Earn Your Stripes

Inspired by Romancing the Blues from designer Monique Dillard of Open Gate Quilts

Quilt tester: Laura Boehnke

• 5⁄8 yard each of yellow, blue, orange, and green solids (blocks, inner border)
• 5--7" squares assorted dark solids (blocks)
• 1-3⁄4 yards total assorted stripes (blocks, inner border)
• 1⁄3 yard solid tan (block)
• 1-1⁄8 yards multicolor stripe (outer border)
• 1⁄2 yard binding fabric
• 3-1⁄2 yards backing fabric
• 63" square batting

Finished quilt: 54-1⁄2" square

Finished block: 12" square

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

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

Cut pieces in the following order.

From each yellow, blue, orange, and green solid, cut:

• 1--4-1⁄4" square, cutting it diagonally twice in an X for 4 small triangles total (you will use 3)
• 2--3-7⁄8" squares, cutting each diagonally in half for 4 large triangles total
• 6--3-1⁄2×5" rectangles
• 8--2×5" rectangles
• 4--2×9-1⁄2" strips
• 4--2×6-1⁄2" strips
• 16--2×3-1⁄2" rectangles
• 16--2" squares

From each dark solid, cut:

• 8--2" squares (you will have 4 squares left over from one dark solid)

From assorted stripes, cut:

• 3--4-1⁄4" squares, cutting each diagonally twice in an X for 12 small triangles total
• 2--3-7⁄8" squares, cutting each diagonally in half for 4 large triangles total
• 105--3-1⁄2" squares
• 36--2×3-1⁄2" rectangles

From solid tan, cut:

• 2--2×9-1⁄2" strips
• 2--2×6-1⁄2" strips
• 4--2×5" rectangles
• 8--2×3-1⁄2" rectangles
• 8--2" squares

From multicolor stripe, cut:

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

From binding fabric, cut:

• 6--2-1⁄2×42" binding strips

1.    Referring to Diagram 1, sew together four solid yellow 2×3-1⁄2" rectangles, four matching dark solid 2" squares, and one assorted stripe 3-1⁄2" square in three horizontal rows. Press seams toward squares. Join rows to make an uneven Nine-Patch unit. Press seams. The unit should be 6-1⁄2" square including seam allowances.

2.    Add solid yellow 2×6-1⁄2" strips to opposite edges of uneven Nine-Patch unit (Diagram 2). Press seams toward solid yellow strips. Then add solid yellow 2×9-1⁄2" strips to remaining edges to make a center unit. Press seams toward solid yellow strips. The center unit should be 9-1⁄2" square including seam allowances.

3.    Use a pencil to mark a diagonal line on wrong side of eight solid yellow 2" squares and eight assorted stripe 3-1⁄2" squares. If you'd like to orient your stripes in the same manner as the featured quilt, refer to diagrams 3 and 8 when marking lines on stripe squares.

4.    Align a marked assorted stripe 3-1⁄2" square with one corner of center unit (Diagram 3; note direction of marked line). Sew on drawn line. Trim excess, leaving 1⁄4" seam allowance. Press open attached triangle. Repeat to add assorted stripe squares to remaining corners of center unit; trim and press as before to make block subunit. The block subunit still should be 9-1⁄2" square including seam allowances.

5.    Align a marked solid yellow 2" square with one end of an assorted stripe 2×3-1⁄2" rectangle (Diagram 4; note direction of marked line). Sew on marked line; trim seam allowance to 1⁄4". Press open attached triangle, pressing seam away from stripe. Align a second marked solid yellow 2" square with remaining end of rectangle. Stitch, trim, and press as before to make a Flying Geese unit. The unit should still be 3-1⁄2×2" including seam allowances. Repeat to make four Flying Geese units total.

6.    Referring to Diagram 5, sew solid yellow 2×3-1⁄2" rectangles to ends of a Flying Geese unit to make a short block border. Press seams toward solid yellow rectangles. The short block border should be 9-1⁄2×2" including seam allowances. Repeat to make a second short block border.

7.     Referring to Diagram 6, sew solid yellow 2×5" rectangles to ends of a remaining Flying Geese unit to make a long block border. Press seams toward solid yellow rectangles. The long block border should be 12-1⁄2×2" including seam allowances. Repeat to make a second long block border.

8.     Add short block borders to opposite edges of block subunit (Diagram 7). Then add long block borders to remaining edges to make a block unit. Press all seams toward block borders. The block unit should be 12-1⁄2" square including seam allowances.

9.     Align a marked assorted stripe 3-1⁄2" square with one corner of block unit (Diagram 8; note direction of marked line). Sew on drawn line. Trim excess, leaving 1⁄4" seam allowance. Press open attached triangle. Repeat to add remaining marked assorted stripe squares to remaining corners of block unit to make a yellow block. The block still should be 12-1⁄2" square including seam allowances.

10.    Repeat Steps 1–9 to make a second solid yellow block.

11.    Repeat Steps 1–10 using blue, orange, and green solids to make two blue, two orange, and two green blocks.

12.    Repeat Steps 1–9 to make one tan block.

1.    Use a pencil to mark a diagonal line on the wrong side of remaining assorted stripe 3-1⁄2" squares. Align a marked assorted stripe 3-1⁄2" square with one end of a solid yellow 3-1⁄2×5" rectangle (Diagram 9; note direction of marked line). Sew on drawn line. Trim excess, leaving 1⁄4" seam allowance to make yellow border rectangle A. Press open attached triangle. Repeat to make three total of yellow border rectangle A.

2.    Adding marked assorted stripe 3-1⁄2" square to opposite end of solid yellow 3-1⁄2×5" rectangle, repeat Step 1 to make yellow border rectangle B (Diagram 10; note direction of marked line). Repeat to make three total of yellow border rectangle B.

3.    Sew together one assorted stripe small triangle and one solid yellow small triangle to make a triangle pair (Diagram 11). Press seam toward solid yellow. Add a solid yellow large triangle to triangle pair to make a quarter-triangle unit. Press seam toward solid yellow large triangle. The yellow quarter-triangle unit should be 3-1⁄2" square including seams. Repeat to make three yellow quarter-triangle units total.

4.    Referring to Diagram 12 for placement, sew a yellow border rectangle A and a yellow border rectangle B to opposite edges of a yellow quarter-triangle unit to make an inner border unit. Press seams toward border rectangles. The yellow inner border unit should be 12-1⁄2×3-1⁄2" including seam allowances. Repeat to make three yellow inner border units total.

5.    Sew together an assorted stripe large triangle and a solid yellow large triangle to make a triangle-square (Diagram 13). Press seam toward solid yellow. The yellow triangle-square should be 3-1⁄2" square including seam allowances.

6.    Repeat Steps 1–5 with blue, orange, and green solids to make three inner border units and one triangle-square in each colorway.

1.    Referring to Quilt Assembly Diagram, lay out blocks, inner border units, and triangle-squares in five horizontal rows, positioning the tan block in the center and matching inner border units to their blocks.

2.    Sew together pieces in each row. Press seams in one direction, alternating direction with each row. Join rows to complete quilt center. Press seams in one direction. The quilt center should be 42-1⁄2" square including seam allowances.

1.    Cut and piece multicolor stripe 6-1⁄2×42" strips to make:

• 2--6-1⁄2×54-1⁄2" outer border strips
• 2--6-1⁄2×42-1⁄2" outer border strips

2.    Sew short outer border strips to opposite 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. Quilt as desired.

2.    Bind with binding strips.