Scrappy Woven Bricks Quilt

Scrappy Woven Bricks Quilt
inspired by: This blogger's post
Finished Size 55” X 74”
192 Nickels
1 yard neutral [or framing fabric]
I did it - I finally finished this quilt which is the result of an HGTV quilting board challenge. I'd taken enough pictures along the way that I thought I'd do a simple tutorial to show you how I'd done the process and even some of the trouble I ran into along the way.

I started out with 5”X5” pieces of fabric (several were exchanged with other members of the group swap hosted by KC1930). Trim the nickels down to 3 ½ X 5.

Pick out your complimentary fabric – mine was the tan, and cut lots of 1 ¼ “ strips and attach to each 5” side of your trimmed pieces. Press toward the neutral fabric. Your new-framed piece should be back to the 5” square.

Start laying out your brick pattern in a 4 X 4 grid like the picture and sew up 12 of these blocks. They should measure out to 18” square when you are done. Make 12 of these.

Cut 12 pieces of batting and backing at 20” square, and make your quilt sandwiches. You will now have 12 easily portable pieces to work on when riding along in the car, waiting for appointments, or watching TV. I tried a bunch of different things with mine including machine stitches, big stitch with perle cotton, and even a little outline embroidery.

Putting it all together
Now it’s time to put it all together.

Start by folding and pinning back the backing fabric so you don’t cut into it.












Trim the excess batting away – being careful to NOT cut your backing.













Then trim your backing fabric to 1” larger than your block and batting.

















Line up 2 of your large blocks together with backing fabric next to each other. Stitch these 2 blocks together – using your batting as your stitching line.














Press seams open, then fold down ½ of the seam and press it down. Using a decorative stitch, stitch this seam down on both sides.









Continue till you have paired all 12 blocks into 6 pairs.

Pair up each of these pairs with another pair and repeat the joining as you did above.







You should end up with 3 strips that are 4 blocks long.



Here you can see part of 2 of my 3 long strips.










Join your 3 strips in the same manner so you have quilt nearly completed with 3 blocks across and 4 down.






Square up your quilt, bind it - and your DONE

Finally getting something done!!

I have been in such a drought getting anything done.  I can spend time down in the sewing room, but don't seem to accomplish anything!  While I know that isn't true - I am making some progress, it just seems like I've been working soooo long on a project that was supposed to go together so quick!   More about that later......

In the mean time - I seem to have a lot more impulse to start things than I do finishing them.  I was doing some searching for a friendship braid quilt with the little squares that run down the center.  I think it's really called a french braid pattern, but I'm no expert - that's for sure. 

 I got some beautiful batik jelly roll strips that I want to make into a french braid quilt, but I neede to do so practice first.

I did find a link that was just what I was looking for at http://keepyouinstitches.blogspot.com/2010/01/french-braid-tutorial.html and I had several homespun fabrics to try it out with....so that's what I did and here is the results.

I also had in mind something I saw a Missouri Star Quilt Co. tutorial about using a binding tool to make the strips so you didn't have to cut so much off the sides of the sewed piece here's a link to that  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpHAp_pyVXQ&feature=channel

.... so off to the shop to get a piece of plexiglass to make a new template.

I had a June Tailor Binding Buddy, but I didn't want to cut it, and I wanted a template just the size of the pieces I was going to cut, so I duplicated it in the plexiglass.  I figured I could get 5 pieces out of the width of fabric if I cut the template at 9 1/2"

I had a piece of batting I wanted to use that was 12 X 60".  I cut a piece of  backing to match, and followed the assembly like the above link showed, only I assemble the pieces right to the batting and backing - Quilt as You Go style.  Once I got to the other end of the piece, all I had to do was square it up and bind it!    Here is the finished piece. 

Tips:  Draw a line down the center of your batting and a few 45 degree lines for reference because it's real easy to get off center with the French braids.

Another thing that I did actually get done were these cute little mug rugs.   The picture doesn't show them completely done (though a couple of them are done now) because they're going in my take along box to stitch down the binding.     This was also an experiment of an idea I had.... these are sandwhiched with: 

• Top layer - these are small scraps sewn to the batting with the stich n' flip method.
• Batting -
• Moisture barrier - a piece of clear vinyl cut to fit
• Backing

 I put all the layers together and added binding.  These ended up about 4X6" which is small for a mug rug, but I love em just the same.  The backs are scraps from a Coffee fabric!  Perfect place for them, and I also found some fabric that looked like cups to add to the shorter pieces.