Fall Quilt - "Awesome" Fabric FQ Bundle

Last year for Christmas "Santa" got me the WHOLE line of "Awesome" fabrics by Sandy Gervais for Moda as a Fat Quarter Bundle. What I first did with those is I cut 1/4 of the short edge off of the FQ and then cut again to where I had 4 "charm" squares out of each FQ of the bundle.

With these squares I'm making a hexagon charm quilt. So this is what I have so far:

This is my hand/travel project I've been doing for awhile - It's coming along slowly. I think the English Paper piecing templates are about 3" wide.

So anyway the remaining bit of fabrics I was waiting for the Fall season to break out and do something with them. I came up with a plan do to Broken Dishes Blocks for the center - and have a big fat border with some fun appliques, using ONLY these fabrics.

I started out by picking out 18 fabrics from the bundle and cutting those into 16" squares.

Then I took each square and cut that up into 4- 8" smaller squares.

My pretty stack of 8" squares ;c)

I then arranged them by color ~


Then I paired them all up-


With a thin-lined pencil, on the back of the lightest square of each pair, I drew my stitching line 1/4" on each side of each diagonal.


I just lined up the square on my mat, and placed the ruler 1/4" away like this:


After all the lines were drawn, I pinned them Right Sides Together. I just used two pins on each side like so:


I then stitched on each line. Some people do this by just drawing ONE line on the diagonal, but I find I am more accurate if I draw the two stitching lines.


Now I press on both sides.



Then I cut on each diagonal, and also across each way.


I found a more efficient way to cut - by laying out your 4 sewn pairs on your mat like this. The red lines are where you would cut.

Then you have all of these cut in less strokes.

Then I took all my little HSTs and pressed them with starch.

There was 8 of each pair. and I laid them all out to make the broken dishes blocks.

While they were in order, I pinned them.

Took them to the machine and stitched ~

After the pairs were stitched, I then pressed those.

Pinned the pairs together and stitched. . .

Pressed with starch. . .

I pinned all the blocks up on the wall, if you use the same formula as me, you can get a center quilt that's a 7 blocks X 8 blocks layout.

I am almost finished with my Fat, Applique borders and should be able to update you soon with the result. The second half is even more exciting then the first. Also, I would like to add that this quilt WILL be done with the quilt -as-you-go method. . as usual ;c)

Half-Square Triangle Shortcut

Bonnie Hunter of Quiltville.com just released her 5th step in her recent mystery "Roll Roll Cotton Boll" and we are now faced with 600 HSTs!!!!!!! Oh and by the way they are 1.5" finished.
Here's an easy way to do 8 at once:

Unfinished Size HST Needed:

If you need a different size, feel free to email me.

For RRCB you will use 4.5" squares.
Draw two lines diagonally, and one horizontally, and one vertically.


Your half line will be at the 2.25" mark.

With your two squares Right Sides Together, stitch a SCANT 1/4" from each diagonal line.


Cut on your diagonal lines.


Then cut on your other drawn lines, Vertically, and horizontally  (cut the previous cuts in half)


Trim dog ears, Press and Voila!

This quilt is now available in Bonnie Hunter's Quilting book called "String Fling"