Four-Patch Surprise

Designer: Karen Murphy Gass of Idaho Quilt Company

• 1-1⁄8 yards of blue print for blocks and pieced inner border
• 1-1⁄8 yards of light blue print for blocks and pieced inner border
• 1-1⁄2 yards of rust print for blocks and pieced inner border
• 3 yards of beige print for blocks, borders, and binding
• 4 yards of backing fabric 73×80" of quilt batting

Finished quilt top: 61-1⁄4 ×72-5⁄8"

Finished block: 11-3⁄8" square

Quantities specified 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. Click on "Download this Project" above for pattern pieces.

From blue print, cut:

• 6--2-1⁄2 x42" strips
• 39--4-1⁄8" squares, cutting each diagonally twice in an X for a total of 156 triangles

From light blue print, cut:

• 6--2-1⁄2 ×42" strips
• 39--4-1⁄8" squares, cutting each diagonally twice in an X for a total of 156 triangles

From rust print, cut:

• 120 of Pattern A

From beige print, cut:

• 8--3×42" strips for outer border
• 8--2-1⁄2 ×42" binding strips
• 2--6-5⁄8" squares, cutting each in half diagonally for a total of four corner triangles
• 40--4-1⁄2" squares
• 18 each of patterns B and B reversed

1.     Aligning long edges, sew together a blue print 2-1⁄2 ×42" strip and a light blue print 2-1⁄2 ×42" strip to make a strip set (Diagram 1). Press the seam allowances toward the blue print strip. Repeat to make a total of six strip sets. Cut the strips sets into 2-1⁄2"-wide segments for a total of 80 segments.

2.     Referring to Diagram 2, sew together two 2-1⁄2"-wide segments to make a Four-Patch unit. Press the seam allowances in one direction. The Four-Patch unit should measure 4-1⁄2" square, including the seam allowances. Repeat to make a total of 40 Four-Patch units.

3.     Sew together two Four-Patch units and two beige print 4-1⁄2" squares in pairs (Diagram 3). Press the seam allowances toward the beige print squares. Join the pairs to make a Four-Patch block. Press the seam allowances in one direction. The Four- Patch block should measure 8-1⁄2" square, including the seam allowances. Repeat to make a total of 20 Four-Patch blocks.

4.     Referring to Diagram 4 for placement, sew together a blue print triangle and a light blue print triangle to make a triangle unit. Press the seam allowances toward the blue print triangle. Repeat to make a total of 156 triangle units. Set aside 36 triangle units for the pieced inner border.

5.     Add a rust print A piece to the bottom of a triangle unit to make a block corner piece (Diagram 4). Press the seam allowance toward the rust print A piece. Make a total of 120 block corner pieces. You'll use 80 for the blocks and 40 for the inner border.

6.     Sew block corner pieces to opposite edges of a Four-Patch block (Diagram 5). Press the seam allowances toward the block corner pieces. Join block corner pieces to the remaining edges of the Four- Patch block. Press as before. The pieced block should measure 11-7⁄8" square, including the seam allowances. Repeat to make a total of 20 blocks.

1.     Referring to the Quilt Assembly Diagram for placement, lay out the 20 blocks in five horizontal rows.

2.     Sew together the blocks 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 46×57-3⁄8", including the seam allowances.

1.     Referring to Diagram 6 for placement, sew a triangle unit to the edge of a beige print B piece to make a unit B. Press the seam allowances toward the beige print B piece. Repeat to make a total of 18 B units.

2.     Referring to Diagram 7, sew a triangle unit to the edge of a beige print B reversed piece to make a unit B reversed. Press the seam allowances toward the triangle unit. Repeat to make a total of 18 B reversed units.

3.     Referring to Diagram 8, sew together a B unit and a B reversed unit to make a border triangle. Press the seam allowances in one direction. Repeat to make a total of 18 border triangles.

4.     Referring to the Quilt Assembly Diagram, sew together four border triangles and eight block corner pieces to make a short pieced inner border strip. Press the seam allowances toward the block corner pieces. The short pieced inner border strip should measure 5-7⁄8 ×46", including the seam allowances. Repeat to make a second short pieced inner border strip.

5.     Sew the short pieced inner border strips to the short edges of the quilt center. Press the seam allowances toward the inner border.

6.     Sew together five border triangles, 12 block corner pieces, and two beige print corner triangles to make a long pieced inner border strip. Press the seam allowances toward the block corner pieces. The long pieced inner border strip should measure 5-7⁄8 ×68-1⁄8", including the seam allowances. Repeat to make a second long pieced inner border strip.

7.     Sew the long pieced inner border strips to the long edges of the quilt center. Press the seam allowances toward the inner border.

1.     Cut and piece the beige print 3×42" strips to make the following:

• 2--3×73-1⁄8" outer border strips
• 2--3×56-3⁄4" outer border strips

2.     Sew the beige print short outer border strips to the short edges of the quilt center. Then join the beige print long outer border strips to the long edges of the quilt center to complete the quilt top. Press the seam allowances toward the outer border.

1.     Layer the quilt top, batting, and backing. Quilt as desired.

2.     Use the beige print 2-1⁄2 ×42" strips to bind the quilt.