Happy Zombie

Blocks done? Setting joined? Now all that’s left are the borders. Compleatly optional of course. It’s all up to you.

This is just my personal preference, and it always depends on the quilt itself… but in most cases I like a skinny inner border and a chubby outer border. In keeping with many traditional quilts from the 1930’s, I like to throw in a solid fabric somewhere in my quilt.

Many times I use a solid for the skinny inner border, for to me it makes the quilt snap, crackle and pop - and seperates the quilt center from the outer border. This is just personal preference, and you may want to do it differently. Individuality is always encourged!

Did you make a Little Quilt? Did you make a Table Runner? Below are setting and border instructions for both, and as well… what’s needed for your backing, batting and binding for each option. If you rather… I have made the pattern into a PDF. It’s kind of a chunky download (6.1 MB’s) so it make take a minute or two to D/L. My gift to you. Please reciprocate and do not reproduce, copy, distribute or sell this pattern. This pattern is intended for your sole personal use or as a get-together project with your quilty and crafty friends. Thank you from the top and bottom of my heart! And Mimi’s too of course. :)

SETTINGS & BORDERS for LITTLE QUILT
26” x 32” Finished

Red Inner Border
cut 2) 24½” x 1½”
cut 2) 20½” x 1½”

Pink Print Outer Border
cut 4) 26½” x 3½”

1) Arrange blocks into a 3 x 4 grid. Twist and turn blocks for desired “pattern”.
2) Sew together blocks in each row. Alternate pressing direction for each row.
3) Sew together rows to make quilt center. Quilt center should measure at 18½” x 24½”.
4) INNER BORDERS: Sew long (red) inner border strips to the quilt center’s long sides. Sew
short (red) inner border strips to remaining edges (top and bottom). Press all seams toward border.
5) OUTER BORDERS: Sew long (pink print) outer border strips to the quilt’s long sides. Sew
short (pink print) outer border strips to remaining edges (top and bottom). Press all seams toward outer border.

SETTINGS & BORDERS for TABLE RUNNER
20” x 44” Finished

Red Inner Border
cut 2) 36½” x 1½”
cut 2) 14½” x 1½”

Pink Print Outer Border
cut 2) 38½” x 3½”
cut 2) 20½” x 3½”

1) Arrange blocks into a 2 x 6 grid. Twist and turn blocks for desired “pattern”.
2) Sew together blocks in each row. Alternate pressing direction for each row.
3) Sew together rows to make quilt center. Quilt center should measure at 12½” x 36½”.
4) INNER BORDERS: Sew long (red) inner border strips to the quilt center’s long sides. Sew short (red) inner border strips to remaining edges (top and bottom). Press all seams toward border.
5) OUTER BORDERS: Sew long (pink print) outer border strips to the quilt’s long sides. Sew short (pink print) outer border strips to remaining edges (top and bottom). Press all seams toward outer border.

Finishing your Little Quilt or Table Runner
1) Layer your quilt top, batting and backing. Batting and backing sizes should extend at least 2” beyond the edge of your quilt top.
Little Quilt: 30” x 36” batting & backing
Table Runner: 24” x 48” batting & backing
2) Baste or pin layers. Quilt as desired.
3) Bind using a coordinating fabric with your favorite binding method.
Little Quilt: 3) 2½” strips for binding (40-44” WOF)
Table Runner: 4) 2½” strips for binding (40-44” WOF)

I have decided my Table Runner was going to be a wall hanging. I have a long narrow empty space about between my ironing counter and and my cupboards. I’ve added cherries to my big white spaces by fusing (with Heat & Bond Lite) and hand enbroidered button hole stitched them in place and the stems I embroidered.

I have put my cherry illustration on the PDF version of this pattern if you’d like to use it too.

The quality is not that good in this layout photo. It was cloudy when I snapped it, and no ammount of tweaking in PhotoShop was going to help this puppy.

And now I must nap. Oh wait. There’s a note on the fridge from Mimi (she’s learned quick that I’m at the fridge a lot)…

Dear Mum,

NOW will you let me get some new fabrics??? Blah, blah, blah… Anna Lena Schmana Lena… blah, blah, blah. All you ever talk about. As far as I’m concerned - you could have made this place up. After your nap, and if I promise to behave… will you take me there?

Mimi Kicks Stash Quilt-A-Long
[PART I] [PART II] [PART III] [PART IV] [flickr]

Have you made your 12 blocks? Now it’s time to have some fun and play with your layout! By twisting and turning your blocks, a little quilt magic happens. It’s up to you to decide what layout you like best. This is where making six blocks one way, and making six blocks with a 3-print unit flipped the other way comes into play. If your blocks are all using the same colors or fabrics and you had not done “the flip”, there would be same colors or same fabrics “touching” each other in some of the layout options (and then you’d have to deal with quilt cootie’s). Without giving too much away with Mimi’s little mystery… shhhhh - this little quilt will eventually finish at 26” x 32”.

To see a larger design wall image:
Sample #1, Sample #2, and Sample #3.

Assemble Blocks for Little Quilt center:
1) Arrange blocks into a 3 x 4 grid. Twist and turn blocks for desired “pattern”.
2) Sew together blocks in each row. Alternate pressing direction for each row.
3) Sew together rows to make quilt’s center. Quilt center at this point should measure at 18½” x 24½”.

