- Inspired by “Pastel Rails” by Becky Tillman Peterson of QuiltedTwins Blog. Free pattern, as PDF – HERE.
- Becky offers an incredible number of other Free quilt patterns, HERE.
- Made this one for my older brother, who requested a 60 x 84″ quilt in “manly colors”.
- Blocks are 8″ (finished size). I used a 7×10 layout of blocks, plus 3″ wide border.
- Change from pattern – Instead of all 2″ wide strips, mine are 3/4 to 2 1/2″ wide, some leftovers from #2 – String Spiderweb, plus many cut from new fabrics.
STARTED Nov. 10, 2019.
The backing I cut from a solid smoky blue 100% cotton Sonoma queen-sized flat sheet I got at Savers for $3.00. SCORE! ($4.99 less 40% sale)
Made some mistakes while squaring up blocks, resulting in a few that were smaller than normal. Cut them in half and joined into a long 4″ wide strip that I ran vertically down quilt back. This was not only a fun way to use up the extra blocks, it also hid the fact that I’d had to cut a flawed area out of the sheet! (Shhh. . . this can be our little secret.)
Planned on using the same self-binding technique* as on Project #9, Denim Rails, so had to remember to put patches of the backing fabric on both ends of that pieced strip – otherwise, surprise!, two little sections of contrasting color would wrap around to the front as part of the binding. (I forgot to do this on this with the patchwork strips in project #12 – Narragansett Scraps, another reason I’m switching it from quilt back status to quilt front.)
Border – joined narrow strips of blue plaid sheet, left from #12. Mitered Corners, which I finished by hand, and Machine-sewn Binding both went smoothly.*
Tied in traditional fashion this time, with knots on quilt front. They feel like little beads when I run my hand over surface.
Finished December 5th.
TA-DAH, my brother’s new basketweave quilt! I call it “Sand and Surf”.
Shhh, Another Secret. . .
From guild members, I’d gotten the impression that flat fold corners would be much easier than mitered ones. Since the mitered corners on project #9 proved rather fussy, I decided to try flat fold on this quilt.
I folded the first corner. Unsatisfied with the results, I mitered the remaining three and went to bed.
Had I intended to switch that first corner from folded to mitered? I can’t say. But, the next morning, in the middle of machine finishing the binding, I discovered the lone folded corner and, after pausing for just a second, kept sewing.
* NOTE to Self re: Mitered Corners with Self-Binding
For 5/8″-wide self-binding on a denim-weight quilt with NO batting. . . Lay quilt top RS up on backing, which is WS up. Trim backing so it extends 2″ beyond front all way round. Cut a triangle, measuring 2″ from point to hypotenuse, from each corner of backing. (Use paper template.) Fold the freshly cut bias edge over so the point of quilt top corner just brushes against fold. Finger press along diagonal fold to crease. Pin to hold. Repeat on other 3 corners.
Returning to the raw edge of backing, fold up 1 1/4″ and crease fold with fingernail. Run a line of pins parallel with and about 1/4″ up from fold. Slip raw edge of backing under raw edge of quilt top. Removing horizontally placed pins as you go, bring double thick edge of binding up onto quilt top and replace pins, now going vertically. Making sure there’s plenty of bobbin thread, machine-sew very close to edge of binding, all the way around quilt. Hand-sew closed the tiny diagonal opening left at each corner.
alottastitches 