x 35-1/2″ strips and 2 1-1/2″ x 37-1/2″ strips.

CONSTRUCTION

1. Using your colored squares, create a four patch block.  Be color obsessive (I raise my hand here), or just grab 4 pieces and stitch them together.  The finished 4-patch blocks should measure 4-1/2″ square. Do this 16 times.
2. Choose one of your 4-patch centers, 8 colored squares, 4 2-1/2″ background fabric squares and 4 2-1/2″ x 4-1/2″ background rectangles.  Lay out your proposed block.
   

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3. You will create a flying geese block using 2 colored squares and a background rectangle.  Use the “stitch and flip” method. Do this four times.
   

   Stitch on the diagonal

   

   Cut and iron open
4. Assemble the block as you would a 9-patch.  Just join the sections into rows, then join the rows together.
5. Yay!  You have a finished block.
6. Do steps 2-5 a total of 16 times.
7. Lay out your blocks in a pleasing arrangement.  If they are scrappy enough, it probably doesn’t matter.  But, just looking at them all is part of the fun.
8. Create rows of blocks by alternating four blocks with the 1-1/2″ x 8-1/2″ background strips between.  It will take three strips. Do this four times.
9. Create sashing rows by alternating 1-1/2″ x 8-1/2″ background strips with 1-1/2″ x 1-1/2″ background squares.  It will take four strips and three squares.  Do this three times.
10. Sew the block rows and sashing rows together.
11. Attach the 2 1-1/2″ x 35-1/2″ strips and 2 1-1/2″ x 37-1/2″ strips to the top and bottom and then the sides.  You have a finished top.
12. Layer, baste and quilt as desired.  I used a simple diagonal through the blocks.  It was something I could handle on my home machine.
13. Label and bind.  Ta-dah!  You have a quilt.
    

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    PINT SIZE GALLERY

Your beautiful creation here…