Spring Celebration

Designers: Alice Berg, Sylvia Johnson, and Mary Ellen Von Holt of Little Quilts

• 20--4×7" pieces of assorted prints in red, yellow, blue, pink, green, purple, and brown for blocks
• 1⁄4 yard of tan print for blocks
• 1-1⁄3 yards of cream print for blocks and borders
• 1⁄4 yard each of brown, blue, and green prints for setting squares
• 1 yard of pink print for setting triangles, corner triangles, and pieced border
• 1⁄2 yard of dark brown print for pieced border
• 1-3⁄4 yards of blue floral for outer border and binding
• 3-1⁄2 yards of backing fabric
• 58×64" of quilt batting

Finished quilt top: 51×57"

Finished block: 5" 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.

From each assorted red, yellow, blue, pink, green, purple, and brown print, cut:

• 2--3" squares

From tan print, cut:

• 20--3" squares

From cream print, cut:

• 5--2-1⁄2 ×42" strips for middle border
• 2--2-3⁄4 ×36-1⁄8" inner border strips
• 1--2-1⁄4 ×33-1⁄2" inner border strip
• 1--2-1⁄8 ×33-1⁄2" inner border strip
• 20--3" squares

From each brown, blue, and green print, cut:

• 4--5-1⁄2" setting squares

From pink print, cut:

• 4--8-3⁄8" squares, cutting each diagonally twice in an X for a total of 16 setting triangles (you'll have 2 leftover triangles)
• 2--4-1⁄2" squares, cutting each in half diagonally for a total of 4 corner triangles
• 26--3-7⁄8" squares

From dark brown print, cut:

• 26--3-7⁄8" squares

From blue floral, cut:

• 6--4-1⁄2 ×42" strips for outer border
• 6--2-1⁄2 ×42" binding strips

1. Referring to Diagram 1 for placement, sew together two matching red, yellow, blue, pink, green, purple, or brown print 3" squares, one tan print 3" square, and one cream print 3" square in pairs. Press the seam allowances toward the dark prints. Then join the pairs to make a Four- Patch block. Press the seam allowance in one direction. The pieced Four-Patch block should measure 5-1⁄2" square, including the seam allowances.

2. Repeat Step 1 to make a total of 20 Four-Patch blocks.

1. Referring to the photograph and the Quilt Assembly Diagram for placement, lay out the 20 Four-Patch blocks; the 12 brown, blue, and green print 5-1⁄2" setting squares; and 14 pink print setting triangles in diagonal rows.

2. Sew together the pieces in each diagonal row. Press the seam allowances toward the setting squares and setting triangles. Then join the rows. Press the seam allowances in one direction.

3. Add the four pink print corner triangles to complete the quilt center. Press the seam allowances toward the corner triangles. The pieced quilt center should measure 29×36-1⁄8", including the seam allowances.

1. Add the cream print 2-3⁄4 ×36-1⁄8" inner border strips to the long edges of the quilt center. Sew the cream print 2-1⁄4 ×33-1⁄2" inner border strip to one short edge and the cream print 2-1⁄8 ×33-1⁄2" inner border strip to the remaining short edge of the quilt center. Press the seam allowances toward the inner border.

2. Use a quilter's pencil to mark a diagonal line on the wrong side of each of the 26 pink print 3-7⁄8" squares. (To prevent the fabric from stretching as you draw the lines, place 220-grit sandpaper under the squares.)

3. Layer a marked pink print square atop each dark brown print 3-7⁄8" square. Sew each pair together with two seams, stitching 1⁄4" on each side of the drawn line (see Diagram 2).

4. Cut a pair apart on the drawn line to make two triangle units (see Diagram 3). Press the triangle units open to make two triangle-squares. Each triangle-square should measure 3-1⁄2" square, including the seam allowances. Repeat to make a total of 52 triangle-squares.

5. Referring to the Quilt Assembly Diagram for placement, sew together 13 triangle-squares to make a pieced border strip. Press the seam allowances in one direction. The pieced border strip should measure 3-1⁄2 ×39-1⁄2", including the seam allowances. Repeat to make a total of four pieced border strips.

6. Sew a pieced border strip to each long edge of the quilt center. Then add the remaining pieced border strips to the remaining edges of the quilt center. Press all seam allowances toward the pieced border strips.

7. Cut and piece the cream print 2-1⁄2 ×42" strips to make the following:

• 2--2-1⁄2 ×45-1⁄2" middle border strips
• 2--2-1⁄2 ×43-1⁄2" middle border strips

8. Add the long cream print middle border strips to the long edges of the quilt center. Sew the short cream print middle border strips to the short edges of the quilt center. Press all seam allowances toward the cream print middle border.

9. Cut and piece the blue floral 4-1⁄2 ×42" strips to make the following:

• 2--4-1⁄2 ×51-1⁄2" outer border strips
• 2--4-1⁄2 ×49-1⁄2" outer border strips

10. Sew the short blue floral outer border strips to the long edges of the quilt center. Then add the long blue floral outer border strips to the remaining 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.

2. Quilt as desired. Playful loops and stars machine-quilted in tan thread cover the entire quilt top.

3. Use the blue floral 2-1⁄2 ×42" strips to bind the quilt.