Make Your Point

Designer: Mabeth Oxenreider

• 5-1⁄4 yards total of assorted dark prints (16-Patch blocks, Pinwheel blocks, dogtooth border, and diagonally pieced borders)
• 4-1⁄4 yards total of assorted light prints (16-Patch blocks, Pinwheel blocks, and dogtooth border)
• 3⁄4 yard of red print (binding)
• 5-1⁄3 yards of backing fabric
• 84×96" of quilt batting

Finished quilt top: 77-1⁄2×89-1⁄2"

Finished 16-Patch block: 6" square

Finished Pinwheel block: 6" square

Quantities specified are for 44/45"-wide, 100% cotton fabrics. 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.

From assorted dark prints, cut:

• 38--2×42" strips
• Enough 2-1⁄2"-wide strips in lengths varying from 8" to 22" to total 400" for diagonally pieced outer border
• Enough 1-1⁄2"-wide strips in lengths varying from 8" to 22" to total 340" for diagonally pieced inner and middle borders
• Enough 1-1⁄8"-wide strips in lengths varying from 8" to 22" to total 340" for diagonally pieced inner and middle borders
• 16--5-1⁄2" squares, cutting each diagonally twice in an X for a total of 64 triangles (you'll have 2 triangles left over)
• 98--3-7⁄8" squares

From assorted light prints, cut:

• 38--2×42" strips
• 15--5-1⁄2" squares, cutting each diagonally twice in an X for a total of 60 triangles (you'll have 2 triangles left over)
• 98--3-7⁄8" squares

From red print, cut:

• 9--2-1⁄2×42" binding strips

1.    Aligning long edges and alternating dark and light, lay out two dark print 2×42" strips and two light print 2×42" strips; sew together to make a strip set (Diagram 1). Press the seam allowances toward the dark print strips. Repeat with the remaining dark print and light print 2×42" strips to make a total of 19 strip sets. Cut the strip sets into 2"-wide segments for a total of 396. Set aside four segments for use in the outer border.

2.    Lay out four segments as shown in Diagram 2. Sew together the segments to make a 16-Patch block. Press the seam allowances in one direction. The 16-Patch block should measure 6-1⁄2" square, including the seam allowances. Repeat to make a total of ninety-eight 16-Patch blocks.

1.    Use a quilter's pencil to mark a diagonal line on the wrong side of the light print 3-7⁄8" squares. (To prevent the fabric from stretching as you draw the lines, place 220-grit sandpaper under the squares.)

2.    Layer a marked light print 3-7⁄8" square atop each unmarked dark print 37⁄8" square. Sew each pair together with two seams, stitching 1⁄4" on each side of the drawn line (Diagram 3). To save time, chain-piece the layered squares. To chain-piece, machine-sew the pairs together one after the other without lifting the presser foot or clipping threads between pairs. First sew along one side of the drawn lines, then turn the group of pairs around and sew along the other side of the lines (Diagram 4). Clip the connecting threads between pairs.

3.    Cut a pair apart on the drawn line to make two triangle units (Diagram 5). Press the triangle units open to make two triangle-squares (Diagram 6). Each triangle-square should measure 3-1⁄2" square, including the seam allowances. Repeat to make a total of 196 triangle-squares.

4.    Referring to Diagram 7 for placement, sew together four triangle-squares in pairs. Press the seam allowances in opposite directions. Then join the pairs to make a Pinwheel A block. Pieced Pinwheel A block should measure 6-1⁄2" square, including the seam allowances. Repeat to make a total of 24 Pinwheel A blocks.

5.    Referring to Diagram 8, repeat Step 4 to make a total of 25 Pinwheel B blocks.

1.    Referring to the Quilt Assembly Diagram, lay out 50 of the 16-Patch blocks alternately with the 49 Pinwheel blocks in 11 horizontal rows.

2.    Sew together the blocks in each row. Press the seam allowances toward the Pinwheel blocks. Join the rows to make the quilt center. Press the seam allowances in one direction. The pieced quilt center should measure 54-1⁄2×66-1⁄2", including the seam allowances.

