Home Grown Blog Hop and Giveaway

Today, I'm delighted to share a tutorial with you as part of the Home Grown blog hop.  I put together a quilt that adds a little twist to a classic Antique Tile quilt block, and it is so much fun in these fabrics.  I'm calling this pattern Hopscotch, and with strip piecing, it goes together quickly.

The colors in this collection by Nancy Halvorsen are so cheerful and the prints are super cute.  These fabrics really make me wish for spring, which is almost a constant state of mind these days.  Just look at those luscious colors!

So, let's get to it!

Hopscotch Quilt

Finished quilt size- 48" x 60" 

Finished block size- 12" x 12"

Fabric Requirements-

          20 fat quarters (*see note below)

          1 yard solid white background fabric 

          3 yards backing fabric (*see note below)

          52" x 64" piece of batting

          1/2 yard binding fabric 

*Because I love quilts with lots of fabric variety, I made this one with 20 different prints,  cutting one complete block from each fat quarter.  This is a large collection, and I really had a tough time choosing only 20 to use in this quilt!




I like to piece my quilt backings, so I used all of the leftovers there.  If you choose to do this, you won't need 3 yards of backing fabric.  Instead, follow the instructions at the end of this post for a scrappy backing!

If using 20 fat quarters
as shown in my quilt, cut from each-
*diagram not to scale

(2) rectangles, 2.5" x 18"
(1) squares, 4.5"
(1) rectangles, 2.5" x 10"
(4) squares, 2.5"





OR, if you don't like lots of leftovers, and want a more controlled fabric selection, you can make this quilt with just 10 fat quarters.  Just double the number of pieces cut from each fat quarter.  In this case you'll cut TWO complete blocks from each print instead.  Using this number of prints creates very little scrap fabric.

If using 10 fat quarters, cut from each- *diagram not to scale

(4) rectangles, 2.5" x 18"
(2) squares, 4.5"
(2) rectangles, 2.5" x 10"
(8) squares, 2.5"





From solid white, cut
80 rectangles, 2.5" x 4.5"
          Cut 5 strips, 4.5" x WOF (width of fabric), subcut each strip into 16 rectangles, 2.5" x 4.5"
          to yield 80 total pieces

20 rectangles, 2.5" x 10"
          Cut 5 strips, 2.5" x WOF, subcut each strip into 4 rectangles, 2.5" x 10" to yield 20 total pieces

Make each block with three contrasting prints-

1 strip, 2.5" x 18" print A
1 strip, 2.5 x 18" print B
1 strip, 2.5" x 10" print B
1 square, 4.5" print C
4 squares, 2.5" print C
1 rectangle, 2.5" x 10" white
4 rectangles, 2.5" x 4.5" white

Sew the 10" print strip and 10" white strip together and press open.  Subcut the strip unit into four equal pieces measuring 2.5" x 4.5".


*Time saving tip-  since each of the 10" print strips is paired with a 10" white strip, it is easy to chain piece and subcut these for all blocks at the very beginning.

To create the corner units for the blocks, sew each strip unit to the right of one 2.5" x 4.5" white rectangle.

Make all four corner units and give them a press!

Next, make the side units for the block by sewing the 18" strips of print A and print B together.

Subcut the strip set into four equal pieces, measuring 4.5" square.

Now, just lay out your block into three rows like this, using the 4.5" square of print C as the center!  Easy, right?

Sew those together in three rows, as you would a nine patch block.  At this point, you have a classic Antique Tile quilt block.

Your block should measure 12.5" square.  If it doesn't, you'll want to trim it to size.

The part that gives this pattern a little extra pop is the addition of the corner squares, which create the diamond shape in the negative spaces between the blocks.  It's a simple modification, but I think the secondary pattern really makes the quilt special, and keeps it from looking like a big grid.  To sew the corner squares, there are a couple of different methods.  Lots of people draw a diagonal line on the back side of the corner square as a guide, but I prefer to use a different method.

To keep your sewing straight, use a piece of painter's tape, aligned straight out from your needle, NOT at the 1/4" mark.  Align the corners of your 2.5" square with the edges of the tape, and sew from corner to corner, using the edge of the tape as a guide.  It takes a few tries to get used to sewing without a drawn line, but once you do, it is so much faster!  This trick works for corner squares of virtually any size.  Best of all, it's accurate!

So, use whichever method you prefer to sew the four 2.5" squares of print C to the four corners of your quilt block.

Trim the corners off, leaving 1/4" seam allowance (I usually just eyeball this).

Give your corners a press, and your quilt block is all finished!


Sew the remaining quilt blocks using three contrasting prints in each block.

Arrange your quilt blocks into five rows with four blocks in each row. Then sew the rows together to finish your quilt top.

If you decided to use 20 fat quarters, you have lots of leftovers, but since they're in big pieces, it's easy to use them on the back.  

Sew the long sides of 18 of the leftover pieces into three columns, using six fabrics in each column.  Then sew the three columns together.

Then, cut 1/2 yard of solid gray fabric into two pieces, 9" x WOF, and trim off the selvages.  Piece the two strips end-to-end to create one long strip, 9" wide.  Sew the strip to the side of the backing to widen it out enough for your quilt.

Then just baste, quilt, and bind!  This pattern would be great to showcase your free motion quilting skills, but I went with the fast finish, opting for a nice soft stipple, and a pop of yellow on the binding.

I really loved working with these fabrics!  They are gorgeous altogether, but I also love that the blenders in the line are great for stash building.  It's always great when fabrics play well with others.  

You can win a bundle of these beauties for yourself!  Just leave a single comment on this post to let me know what you'd like to make with these lovely fabrics (US only please).

Remember to leave an email address if you're a no-reply blogger, and only one entry per person please!  Unfortunately, replies to your own comment counts as an entry (the system numbers those, too), so remember to put your email address in your comment if necessary.
Additional replies/comments/entries will be deleted.  I'll announce the winners at NEXT week's Needle and Thread Thursday (March 6th).  Good luck!  :)
This giveaway has now ended.  Thanks to all who entered.  I'll announce the winner at this evening's NTT.  :)
PS- If you're hopping over from Sew In Love With Fabric and you're new to my blog, welcome!  I host a weekly link party and monthly giveaways, plenty of tutorials, and lots of fun.  Take a few minutes to look around, and then I hope you'll use one of the buttons on my right sidebar to follow along!
And don't forget to visit the full blog hop lineup this week.  Be sure to check out all of the other awesome projects (and giveaway chances!) throughout the week.

Tuesday

Debby @ Debby Kratovil Quilts

Wednesday

Carol @ Just Let Me Quilt

Nancy @Masterpiece Quilting

Thursday

Jennie @ Clover and Violet

Alison @ Little Bunny Quilts

Friday

Nancy's Virtual Trunk Show @ Sew in Love with Fabric