But wait. There’s more…

Another option is to make a table runner or a door hanging… or just a long quilt for tall and skinny little dollies. Whatever Mimi… make me do more work. Though I’m not going to tell Mimi this (and let it go to her head) - I’m thinking I’m going to use her idea and make a table runner too. And keeping this on the sly, the table runner will eventually finish at 20” x 44”.

To see a larger design wall image:
Sample #4 and Sample #5.

Assemble Blocks for Table Runner center:
1) Arrange blocks into a 2 x 6 grid. Twist and turn blocks for desired “pattern”.
2) Sew together blocks in each row. Alternate pressing direction for each row.
3) Sew together rows to make quilt’s center. Quilt center at this point should measure at 12½” x 36½”.

One more installment of Mimi’s Quilt-A-Long to come soon! Remember… no time limit, no deadline, nothing to mail. Just fun. Show us your progress in our flickr group… from fabric selection to blocks to our finished project. All are fun and inspiring to look at!

Are you new to quilting or have never quilted before? You want to learn or improve? The BEST place to start is by taking a beginning quilting class at your local quilt shop. OR… find a very, very good friend or relative who quilts to teach you. Another option is to be “self taught” with the aid of the internet, books and magazines. If anyone has some good online resources, please feel free to post them in a comment.

My favorite Quilting Resources
Books:
- Bundles of Fun by Karen Snyder
- Quilting: The Complete Guide by Darlene Zimmerman
- Quilts! Quilts!! Quilts!!! : The Complete Guide to Quiltmaking by Diana McClun and Laura Nownes

Magazines:
- Better Homes and Gardens American Patchwork & Quilting
- Better Homes and Gardens Quilts & More (especially the Summer 2007 issue ;-)

Mimi Kicks Stash Quilt-A-Long
[PART I] [PART II] [PART III] [PART IV] [flickr]

Well Mimi is back to her sunshiny self again and eager to start on her first project. Gotta love that nap-time! We’re putting that whole Mimi-gone-wild rotary cutting incident behind us and starting fresh. Fabric… piecing… bliss.

Mimi is so excited to have friends quilt-a-long with her, that she’s asked me to start a Quilt-A-Long flickr group for this project. Actually, she’s over my shoulder watching me type and wants to speak for herself…

I do so hope you want to come out and play with me! I can’t crochet. I can’t knit. I can’t cook. But… I can sew. And I will. So since this is my first quilt, it’s going to be a small one - and I’m thinking it should be quick to make too. I’m using Mum’s stash for this project - only because she said I couldn’t get new fabrics until I used some of the old ones. Yeesh. Ok, whatever.

Anyhoo… my mum promised she’d start me a flickr group so we can see, and oooh, and ahhh… and be inspired from each other’s little Quilt-A-Long quilts. I think it would be really cool to see what kinds of fabrics are used and how this little quilt finishes… especially if one decides to make modifications or be different (how cool would that be!). I’ll let Mum type again. I think she’s got more instructions. Blah, blah, blah.

Make twelve units of each three different fabric combinations:

- Three 2½” square prints

- Two 2½” square prints, one 2½” solid/white square

- One 2½” square print, one 2½” x 4½” solid/white rectangle

Note: All seams are ¼” for entire project.

Make twelve 9-Patches:

At this point you will have a total of 36) units that measure at 2½” x 6½”. Now you will take your units to make them into 12) 9-patches.

Before you start sewing, you may want to click on this photo to better see the pressing direction so your pieces nest nicely. You don’t need a good bra for nice sharps points… just good pressing.

If you’ve gone chop suey and sewed your prints randomly, you can skip this part. If you’ve sewn your colors in all the same spot for each block, you will want to then make 6) blocks one way, and the other 6) blocks with a rotatation of your three-print unit (example: yellow/green/purple fabric in photo). Just a little something that will come into play later on. I guess you just have to wait to find out why! Your 9-patch blocks will measure at 6½” (unfinished).

Mimi Kicks Stash Quilt-A-Long
[PART I] [PART II] [PART III] [PART IV] [flickr]

Mimi has been feeling a bit neglected lately… time for some quilting and kickin’ some stash. Mimi’s taking a stab at making her own little quilt using fabric from my stash. I may help her along just a little, as she’s quite fumbly with a ruler and rotary cutter.

Would you like to use what you have and play along too? To start, you will need:

Kona White or Kona Snow*,
cut into 12) 2½” squares
and 12) 2½” x 4½” rectangles

Six assorted colors,
cut each color into 12) 2½” squares
(for a total of 72)

-OR-

Assorted fabrics and/or colors
cut each into 2½” squares
(for a total of 72)

Ooops… Mimi’s getting a little cranky and going wild with the rotary cutter. Maybe all that stash was a bit too much for her. This could only mean one thing - she needs a nap. More to come after nap-time.

Notes from Mum… *My favorite white and off white fabric is Kona Snow and Kona White by Robert Kaufman I only list it because I LOVE it and won’t substitute anything else for it. All of the Kona solids for that matter. If you’ve never used it… give it a try. I promise, you WILL LOVE IT! I do ALL of my redwork on Kona Snow as well.

Mimi Kicks Stash Quilt-A-Long
[PART I] [PART II] [PART III] [PART IV] [flickr]