Summer on the Coast {Finished Quilt}

I'll fully admit that there were multiple times where I completely forgot that this quilt top was done and ready to quilt! I finished the top in July 2016 and this quilt was one I designed for a mystery quilt along I hosted. I actually bought the backing fabric for this quilt in July 2017 at the same time I bought the backing fabric for my Meadow quilt and my Green in Bloom quilt.

Here's the quilt top from when I finished it:

This design was inspired by combining a traditional Storm at Sea block with pinwheels. I sent the quilt and backing home with my mom the last time she came to visit with the instructions to "do with it as she pleased." The reason this top sat for so long unquilted and unfinished is that I didn't know how to quilt it so it was probably the right decision to make someone else decide how to quilt it!

Here's the preview pictures my mom posted on Instagram:

The finished quilt is lovely!

The quilting is all different sorts of echoing of the block shapes. The backing is an old Moda print from the Farmer's Market line. I love the diagonal vines -- it makes the binding look fantastic!

This will likely become my new "mobile quilt" -- the quilt that I keep in the car for picnics and other activities!

Quilt Stats:
Name: Summer on the Coast
Pattern: Summer on the Coast (designed by me!)
Fabrics: random stash fabrics (backing/binding is Moda)
Techniques: paper piecing
Quilting: rulerwork echo quilting by my mom
Size: 60 inches square
Started: March 2016
Finished: May 2018

Sharing at Let's Bee Social and Needle and Thread Thursday!

Summer on the Coast QAL: Finished quilt tops!

Today I'm excited to show off some finished quilt tops from our Summer on the Coast quilt along!

Here's my throw sized quilt:

Here's Lori's quilt:

Here's Sylvia's quilt:

Here's TamJane's quilt:

Thank you to all who participated! If you have a finished quilt or quilt top, please share it with me and I will add it to this collection!

Sharing at Sew Cute Tuesday!

Summer on the Coast -- Month #4 -- The Big Reveal!

It's time for the big reveal!

For some reason I'm having trouble with my camera, so I will update this post tonight or tomorrow with my finished top. I put together diagrams of the throw and the twin sized quilts based on my colors but slightly modified so that those of you that tweaked your color schemes know how to split up your units.

And here we go!

Here's the throw size: (the baby size omits the last three rows of this version)

And here is the twin size!

I started designing this quilt by playing around with a traditional Storm at Sea quilt and changing out the larger square in a square in a square units for the pinwheel units. I think it looks particularly summery with the addition of the pinwheels while keeping the great angles and shapes of a traditional Storm at Sea Quilt.

Amanda is on vacation so the final PDF which will be updated to include all three blocks and the finishing directions will not be available until August, so until then, the directions to put together the top will be here on the blog.

The easiest way to put the blocks together is to sew together your Unit Bs (triangle in a square units) into pairs. If all of your Unit Bs are the same, just sew them into pairs with the "background side" along the seam so it looks like you are making large diamonds. If you used two different colors in your Unit Bs, sew them into pairs with two different colors.

Next, sew together four Unit Cs into a pinwheel shape -- your small triangles end up on the four outer corners of the pinwheel. If you used multiple fabrics in your large triangles of Unit C, group them together in fours so that your pinwheel is the same fabrics.

Now you'll start putting your rows together -- you will have "skinny" rows and "thick" rows. Your skinny rows will alternate between Unit A and the combined Unit Bs. The throw/baby row is shown first and the twin row is shown second.

For your thick rows, you will alternate between the combined Unit Bs and the pinwheel units. The throw/baby row is shown first, and the twin row is shown second.

Once you've made your rows, alternate between skinny and thick rows to build your final quilt!

I can't wait to see your finished quilts so don't forget to post your tops in the Flickr group! If you have questions, don't hesitate to email me! Next month we'll have a quilt top parade and some free patterns to give away for those who post or email me pictures of their finished quilt tops or finished quilts!

PS. We are having a sale on our Bear Tracks Pattern -- only $5 until July 12th!

Summer on the Coast -- Month #3 -- Unit C

It's the first Tuesday of the month so that means it is time for another installment of the Summer on the Coast QAL!

This is our last month for making blocks -- next month will be the top reveal with lots of tips on how to put your quilt together! In the mean time, let's get to making our twisting triangle blocks.

Update 1/2/19: Right now our free patterns are not available because of the changes to Craftsy. We are in the process of moving our free patterns to Payhip and will send an update once that is complete.

Baby: 24 units (1/4 yard for small triangles, 1/2 yard of large triangle color A, 1/2 yard of large triangle color B, 1/2 yard background for strips)
Throw: 36 units (1/4 yard for small triangles, 2/3 yard of large triangle color A, 2/3 yard of large triangle color B, 3/4 yard background for strips)
Twin: 80 units (2/3 yard for small triangles, 1 1/8 yards of large triangle color A, 1 1/18 yards of large triangle color B, 1 1/2 yards background for strips)

If you want to pre-cut your pieces to help reduce some trim-off waste, my recommendations for cutting is as follows:

Small triangles: Cut 4 inch squares diagonally in half once. You will need to cut 12 squares (24 triangles) for the baby size, 18 squares (36 triangles) for the throw size, and 40 squares (80 triangles) for the twin size.

