TUTORIAL: "X" MARKS THE BLOCK (free pieced strippy quilt)

"X" MARKS THE BLOCK - THE TUTORIAL

Are your strippy scrap bins or bags stuffed to bursting?  This is a great scrappy project to help you reduce some scraps and ALL WITHOUT A PATTERN (sometimes a project without a pattern is like a day without pantyhose...ahhh...).

OVERALL DIRECTIONS:

I don't use a paper or fabric foundation when making these blocks...mostly because I am too lazy to reproduce the foundations, then later peel all those pieces of paper off my sewn blocks.  If you would like to use a foundation, go right ahead...it's all good.  But I challenge you to try one block without a foundation to s-t-r-e-t-c-h yourself.

Here's the ONE I tried with a 8.5 inch paper foundation...it was really harder than doing it without one, believe it or not...

This block/quilt uses mostly "strips" and "chunks."  I define strips as anything from 3/4 - 2-1/2 inches wide.   I try to keep them separate in my quilt cave - that way I don't have to dig through all my scraps just to find strips.  Chunks can be odd-shaped, cut-off chunks of leftovers or wider strips, maybe even extra triangles or squares. 

If you are careful and use fatter strips at either end of the central pieced section,  you don't have to fool with using chunks.  We just don't want to trim down our final blocks and find too many seam allowances in the corners where blocks meet.

The focus fabrics that form the "X" need to contrast the rest of your general scraps.  I used blacks with brights.  You could use something light as well, or maybe a color.  Your "X" strips can either be scrappy like mine or all one fabric/color.  Medium to dark batiks with light "X" strips would look cool.  Maybe red and neutral scraps with green "X" strips for a holiday quilt.  The sky is the limit! 

 

I cut my "X" strips 1 - 2 wide.  The variation just adds to the wonkiness and draws attention away from the fact that the "X" strips don't line up between blocks.  You can see below how the scrappy black strips are different widths and don't match up precisely...charming!  Sometimes, my strips are wider at one end than the other...even MORE charming!

After looking at my available strips and chunks, I chose to make blocks that would finish eight inches square.  I had some short, stubbly strips that were 3.5 to 4 inches long, so I decided on a center diagonal strip that would finish about 3 inches wide.

After looking at your scraps, you may decide to make smaller or larger squares, of maybe even rectangles, triangles, or other shapes.  I will show you how I figured out the rough dimensions of my units, then you can apply what I did to your size block.

Here is my 8.5 inch square ruler with a 3 inch wide ruler on top (which represents my central pieced strip).  See how I have allowed roughly a half inch at each end?

You can see, from the pictures above, that the unfinished length of that initial, central pieced strip needs to be at least 13 inches, once it is pressed.

In my quilts, the strips that define the edge of the central pieced strip and make the prominent "X" design are scrappy black.  Yours could be light, dark, or a certain color.  They can be scrappy or cut from one fabric.  You can see in the pictures above and below how to determine the minimal length of these setting strips.

Each strip added to the central pieced strip needs to be at least a half inch longer in each direction than the edge of the ruler.

Now you can vary the size of your blocks and central pieced strip to please you.  Just be sure to allow adequate overhang of strips so that when you square up your blocks you won't have any holes!

Just because you see brights and blacks in my tutorial doesn't mean that is the only color option possible.  Look at your scrap stash, then decide how YOU want to proceed.  You can even do it without a contrasting color for the "X" strip.

Look at the backside of this finished block to see how you should press your block as you progress.  I pressed the central pieced strip only after piecing the whole thing, then pressed the seams in the same direction, either way. 

Then starting with the black focus strips, I pressed each added strip to the outside.

Now just fill some bobbins, put in a new sewing machine needle, replace your rotary cutting blade, and let's get started!

STEP 1:

I do not cut the short strips to 3.5 inches before chain-piecing the little strips together into a long section...as long as they are at least 3.5 inches long, it's OK of they are a little longer.   

Some of these strip sets have a triangle or chunk at either end, sometimes just a piece of a wider strip.  I do this to avoid an accidental seam too close to the corners where 4 blocks will meet.

Start with a chunk, wide strip or triangle at one end, then chain-piece strips together, matching up one end of your irregular, variable in length, short strips.  Do not worry about pressing after each addition of a strip.  Check the length of your pieced strip as you go.  This central pieced strip needs to be at least 13 inches long...make sure you stop in time to place another chunk, wide strip or triangle at the opposite end.

Turn your strip sets over and press ALL the seams in ONE direction, either way.

