Pastel Delectable Mountains

Quilt designer: Mabeth Oxenreider

From American Patchwork & Quilting, June 2005

• 3-7/8 yards total of assorted pastel pink, purple, blue, teal, and green prints for blocks
• 6-5/8 yards total of assorted white and cream prints for blocks
• 5/8 yard of multicolor stripe for inner border
• 2 yards of blue floral for outer border and binding
• 8 yards of backing fabric
• 96x112" of quilt batting

Finished quilt top: 90x106"

Finished unit: 8" square

Quantities are for 44/45"-wide, 100% cotton fabrics. All measurements include a 1/4" seam allowance. Sew with right sides together unless otherwise stated.

To make the best use of your fabrics, cut the pieces in the order that follows. To be most efficient in cutting and piecing, the following instructions yield two identical Delectable Mountains units. Repeat the cutting and assembly steps to make a total of 124 Delectable Mountains units (you will have four leftover units for a pillow).

From one assorted pink, purple, blue, teal, or green print, cut:

• 1--4-7/8" square, cutting it in half diagonally for a total of 2 medium triangles
• 6--2-7/8" squares, cutting each in half diagonally for a total of 12 small triangles

From one assorted white or cream print, cut:

• 1--8-7/8" square, cutting it in half diagonally for a total of 2 large triangles
• 4--2-7/8" squares, cutting each in half diagonally for a total of 8 small triangles
• 2--2-1/2" squares

1. To make one unit, you'll need one medium triangle and six small triangles from the same pink, purple, blue, teal, or green print; and one large triangle, four small triangles, and one 2-1/2" square from the same white or cream print. For this unit we used blue print and white print pieces.

2. Sew together one blue print small triangle and one white print small triangle to make a small triangle-square (see Diagram 1). Press the seam allowance toward the blue print triangle. The pieced small triangle-square should measure 2-1/2" square, including the seam allowances. Repeat to make a total of four small triangle-squares.

3. Referring to Diagram 2 for placement, lay out the four small triangle-squares, two blue print small triangles, one blue print medium triangle, and one white print 2-1/2" square in rows.

4. Sew together the pieces in each row. Press the seam allowances in one direction. Then join the rows to adjacent short edges of the blue print medium triangle to make a Delectable Mountains subunit. Press the seam allowances toward the blue print medium triangle.

5. Add a white print large triangle to the long edge of the Delectable Mountains subunit to make a Delectable Mountains unit (see Diagram 3). Press the seam allowance toward the white triangle. The pieced Delectable Mountains unit should measure 8-1/2" square, including the seam allowances.

6. Repeat steps 1 through 5 with the remaining pieces to make a second Delectable Mountains unit.

1. Referring to photograph, lay out the pieced Delectable Mountains units in 12 horizontal rows.

2. Sew together the units in each row. Press the seam allowances in one direction, alternating the direction with each row. Then join the rows to make the quilt center. Press the seam allowances in one direction. The pieced quilt center should measure 80-1/2x96-1/2", including the seam allowances.

From multicolor stripe, cut:

• 9--2x42" strips

1. Cut and piece the multicolor stripe strips to make two 2x99-1/2" inner border strips and two 2x80-1/2" inner border strips.

2. Sew the short multicolor stripe inner border strips to the short edges of the pieced quilt center. Then join the long multicolor stripe inner border strips to the long edges of the quilt center. Press all seam allowances toward the inner border.

From blue floral, cut:

• 10--4x42" strips

1. Cut and piece the blue floral strips to make two 4x106-1/2" outer border strips and two 4x83-1/2" outer border strips.

2. Sew the short blue floral outer border strips to the short edges of the pieced quilt center. Then join the long blue floral outer border strips to the long edges of the quilt center to complete the quilt top. Press all seam allowances toward the outer border.

From blue floral, cut:

• 10--2-1/2x42" binding strips

1. Layer the quilt top, batting, and backing.

2. Quilt as desired. Designer Mabeth Oxenreider machine-quilted her project using a feathered wreath centered over each set of four Delectable Mountains units. She quilted in the ditch around each set of four Delectable Mountains units and on both sides of the inner border. In the outer border she stitched 3/4"-wide parallel rows.

3. Use the blue floral 2-1/2x42" strips to bind the quilt.

• 4 Delectable Mountains units
• 3/4 yard of blue floral for pillow back and binding
• 1-1/4 yards of multicolor stripe
• 1-1/8 yards of pink floral
• 3--20" squares of muslin for lining
• 3--20" squares of quilt batting
• 3--16"-square pillow forms
• Template plastic

Finished pillows: 16" square

From blue floral, cut:

• 2--2-1/2x42" strips for binding
• 2--16-1/2x20-1/2" rectangles for pillow back

1. Lay out the four Delectable Mountains units in pairs; sew together. Press the seam allowances toward the white print large triangles. Then join the pairs to make a Delectable Mountains block for the pillow top.

2. Layer the pillow top, a 20" batting square, and a muslin 20" square. Quilt as desired. Trim the batting and lining even with the pillow top edges.

3. With the wrong sides inside, fold each blue floral 16-1/2x20-1/2" rectangle in half to form two double-thick 16-1/2x10-1/4" pieces. Overlap the folded edges by about 4" (see Diagram 4) to make a 16-1/2" square. Stitch around the entire square to make the pillow back. (The double thickness makes the pillow back more stable.)

4. With wrong sides together, layer the pillow top and pillow back; baste to make a pillow cover. Use the blue floral 2-1/2x42" strips to bind the pillow cover. Insert the pillow form through the opening to complete the pillow.

To make the concentric stripes appear on your pillow top, it's necessary to create a template that can be aligned with the long edge parallel to the selvage, then fussy-cut with the point of the template and the orientation of the stripes at the same spot each time. To make sure your template is aligned for cutting exactly the same each time, mark lines on the template's right side and use those lines as guides.

From template plastic, cut:

• 1--12-3/16" square, cutting it in half diagonally for a total of 2 triangle templates

From multicolor stripe, cut:

• 4 triangles using a triangle template (see notes above for fussy cutting)
• 2--16-1/2x20-1/2" rectangles for pillow back

1. Lay out the four multicolor stripe triangles in pairs; sew together. Press the seam allowances in opposite directions. Then join the pairs to make the pillow top.

2. Refer to Cut and Assemble the Delectable Mountains Pillow, Step 2, to layer and quilt the pillow top as desired.

3. Refer to Cut and Assemble the Delectable Mountains Pillow, Step 3, and use the multicolor stripe 16-1/2x20-1/2" rectangles to make the pillow back.

4. With wrong sides together, layer the pillow top and the pillow back; sew together to make a pillow cover. Turn right sides out. Insert the pillow form through the opening to complete the pillow.

From pink floral, cut:

• 1--16-1/2" square for pillow top
• 2--16-1/2x20-1/2" rectangles for pillow back

1. Layer the pink floral 16-1/2" square, batting, and a muslin 20" square. Quilt as desired. Trim the batting and lining even with the pillow top edges.

2. Refer to Cut and Assemble the Delectable Mountains Pillow, Step 3, and use the pink floral 16-1/2x20-1/2" rectangles to make the pillow back.

3. With the wrong sides together, layer the pillow top and the pillow back; sew together to make a pillow cover. Turn right sides out. Insert the pillow form through the opening to complete the pillow.