Hey quilter's....it's Saturday! You can relax...do what you love and start "scrapin' w/me" ;-) As you know by now when I post a "scrap-a-long" I'm usually one step/phase ahead of you. Well....because these stinkin' cute fish are so much fun, I'm not that far ahead of you. I'm having a blast coordinating Aurifil thread with the batik fabrics and just taking my time "a-play-que-ing" each little fish. I always suggest to push yourself out of your comfort zone especially when piecing/quilting a small project. This pillow is definitely a great project for a beginner quilter. You can definitely adjust the directions to your comfort zone, but my advanced tips are never difficult. I've quilted for many years but as I've gotten older my projects are a bit easier and less stressful. I'll be sharing "advanced tips/techniques" along the way. So please even if you only do one fish have fun experiencing some new techniques. Remember it's your pillow unless you gift it forward so have fun! The pillow will fit a 16x16 inch pillow form, but design could also be a wall hanging as well. Endless "scrap-a-bilities". Remember my main tip when using scraps is to press them before rotary cutting. It's a bit tedious but you'll be glad you did. Also, don't stress when scraps get a bit wonky... Less-stress-quilting. Enjoy!
Blessed Quilting,
Cat
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Phase 1
Here's all you need...
* Stonehenge Graduation Chips by Northcott Fabrics (Indigo Chips for background) or your preferred background fabric scraps & scraps from Pebbles & Daisies for border
* Coordinating Aurifil thread ( I used 50 weight #2710)
*
Here's all you do...
*Rotary cut (16) 3.5 x 3.5 in. squares (per design) or a 12.5 x 12.5 background fabric. But please do challenge yourself with some fun/easy piecing. ;-)
Tip..."audition" your squares to how you would picture the color hues in the water. Stonehenge graduation chips gives you lots of color hues to play with ;-)
Following design...
* Sew row 1 squares w/right sides 2gether using a 1/4" seam allowance. finger press as you go.
* Sew rows 2.3.4 in same manner as above.
* Iron and pin rows 1-4
Tip...i do not have an "automatic thread cutter" on my machine so I only cut the bottom threads of squares when piecing & leave the top threads about 2-3 inches. This helps me keep the direction of the squares when piecing :-)
* Per design sew Row 1 to Row 2 with right sides 2gether...using a 1/4" seam allowance matching center seams as you go. Don't stress :-)
* Then Row 2 to Row 3 then Row 3 to 4 using same method as above.
* Iron & square up if needed.
Block will be approx. 12.5 x 12.5
Adding 1st Border...
Tip...we are doing this step now because it helps to secure block before Phase 2.."sneak peek above" :-)
* Rotary cut 2 scrap pieces to 1 x 12.5 for Top/Bottom border.
* Sew strips to Top/bottom of block with right sides 2gether using a 1/4" seam allowance.
* Press & square up if needed.
* Rotary cut 2 scrap pieces to 1 x 13.5 for Left/Right border following same steps as above.
Your block will be approx. 13.5 x 13.5
* This will achieve a finished 1/2" border when we add additional borders later. :-)
Tip...this is a great time to use those beautiful scraps for the borders :-)
Well, you did it!
Check back soon for Phase 2 :-)
Talk soon,
Cat
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