Julia, here are some blades of grass! I've never made a jelly roll race quilt, so it was fun to use this technique for the first time. I'm glad I'd bulked up my green stash for Adrienne's blocks. 😅
They're already in the mail!
Julia, here are some blades of grass! I've never made a jelly roll race quilt, so it was fun to use this technique for the first time. I'm glad I'd bulked up my green stash for Adrienne's blocks. 😅
They're already in the mail!
I just finished up these fun little grassy blocks. They should be off in the mail tomorrow or Saturday.
Thanks to Hive 4 and a kind hive crasher for helping me make such a sweet little baby quilt. I mailed it off to its new home today.
Hi Julia,
Thank you for such a great block! I thought I had found all my greens for my block but I found MORE green in my stash that worked perfectly for your grass blocks. A jelly roll race quilt is on my to-do list so this was an awesome introduction, it was so much fun to make!
The photo looks more yellow than I expected, I am in a hotel at a quilt retreat this weekend but they really are a lovely blend of green. I got a lot of folks stopping to see what I was up to, they absolutely loved your block!
~Adrienne
Hi -
I’ve never done a jelly roll race before. Fast and fun! Thanks for the opportunity. Hope they look like blades of grass. They were mailed Tuesday 📫
Chris
These blades of grass blocks came together super quick and were lots of fun. My bucket of green scraps got quite the workout! Thanks Julia for giving us a creative way to support your eco-conscious blanket project.
This was a fun project, I just couldn't resist jumping in (uninvited).
It's in the mail, should arrive on Monday (I'm tracking it).
Take care,
Marie
Hi Julia,
These blocks will go on their way this week, the latest next Saturday.
Hope they are, what you are looking for.
Take care,
Rita
Hello Hive 1! I hope you left all your greens out from last month's block--because you'll need them again for March.
I've had an idea kicking around my head for a few years to make a quilt inspired by lawns. Making and celebrating more biodiverse lawns is one way we can make our own back yards more sustainable, friendly to pollinators, and overall beneficial for our local ecosystems and the environment at large. What better way to celebrate than with a quilt?
This is a smaller block, so I am asking you to make two.
Fabric selection:
All greens! Kelly green, olive green, minty green, teal blue-greens, chartreuse yellow-greens, green prints, batiks, solids--it all goes. Please no novelty fabrics, but besides that, any green works.
Cutting:
Cut 1.5 inch strips in a variety of lengths. I've used lengths between 3.5 inches and 16 inches. Dig through your scraps! (I recommend cutting a slightly generous 1.5 inch--if you're using an acrylic ruler, make the edge on the far side of the line instead of right on it.)
You'll need about 90 inches total length of strips for each block. You can get away with a few inches less, but 90 gives you a little wiggle room to cut down as needed.
Sewing:
Join all strips at a 45 degree angle. You do this by placing the strips right side together, making sure the corners match up. Sew along the diagonal, and you have one continuous strip. If you want to watch this in more detail, here's a good video.
At this point you should have one looong strip. You're going to sew that one strip to itself in a jelly roll race style. To do this, take your one long strip and fold it in half, right sides together. Sew the whole thing, clipping the fabric at the end. You should have one piece of fabric now that is two strips wide and half the length. Repeat that step until you have a block that is eight strips wide. If you want more visual instruction on this, here's a video that shows the process.
Please press seams however you like. Make sure to press as you go, it makes everything much easier!
Note: a scant 1/4 inch seam is very important. Since there are so many seams and they all go the same direction, if your seam is not a scant 1/4 inch you can end up with a block that is too narrow. If you're a little on the short side, no worries--please send it anyway, some of mine are a little short too!
Your final blocks should be 8.5 x 10.5. Trim down to get the 10.5 length.
Thank you everyone! I can't wait to get all these blocks and see the wide variety of greens. If you have any questions, just reach out. And if you want to learn more about biodiversity in lawns, you can read here, or here.
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sample completed blocks |
There are a few things that have been on my list of quilting to-do’s:
A combination of small fussy-cut center Economy Blocks fits my first two inspirations. White or grey or some other colour of sashing, yet to be determined, will meet the third.
You will need three fabrics:
See my fabric pull at the end of the post.
All three of your fabrics should be
If you are familiar with fussy cutting, skip to the pattern.
If you are new to fussy cutting, you can see an explanation of the process and some of my decisions at the end of the post. There is also a video in the Resources section at the end.
The Economy Block uses the foundation paper piecing technique. This method allows
you to sew pieces of fabric along the bias or in intricate patterns.
For more information on how to FPP, check out the resources at the end.
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Foundation paper piecing requires lining up the fabric on one side of the template, then sewing it on the other side. You are sewing somewhat blind.
Many people hold the template and fabric up to the light or use a lightbox (or computer screen, tablet or phone will work in a pinch or at night). But the Economy Block is a simple block and so I like to fold my template.
Here are some of the fabrics I prepared
I starched everything before cutting since triangles are prone to stretch along the bias.
Fabric B & C blocks are slightly oversized to ensure correct placement and ultimate success.
Sew Fabric C triangles to the Fabric B/A square |
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Here are some images of the fabric pulls.
If you are not familiar with fussy cutting, all you do is choose a motif that fits in a pleasing way
in your centre square. The image is typically centred with some space between the motif and
what will be the finished edge of the square.