Chocolate & Cherries

Designer: Darlene Zimmerman

Finished size: 68-1/2×90-1/2" square

Finished block: 10" square

Yardages and cutting instructions are based on 42" of usable fabric width.

• 9—18×21" pieces (fat quarters) assorted light prints (blocks)
• 8—18×21" pieces (fat quarters) assorted brown prints (blocks)
• 8—18×21" pieces (fat quarters) assorted pink prints (blocks)
• 1^1-1/3 yards tan print (sashing rectangles)
• 3/4 yard dark pink print (sashing squares, binding)
• 2-1/3 yards brown paisley (border)
• 5-1/2 yards backing fabric
• 77×99" batting

Cut pieces in the following order.

Cut border strips lengthwise (parallel to selvages).

From assorted light prints, cut:

• 12—1-1/2×21" strips
• 140—1-1/2×4-1/2" rectangles
• 140—1-1/2×3-1/2" rectangles
• 140—1-1/2×2-1/2" rectangles

From assorted brown prints, cut:

• 6—1-1/2×21" strips
• 72—1-1/2×5-1/2" rectangles
• 72—1-1/2×4-1/2" rectangles
• 72—1-1/2×3-1/2" rectangles
• 72—1-1/2×2-1/2" rectangles

From assorted pink prints, cut:

• 86—1-1/2×21" strips
• 68—1-1/2×5-1/2" rectangles
• 68—1-1/2×4-1/2" rectangles
• 68—1-1/2×3-1/2" rectangles
• 68—1-1/2×2-1/2" rectangles

From tan print, cut:

• 82—1-1/2×10-1/2" sashing rectangles

From dark pink print, cut:

• 48—2-1/2×42" binding strips
• 48—1-1/2" sashing squares

From brown paisley, cut:

• 2—6-1/2×78-1/2" border strips
• 2—6-1/2×68-1/2" border strips

Measurements include 1/4" seam allowances. Sew with right sides together unless otherwise stated.

Press seams in directions indicated by arrows on diagrams. If no direction is specified, press seam toward darker fabric.

1. Sew together a light print 1-1/2×21" strip and a brown print 1-1/2×21" strip to make Strip Set A (Diagram 1). Repeat to make six A strip sets total.

2. Cut A strip sets into seventy-two 1-1/2"-wide A segments (Diagram 1).

3. Sew together a light print 1-1/2×21" strip and a pink print 1-1/2×21" strip to make Strip Set B (Diagram 2). Repeat to make six B strip sets total.

4. Cut B strip sets into sixty-eight 1-1/2"-wide B segments (Diagram 2).

5. Referring to Diagram 3, sew a light print 1-1/2×2-1/2" rectangle to left-hand edge of an A segment.

6. Referring to Diagram 4, add a brown print 1-1/2×2-1/2" rectangle to bottom edge of Step 5 unit.

7. Add a brown print 1-1/2×3-1/2" rectangle to right-hand edge of Step 6 unit (Diagram 5).

8. Referring to Diagram 6, add light print 1-1/2×3-1/2" and 1-1/2×4-1/2" rectangles and brown print 1-1/2×4-1/2" and 1-1/2×5-1/2" rectangles to Step 7 unit. Press all seams away from center square to make a brown Log Cabin unit. The unit should be 5-1/2" square including seam allowances.

9. Repeat steps 5–8 to make 72 brown Log Cabin units total.

10. Referring to Diagram 7, sew together four brown Log Cabin units in pairs. Join pairs to make a brown Log Cabin block. The block should be 10-1/2" square including seam allowances.

11. Repeat Step 10 to make 18 brown Log Cabin blocks total.

12. Using B segments; remaining assorted light print 1-1/2×2-1/2", 1-1/2×3-1/2", and 1-1/2×4-1/2" rectangles; and assorted pink print 1-1/2×2-1/2", 1-1/2×3-1/2", 1-1/2×4-1/2", and 1-1/2×5-1/2" rectangles, repeat steps 5–8 to make 68 pink Log Cabin units (Diagram 8).

13. Referring to Diagram 9, sew together four pink Log Cabin units to make a pink Log Cabin block. Press as before. The block should be 10-1/2" square including seam allowances.

14. Repeat Step 13 to make 17 pink Log Cabin blocks total.

1. Referring to Quilt Assembly Diagram, lay out brown and pink Log Cabin blocks, tan print 1-1/2×10-1/2" sashing rectangles, and dark pink print 1-1/2" sashing squares in 15 horizontal rows.

2. Sew together pieces in each row. Press seams toward sashing rectangles.

3. Join rows to make quilt center; press seams in one direction. The quilt center should be 56-1/2×78-1/2" including seam allowances.

Sew brown paisley 6-1/2×78-1/2" border strips to long edges of quilt center. Add brown paisley 6-1/2×68-1/2" border strips to remaining edges to complete quilt top. Press all seams toward border.

1. Layer quilt top, batting, and backing; baste.

2. Quilt as desired. Machine-quilter Melissa Sather stitched a flower motif in the brown and pink print areas and straight lines in the light print areas. She quilted a paisley design in the border.

3. Bind with dark pink print binding strips.