STEP 2:

Now you are ready to sew on the contrasting focus "X" strips, right sides together.  These should be at least 10 inches long (1 - 2 inches wide), CENTERED along the edge of your pieced central strip. I place the first strip along the "straightest" edge of the strip set, lining up the edge of the shortest strip (the cow strip in the following set). 

Even though this is wonky sewing, I still maintain a quarter inch seam allowance when I can (old habits are hard to shake...).  A consistent quarter inch seam allowance is not critical while making the blocks, but will be very important when sewing the blocks together into a quilt top.

After stitching, trim away extra seam allowance with your rotary cutter or scissors (trim the uneven end of the central strip set even with the quarter inch seam of your "X" strip).

Press strip to the outside.

(I like to chain stitch several of these units, then sew on the opposing strip before stopping, trimming and pressing.) 

Place this opposing strip. face down and centered on the other side of the strip, with the help of a ruler (or just "eyeball" this for extra wonky-ness).  Your stitching line should be at 3 inches (or the outer edge of this strip should be 3.25 inches from the opposing seam).

After stitching, trim away extra seam allowance with your rotary cutter or scissors.  (Would you believe I save some of these longer cut away leftovers?  That will be the subject of another liberated tutorial project!).

Press strip to the outside.  (Again, chain piecing really saves time with this method.)

STEP 3:

Now we can start adding strips, one on each side, building our block, chain piecing and pressing to the outside after the addition of each new pair.

As you continue centering strips (chain piecing), adding strips to each side, notice that they are getting shorter and shorter.  Press toward outside before adding the next pair.

Just make sure the strips are long enough so that when you trim down your blocks there aren't any surprise "peek-a-boo" holes.

Please notice the left side of the block pictured below.  The white-ish strip just under the left corner of the ruler is a little too wide and would cause there to be a seam too close to the corner of the block.  Just slice or cut some of it off so that your last strip will form a larger triangle after the block is trimmed down.  You may need to make a few of this kind of adjustment as you go.

Place your block on a small cutting mat.  Square up your block by placing the 8.5 inch ruler on top, centering the ruler's diagonal line in the middle of your center strip set and sliding the ruler back and forth until the end triangles are centered and all seams are solid under the ruler (no "peek-a-boo" holes...).

Cut away each side, turning the MAT, not your block, as you go.

A small rotary mat works OK, but I like trimming these blocks on a revolving rotary mat, like this Brooklyn Revolver.  It has a 'lazy Susan' mechanism that allows you to easily rotate the block as you trim each side away (I just LOVE a good gadget...).  There are other versions of the revolving rotary mat out there...here's the Olfa offering from Joann's Fabrics online (use your coupon on it!). 

Ta-da!!!  You did it!  Now you can make as many or as few blocks as you want.  For each of the quilts pictured at the beginning of the post, I set 8 blocks across, 10 blocks down, with a 1.5 inch (finished) stop border and outer borders of either 6 or 5 inches (finished).  The green-bordered quilt measured 79 x 95 inches and the one with red borders, 77 x 93 inches.

I recently taught a class on this block at my LQS.  Janet S worked with her medium to dark, earthy scraps, with a consistent light "X" fabric (she cut her light strips the same width throughout).  She ended up cutting her remaining setting strips more consistent in width, while keeping her central pieced strip wonky. 

 

Lori L used fun, colorful scraps with lime green "X" strips.  I've never seen such a fun bag of colorful, happy scraps (I admit it...I had scrap envy!)  Both had stunning results!

When it comes down to piecing the blocks together, sew in rows, pressing the seams to one side, alternating direction every row.  This way the seams will nest nicely for beautiful, accurate piecing.  Remember that the edges of your strips are most likely bias edges, so handle them carefully until they are seamed in and stable to they won't stretch.

ENJOY!

In stitches,

Teresa  :o)

Following rainbows...

This rainbow palette is a sure remedy for the after-Christmas winter blues.  I have nothing but happy feet while digging through the stash bins that contain these happy fabrics.  When I popped the top off the containers, I actually heard faint singing, birds chirping, a waterfall, and the clicking of tiny unicorn hooves as they frolick on my work table.  Yep, these fabrics sure brighten up the quilt cave.

So does this cute little quilt project!  I love the folk art feel of this little quilt (finished size 36.5 x 45.5).  The hard part for me is narrowing the palette.  I get so spoiled when I work on scrap projects where everything goes...no difficult fabric choices...no choices at all, really.  I think making fabric picks, especially when I have to limit myself, is my least favorite part of the quilt making process.

