Friday, January 6, 2012

Doll Quilt


Here's a little lady bug doll quilt. It measures about 14 x 18 and will go to a special little girl next Christmas for her doll bed. Several ladies over on HGTV are stitching them to accompany hand made wooden doll cradles for next year. And, this is one thing finished on my TO-DO list! Yea, it feels good to complete a project!

In answer to a comment: The blocks are pieced...not strip pieced. Yes, it would work very well for scraps...but would take some planning unless you make the background all one color...say neutrals. It can be done in any size as well. Let me try to explain how to approach the block...hang on...it involves numbers...yuck! First, decide the size of the block. For the doll quilt...the blocks were 4 inch finished. Next determine the size of one square in the block...and since it has 4-squares...i.e. a 4-patch block...each of these would be 2'' finished. Okay, get a piece of paper for this next part. Draw a 2-inch square. Now, what would be the middle of that? Oh yeah, 1-inch...but, we don't want "bars" we want pinwheels. SO, instead of drawing a vertical line at the middle 1" mark...measure over to 3/4 inch (1/4 inch before middle) and put a dot to mark that spot at the top of the 2" square. Now, on the bottom of that square, measure over 1 1/4 inches (1/4 past middle) and put a dot. Connect the dots...you have the basic block! Retrace each side and add seam allowance and you have the pattern pieces. (Hint: they are the same size! So keep track of front/back etc on your fabric...and you have to only use one piece.)

The same process works with larger squares...just start with the finished square size. Put a dot at X before middle line and X after middle line...and you have it! X is equal in size! ( 1/4 or 1/2 or ?...depending on the size of the block and the "slope" you want the pinwheel to have)

Hope you don't have a headache from all the thinking!

If so...check out this link to the little 4 inch block size. http://inspiredbyantiquequilts.blogspot.com/2012/01/happy-new-year-here-is-my-first-little.html




Photobucket

No comments: