There are two ways to assemble the 10 foot quit that I am going to cover. There are pros and cons to each method, so you can choose the way that’s right for you. One is a traditional 9 patch, or border construction. The other builds rows into four triangles, joined like a giant ‘X’. The two methods are so dissimilar that even the cutting directions are different, so don’t cut before choosing a method.
Either way you go, start by finding the center of your row and pin top and bottom on center mark. When joining rows, line center pins first and continue pinning to sides. I hate to pin, and will almost always skip it, but this is one time you need it. On a standard quilt this is best practice, but on this quilt each block is heavy and wants to curl up. If you don’t take care here it will never lay flat later.
This is what happens if you start at one side of the row and sew without pinning. Also of note, this row was not cut short. It just needed to be sewn carefully with the ruffle. I would like to say I did this to prove a point, but I was just trying to take the easy way. To avoid spending quality time with your ripper, always pin rows before sewing.
Note: both the button row and the ribbon row have a top side. Make sure you lay those blocks out and keep the proper side up during assembly.
Option 1: Border Construction
This is the tried and true 9 patch borders. If you are confident with adding borders, and want to just go with what you know, this is it.
Cut:
(1) 8.5” square
(24) 4.5” squares
Assemble as a standard 9 patch center, and continue corner stone borders until complete.
Option 2: Triangle Construction
This method uses half square triangles attached to the end of every block. This creates four large quarter square pieces that are joined to finish the top. The advantage to this is that because you are not building in continual rounds from center out, a mistake or stretch early on is much less likely. Even when a mistake is made it will not ripple out to cause waves. You must still take care not to stretch bias edges, but the ‘x’ seam gives you a way to ensure an even, flat quilt top.
Cut:
(1) 9.5” square
(24) 4 7/8” squares
Sub-cut the large square diagonally twice, creating 4 QSTs.
Sub-cut the small triangles diagonally once, creating 48 HSTs.
If you have an Accuquilt, you can use the GO! Half Square Triangle-4″ Finished Square (55710) for the small triangles. It’s part of the 8” qube.
For every block sew a HST to each side. As shown.
Assemble in rows small to large, match as stated above center points first. If you trimmed the triangle points off ahead of time, the bottom triangles will line up and leave a perfect 1/4 over for the final seams.
Do this for each of the four block sets, to create four giant QSTs. I recommend at this step laying out the 4 pieces and making sure all blocks look as desired. Pin top and left triangles, pinning at each cornerstone seam and sew. This seam is entirely on the bias, so take care not to stretch your fabrics. Repeat for bottom and right sides. Repeat once more to join the two large HSTs for a completed square.
Next week is our final foot, the bias binder. But that’s far from the end, there’s more projects always in the works! So like me on Facebook, or follow me on Instagram (links on bottom of the page) for more patterns, projects and tutorials.
See you next week!