I have spent a little time between laundry cycles tracing and cutting out my freezer paper templates for glue stick applique.  I put in one of my favorite Jane Austen DVD's...I've seen them so many times that I don't have to watch every scene.  That makes the cutting out of the paper shapes pass fast.

Then I transfer the paper pieces for each block into a clear sheet pocket protector.  If you have ever read Karen's fabulous blog called Sew Many Ways, you know how excited and creatively motivated she can get from a trip to the hardware store (when I peeked today, she was dressing up an old milk crate - inspiring!).  Well, a trip to my local Staples or other office supply "candy store" is equally inspiring for me.  Some of my favorite quilting tools come from there...sheet pocket protectors (they come in boxes of 100!...), mechanical pencils, ultra-fine Sharpie markers, glue sticks, wipe boards & vis a vis pens, hanging file folders, pads of graph paper, sticky notes, etc.  When I go there, I get that wonderful "shopping-for-new-school-supplies" feeling...priceless.

Now all the templates are prepared and awaiting fabrics.  Here comes the hard part for me...actually picking and assigning fabrics from my gathered rainbow.  I feel like I have a gun to my temple and I hear a voice inside my head saying, "choose wisely, grasshopper..."

Since the background is black for this quilt, I audition the fabric choices on top of a piece of black Kona cotton.  I used Lori Smith's fabric choices as a jumping off place for my decisions, then deviated a little as I locked in the choices for each block.  I made little piles of each color so that I could sort through easily.  I think the original fabrics in the pattern photo are solids, or read as solids.  I choose mostly tone on tone fabrics and tried not to pick anything that would pull eye focus too much. 

A word about my picks for my green pile...there is a lot of green in this quilt.  I love lime green, and at first those were the fabrics I chose.  I quickly realized that I needed to shift to a more acid green, with some light and dark choices thrown in for excitement. 

I started "Stars and Sprigs" last year and put it aside.  I now see that maybe I did that because I was dabbling in the wrong greens with that bright palette...maybe I will keep this pile of rainbow fabrics together and revisit some of those previous fabric choices.

The wrong fabric choice can certainly drain my excitement about a project.  I really struggle with the choosing.  I think I struggle due to fear...OMG, what I wimp I am...afraid of cotton, LOL.

As I choose each fabric for this project, I iron the freezer paper pattern pieces (say THAT 3 times fast...) to the RIGHT side of the fabric, "chunky trim" (leaving room to add a glue under allowance later), then place the ironed chunks back in the appropriate sheet pocket protector.  Later, with more TV time, I will trim each piece, adding either 1/8 inch or 1/4 inch (depending on whether I am gluing under or allowing for overlap of another piece).  At the base of the orange leaf-shaped pieces, you can see where the "stem section" has pencil hash marks at the edge.  I do this to tell myself to leave a 1/4 inch on that edge (that is where the piece is tucked under something else).  That way, the trimming becomes a brainless activity while I am watching Lizzie and Mr. Darcy (for the umpteenth time...).

There are glue stick applique tutorials on my top blog tool bar if you are curious about this hand applique technique.

 

Working on my applique block pattern, I place the block bits and glue baste what bits I can (to each other, not the paper). If you are doing this step and your bits get stuck to the paper pattern, YOU ARE USING TOO MUCH ROXANNE'S GLUE BASTE!!  Remember, "dot-dot-not-a-lot" and make sure you aren't applying your tiny dots of glue too close to the edge of the piece where your needle will be sewing later.  Gluing what I can now will make block placement easier later (since I am working on a black background this time).

I usually like to work in units, but as album applique patterns go this one is fairly simple, so I can glue baste everything but the leaves...I will place and glue baste them when my black background fabric comes out of the dryer. I can't wait to see how the colors look on black! Happy, happy, happy...

I couldn't resist prepping a second block before quitting for the night.  In addition to block 2, I worked a little on block 4 (skipping around, no discipline, I know...).

The pink and deep purple double center pieces are just sitting there for now.  I will sew those as units first before glue basting to the purple posie so that I can trim away the background behind the deep purple circle.  I like to trim away behind layers of applique so that later hand quilting will be a pleasant (rather than "princess and the pea") experience.

It feels good to focusing on some projects now.  I hate that hand-wringing, cant-make-up-my-mind feeling.  I mentioned last fall that I am drafting an unusual , original album project (shhhhhhh...).  I am also working on prepping some of those blocks.  And, I am going to continue to focus on scrappy, stash-busting quilts this year.  Fine hand applique versus wonky, scrappy...polar opposites, kind of like me!

In stitches,
Teresa  :o)