Large triangles: Cut 7.75 inch squares diagonally in have twice, using two different color fabrics. You will need to cut 6 squares in each color (48 triangles total, 24 in each color) for the baby size, 9 squares in each color (72 triangles total, 36 in each color) for the throw size, and 20 triangles in each color (160 triangles total, 80 in each color) for the twin size.

NOTE: as requested by one of our participants, you CAN use charm squares in this unit. Instead of cutting 7.75 inch squares diagonally twice for your large squares, cut your charm squares in half diagonally once. This will be slightly tight, but if you are careful about your placement you should be able to use the charm squares. You can also use charm squares for your small triangles.

For each block, you will need one large triangle in each color, one small triangle, and one section of strip -- you should be able to get 4 blocks pieced with one of your WOF strips.

Start by sewing your two large triangles together. It honestly doesn't matter which color goes where, but you should be consistent through all of your blocks.

Now add your strip to your triangles. You will likely want to trim off your excess WOF strip so that it isn't in the way! I trimmed mine at an angle so that it wasted less fabric.

Finally add your small triangle and trim your block to 6.5 inches.

That was simple, right? If you haven't joined in yet, there is still time! Don't forget to share pictures in the Flickr group!

Summer on the Coast -- Month #2 -- Unit B

Welcome to our second month of the Summer on the Coast QAL!

This month we are making slightly more complicated blocks -- triangle in a square blocks! 

Update 1/2/19: Right now our free patterns are not available because of the changes to Craftsy. We are in the process of moving our free patterns to Payhip and will send an update once that is complete.

Here's how many units you will need for each size and approximate fabric needed for each part of the block:

Baby: 34 units (7/8 yard for large triangles, 1 yard for small triangles)
Throw: 48 units (1 yard for large triangles, 1 1/8 yard for small triangles)
Twin: 98 units (2 yards for large triangles, 2 1/4 yards for small triangles)

If you want to pre-cut your pieces to help reduce some trim-off waste, my recommendations for cutting is as follows:

Center triangles: cut 7 inch wide strips across your WOF. See below on how to cut your first angle -- you should be able to get 10 triangles per WOF.
Side triangles: cut 7.5 inch by 4.5 inch rectangles -- you will need to cut half of your rectangles from upper right to lower left and cut the other half of your rectangles from upper left to lower right. You will need one of each type of small triangle (left handed, right handed) for each unit.

Note: pre-cutting is NOT necessary if you feel confident in your paper piecing skills! 

To start, fold your triangle-square units along one of the triangle lines.use that fold to trim the same angle across your 7 inch fabric strip. I cut my strip 1/4 inch away from the edge of the paper. This will make it easier to line up your small triangles.

As noted above, you will need to cut both "left handed" and "right handed" half-rectangle triangles. If you layer two rectangles wrong sides together and cut diagonally once, you will have both two sets of triangles.

If desired, pin your fabric strip to the foundation. Line up your first triangle to the pre-cut edge and sew on the line. Press your triangle away from the background strip.

Fold along the opposite triangle line and cut off the excess background fabric strip - don't forget to leave a 1/4 beyond the fold for your seam allowance!

Place your second small triangle along the second angled edge and sew on the foundation line. Press your block.

Make sure that your triangles cover the entirety of the block as indicated by the dashed lines around the block. You may need to increase the size of your half-rectangle triangles if you have trouble with lining up the triangles correctly. When you've made sure that your pieces are lined up, you can trim your block along the dotted lines for a 6.5 inch block (6 inch finished).

Share your finished blocks in the HBD Designs Flickr group!

Sharing at Fabric Tuesday, Sew Cute Tuesday, and Let's Bee Social!

Summer on the Coast -- Month #1 -- Unit A

Welcome to our first real month of the Summer on the Coast QAL!

This month we are starting off simple, so if you are a brand new paper piecer you can totally do this!

Update 1/2/19: Right now our free patterns are not available because of the changes to Craftsy. We are in the process of moving our free patterns to Payhip and will send an update once that is complete.

Our units this month are square in a square blocks! Here's how many units you will need for each size and approximate fabric needed for each part of the block:

Baby: 12 units (1/4 yard needed for center squares, 1/3 yard for corner triangles)
Throw: 16 units (1/3 yard needed for center squares, 1/2 yard for corner triangles)
Twin: 30 units (2/3 yard needed for center squares, 3/4 yard for corner triangles)

If you are not interested in paper piecing your blocks, you can easily find tutorials for perfect SIAS units on the internet. You will need a 6.5 inch block unfinished (6 inches finished).

