Monica Curry Quilt Design

Make your HST blocks faster with these two simple methods for making multiple HST squares. 4-in-1 HSTs Instructions  Place squares right side facing.  Stitch 1/4 inch around the outside of the squares.  Make pencil lines dividing the squares from corner to corner.  Cut along these two lines.  Flip HST and press. Square Up if necessary. 8-in-1 HSTs  Instructions  Place squares right side facing.  Draw a line from corner to corner.  Stitch 1/4 inch away from the lines you drew.  Make pencil lines dividing the squares in four parts.  Cut along these two lines.  Cut from corner to corner being careful not to cut the stitch line.  Flip HST and press. Square Up if necessary.

INSTRUCTIONS I discovered this technique for making scrap checkerboard blocks several years ago. I used it to make my grand-niece a doll quilt (above). With these few easy steps, the results are so worth it. When you're finished, every square will be aligned perfectly and you'll have a strong base to join the blocks so they won't stretch out of shape. Finished Block: 12"x 12" (30 cm x 30 cm)) 1.  First, you'll need a non-woven, lightweight, single-sided fusible interfacing. I purchased this very inexpensive one on Amazon . 2.  Cut [18] 2½-inch (6 cm) colour squares and [18] 2½-inch (6 cm) light colour squares. 3.  Cut [1] 13" x 13" (31 cm x 31 cm) square of interfacing. 4.  Place squares 1/2" from the edges on the adhesive side of the interfacing. Butt together the squares as shown below alternating between light and dark colours. 5.  Place a piece of cotton over the squares and press to adhere them to the fusible web. 6. Fold the first row righ...

This post is a supplementary tutorial for the Quick Block Calculator . When using the shortcut methods to make Hourglass and Pinwheel blocks, you often have to " square up " the block to the correct size you need. If these blocks are not squared up properly, you will end up with very wonky looking squares that will only be good for the scrap pile. In this post, I'll show you a simple method for squaring up Hourglass, Pinwheel, and Half Square Triangle blocks that doesn't require a special ruler. MATERIALS Square quilt ruler at least 8" x 8". Rotary cutter Masking tape or transparent quilt ruler tape . INSTRUCTIONS Hour Glass Divide the desired block size in half, e.g. 4½"÷ 2 = 2¼" Find this number on the ruler. Place a piece of tape horizontally and vertically on the ruler to mark the center of the block. Line up intersecting point of the tape with the center of the block. Line up the 45º angle with angle of the block. 6.  W...

Quilt patterns can come in many sizes. But what if the size of the pattern isn't the size you want? Maybe you want a throw instead of a mini quilt or a baby quilt instead of a king-size. To resize your pattern or block, you need to know the percentage to reduce or enlarge the pattern templates. Read below to learn three easy ways to get the percentage you need to resize templates. THREE METHODS FOR RESIZING YOUR QUILTS AND BLOCKS 1. DO THE MATH Below is the very simple formula to get the percentage for reducing or enlarging. ENLARGING : Measure the shortest length of the original block size? e.g. 6 inches What size do you want the new block to be? e.g. 8 inches Divide the new size by the original size, e.g. 8 ÷ 6 = 1.33. Move the decimal point two steps to the right to get your percentage = 133%. Enter 133% into the copy machine to enlarge your 6-inch block to an 8-inch block.  REDUCING : Do the opposite of above. Divide the small size (e.g. 6") by the large size (e...

Who doesn't love a little bling? My cute Blue Diamond quilt block, designed in facet art style, would make a sparkling quilt. While designing my diamond I soon realized that the facet colours had to make sense. The biggest challenge in doing faceted art is positioning the colours so that they look just right. Below is the inspiration for my little diamond quilt. This stunning quilt titled Bling was designed, pieced, and quilted by Katherine Jones. Bling won Best in Show at the 2017 QuiltCon Quilt Show , and you can sure see why. The details in this quilt are stunning!  Bling  by Katherine Jones

This tutorial is for the 17" x 17" Celtic twist block shown above. It may look complicated, but it's simple to put together. There are no Y-seams and no templates to worry about. The block consists of two 6 inch units (one is a snowball block) and two different sized triangle units; that's it! You can make one block or add more units to make a quilt or table runner. I love this block for showcasing big prints. These are the four units to make the block. MATERIALS NEEDED FOR ONE BLOCK (All measurements include a 1/4 inch seam allowance) Unit 1 - Makes 4 [8] 5" x 2" dark print [8] 5" x 2" light print [4] 3½" x 3½" medium print Unit 2 - Makes 4 [1] 7¼" solid Unit 3 - Makes 4 [2] 7" solid [4] 2" x 2" dark print Unit 4 - Makes 1 [1] 6½" x 6½" large print [4] 2" x 2" light print UNIT 1 - Make 4 1. Arrange your fabric pieces to ensure you have the correct colour placement. You'll ne...