Life's A Picnic

Designer: Darlene Zimmerman

• 3-1⁄2 yards solid yellow (blocks, sashing, borders)
• 12--18×22" pieces (fat quarters) assorted prints in red, green, blue, lavender, yellow, and pink (blocks, sashing squares, middle border, binding)
• 3-1⁄2 yards backing fabric
• 63×79" batting

Finished quilt: 56-1⁄2 ×72-1⁄2"

Finished block: 12" square

Quantities are for 44⁄45"-wide, 100% cotton fabrics. Measurements include 1⁄4" seam allowances. Sew with right sides together unless otherwise stated.

Cut pieces in the following order.

From solid yellow, cut:

• 2--3-1⁄2 ×40-1⁄2" inner border strips
• 10--2-1⁄2 ×42" strips for inner and outer borders
• 17--2-1⁄2 ×12-1⁄2" sashing strips
• 52--5-1⁄4" squares, cutting each diagonally twice in an X for 208 small triangles total
• 24--4-7⁄8" squares, cutting each in half diagonally for 48 large triangles total

From each of three assorted prints, cut:

• 2--2-1⁄2 ×21" binding strips
• 4--5-1⁄4" squares, cutting each diagonally twice in an X for 16 small triangles total
• 2--4-7⁄8" squares, cutting each in half diagonally for 4 large triangles total

From each remaining assorted print, cut:

• 1--2-1⁄2 ×21" binding strip
• 5--5-1⁄4" squares, cutting each diagonally twice in an X for 20 small triangles total (you will use 160 of the 180 total triangles cut)
• 2--4-7⁄8" squares, cutting each in half diagonally for 4 large triangles total

From remaining assorted prints, cut:

• 12--4-1⁄2" squares
• 6--2-1⁄2" sashing squares

1. Sew together a solid yellow large triangle and an assorted print large triangle to make a triangle-square (Diagram 1). Press seam toward print triangle. The triangle-square should be 4-1⁄2" square including seam allowances.

2. Repeat Step 1 to make 48 triangle-squares total.

3. Join two solid yellow small triangles and two assorted print small triangles in pairs (Diagram 2). Press seams toward print triangles. Join pairs to make an hourglass unit. Press seam in one direction. The hourglass unit should be 4-1⁄2" square including seam allowances.

4. Repeat Step 3 to make 104 hourglass units total. Set aside 56 units for middle border.

5. Referring to Diagram 3, lay out four triangle-squares, four hourglass units, and one assorted print 4-1⁄2" square in three rows. Join pieces in each row. Press seams toward triangle-squares and center square. Join rows to make a star block; press seams away from center row. The block should be 12-1⁄2" square including seam allowances. Repeat to make 12 star blocks total.

1. Referring to Quilt Assembly Diagram, lay out blocks, solid yellow sashing strips, and assorted print sashing squares in seven rows.

2. Sew together pieces in each row. Press seams toward sashing strips. Join rows to make quilt center. Press seams toward sashing rows. The quilt center should be 40-1⁄2×54-1⁄2" including seam allowances.

1.    Cut and piece solid yellow 2-1⁄2 ×42" strips to make:

• 2--2-1⁄2 ×72-1⁄2" outer border strips
• 2--2-1⁄2 ×60-1⁄2" inner border strips
• 2--2-1⁄2 ×52-1⁄2" outer border strips

2. Sew solid yellow 3-1⁄2 ×40-1⁄2" inner border strips to short edges of quilt center. Press seams toward border. Add solid yellow 2-1⁄2 ×60-1⁄2" inner border strips to remaining edges. Press seams toward border. The quilt center now should be 44-1⁄2 ×60-1⁄2" including seam allowances.

3. Referring to Quilt Assembly Diagram, join 11 hourglass units to make a short middle border strip. Press seams in one direction. The strip should be 4-1⁄2 ×44-1⁄2" including seam allowances. Repeat to make a second short middle border strip. Sew short middle border strips to short edges of quilt center. Press seams toward inner border.

4. Join 17 hourglass units to make a long middle border strip (Quilt Assembly Diagram). Press seams in one direction. The strip should be 4-1⁄2 ×68-1⁄2" including seam allowances. Repeat to make a second long middle border strip. Sew long middle border strips to long edges of quilt center. Press seams toward inner border. The quilt center should now be 52-1⁄2 ×68-1⁄2" including seam allowances.

5. Sew short outer border strips to short edges of quilt center. Add long outer border strips to remaining edges to complete quilt top. Press all seams toward outer border.

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

2. Quilt as desired. Barb Simons machine-quilted a triple loop motif in the solid yellow triangles and an hourglass shape in the assorted print triangles. The sashing and inner and outer borders showcase a continuous linear loop.

3. Using diagonal seams, join assorted print 2-1⁄2 ×21" strips to make one long binding strip. Bind with pieced binding strip.