If you want to pre-cut your pieces to help reduce some trim-off waste, my recommendations for cutting is as follows:

Center squares: 5 inches each (I started with 4 3/4 inches as shown below, this is slightly tight, so you are probably better off with 5 inch squares) -- one per block
Corner triangles: 4 inch squares cut diagonally once -- cut two squares per block to yield four triangles per block

As always, make sure that your paper piecing template prints out at the correct size -- from dotted edge to dotted edge, your block template should measure 6.5 inches!

To start off, center your square within the template with sufficient overhang on all four sides. I found it helpful to pin the squares to the paper foundation for the first seam. Line up your first triangle along one of the sides of your square.

Sew on the line, press and repeat with your second triangle. I found it easiest to sew the opposite triangle second.

Repeat with your 3rd and 4th triangles. A quick tip: sometimes it is hard to "eyeball" lining up your triangle in the center of the square, but if you make sure that the overhang is equal distance on each side of your square piece, you will have perfectly aligned triangles every time! You can see in the diagram below that the unsewn triangle #3 has "dogears" that are the same size on each side of the block.

After giving your block a final press, you are ready to trim on the dotted lines for your final unit.

Notes on color selection: I choose my smallest fabric cut to use in all of the centers of my units. I picked a contrasting color for my corner triangles. I didn't use any "background" fabric in my units this month. If you have a larger scale print, you will likely want to use it as your center squares.

Have other questions about how to pick fabrics? Just leave a comment (and make sure you are not a no-reply blogger!)

Share your finished blocks in the HBD Designs Flickr group!

Sharing at Let's Bee Social!

Summer on the Coast QAL: Fabric Requirements and Suggestions

Welcome to Month 1 of the Summer on the Coast QAL!

Today we'll be focusing on yardage requirements and fabric selection.

Update 1/2/19: Right now, our free patterns are not available due to the changes at Craftsy. We are in the process of moving our pattern shop to Payhip and will let you know when that occurs.

This quilt can be made with yardage or scrappy – we’ve included the approximate number of yards you will need with a little bit of wiggle room, but feel free to add a little extra.

Sizes and approximate yardage:

Baby: 42x60 – 5 yards total, 2 yards background recommended

Throw: 60x60 – 6 yards total, 2.5 yards background recommended

Twin: 78x90 –  8 yards total, 3.5 yards background recommended

Note: yardage does not include binding or backing. If you would want to use one of your fabric groupings for your binding, add on an extra half yard for the baby and throw sizes or an extra yard for the twin size.

You can choose to use as many or as few fabrics as you choose - your quilt will truly be your own design (with a little bit of help from us, of course!) We would recommend using 4-6 different fabrics, but if you are working from at fat quarter bundle, we can make a few recommendations for that as well.

I will be using five different fabrics in my throw quilt version. Here are the yardages of each:

1. Burgundy floral - 1/2 yard
2. Burgundy tonal zig zag - 1 yard
3. Denim tonal zig zag - 1 yard
4. Olive tonal tiles - 1 yard
5. Burgundy/denim/olive floral - 2.5 yards (I am considering this my background fabric)

For each unit, we’ll tell you how to pick fabrics in your unit based on what fabrics you have and what fabrics you used where in your previous units! This quilt is completely foundation paper pieced and is designed for even beginner paper piecers to be able to make this quilt. The units will progress from simpler to more difficult. I will give lots of hints and tricks about paper piecing as well as what I will call “pre-cutting” to help save fabric and making some of the units easier to line up.

Are you going to join in? Share your fabric pulls on Flickr in the HBD group or share on Instagram with the hashtag #sotcqal!

It's coming... 2016 LBQ Mystery Quilt!

HAPPY LEAP DAY!

I'm excited to announce that in March I will be kicking off my fourth QAL! A long while back, I asked you readers what you liked in a QAL -- and there was a lot of interest in mystery quilts as well as paper piecing. I did the most reasonable thing and came up with a completely paper pieced mystery quilt!

This is going to be short and simple -- there are only three different blocks in the quilt! Directions will typically be posted the first Tuesday of each month other than in March when we discuss yardage and fabric selection.

Here's the tentative schedule:
March 8: Yardage requirement and fabric selection suggestions
April 5: Block A Directions
May 3: Block B Directions
June 7: Block C Directions
July 5: Putting it all together
August 2: Finished Quilt Parade

This quilt along is going to be short and simple -- there are only three different blocks we will be making for this quilt. There will be three different quilt sizes addressed in the quilt along (baby, throw, and twin) and I am planning to have a queen size option added by the time the full pattern is released. Additionally, this QAL will end before the summer is over, so it won't be a long term commitment to participate!

If you are a beginning paper piecer, this is going to be a great way to practice your foundation paper piecing skills as the blocks are very simple and decently sized. We'll be doing basic shapes and units and I'll be giving lots of tips and tricks on all aspects of paper piecing.

Are you ready to join in? Start eyeing those stashes -- the fabric requirements and fabric choice suggestions will be up next week on Tuesday!