1.    Using diagonal seams, sew together assorted dark print 1-1⁄2"-wide strips of varying lengths to make the following:

• 2--1-1⁄2×54-1⁄2" inner border strips

2.    Using diagonal seams, sew together assorted dark print 1-1⁄8"-wide strips of varying lengths to make the following:

• 2--1-1⁄8×68-1⁄2" inner border strips

3.    Sew the short inner border strips to the short edges of the pieced quilt center. Then join the long inner border strips to the long edges of the pieced quilt center. Press all seam allowances toward the quilt center. The quilt center should now measure 55-3⁄4×68-1⁄2", including the seam allowances.

1.    Referring to the Quilt Assembly Diagram, lay out 13 assorted light print triangles and 12 assorted dark print triangles in a row.

2.    To assemble, layer two triangles with raw edges aligned, but ends offset by 1⁄4" (Diagram 9); sew together. Press the seam allowance toward the dark print fabric. Add the next triangle in the row to the pieced pair of triangles in the same manner (Diagram 10). Continue in this manner until all of the triangles in the row are sewn together to make a short dogtooth border strip.

3.    Repeat steps 1 and 2 to make a second short dogtooth border strip.

4.    Find the center point of a short dogtooth border strip and a short edge of the pieced quilt center; pin the border strip to the quilt center. Sew together. Press the seam allowance toward the inner border. Repeat with the remaining short dogtooth border strip and the opposite quilt center short edge.

5.    In the same manner, lay out 16 assorted light print triangles alternately with 15 dark print triangles; sew together to make a long dogtooth border strip. Repeat to make a second long dogtooth border strip.

6.    Find the center point of a long dogtooth border strip and a long edge of the pieced quilt center; pin the border strip to the quilt center. Sew together. Press the seam allowance toward the inner border. Repeat with the remaining long dogtooth border strip and the opposite quilt center long edge.

7.    Pair the remaining eight dark print triangles; sew together to make border corners (Quilt Assembly Diagram). Press the seam allowances to one side. Join the border corners to the quilt center. Press the seam allowances toward the border corners. The pieced quilt center should now measure 60×72-3⁄4", including the seam allowances.

1.    Using diagonal seams, sew together the remaining assorted dark print 1-1⁄8"-wide strips of varying lengths to make the following:

• 2--1-1⁄8×60" middle border strips

2.    Using diagonal seams, sew together the remaining dark print 1-1⁄2"-wide strips of varying lengths to make the following:

• 2--1-1⁄2×74" middle border strips

3.    Sew the short middle border strips to the short edges of the pieced quilt center. Then join the long middle border strips to the long edges of the pieced quilt center. Press all seam allowances toward the quilt center. The pieced quilt center should now measure 62×74", including the seam allowances.

1.    Referring to the Quilt Assembly Diagram, lay out the remaining 16-Patch blocks in four rows of 12 blocks each. Sew together the blocks in each row to make four 16-Patch border strips. Press the seam allowances in one direction.

2.    Add a remaining 2"-wide segment to one end of each 16-Patch border strip, paying attention to color placement (Quilt Assembly Diagram). Press the seam allowances in one direction.

3.    Sew two 16-Patch border strips to the long edges of the pieced quilt center. Press the seam allowances toward the quilt center.

4.    Sew the remaining 16-Patch border strips to the short edges of the quilt center. Press the seam allowances toward the quilt center. The quilt center should now measure 74×86", including the seam allowances.

1.    Using diagonal seams, sew together the dark print 2-1⁄2" strips of varying lengths to make the following:

• 2--2-1⁄2×90" outer border strips
• 2--2-1⁄2×74" outer border strips

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

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

2.    Quilt as desired. Mabeth machine-quilted the center with an overall flowing feathered design. Quarter-inch outline quilting was used to enhance the dogtooth border, and a straight running stitch follows the rows of the 16-Patch border and diagonally pieced outer border.5

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