Snowballs and Stripes

Inspired by Color Your World from designers Barb Groves and Mary Jacobson of Me and My Sister Designs

Quiltmaker: Laura Boehnke

• 1/3 yard multicolor stripe (blocks)
• 1/3 yard light green floral (block centers)
• 1/2 yard cream print (blocks)
• 1/2 yard purple tone-on-tone (blocks)
• 3/8 yard gold floral (blocks)
• 1/2 yard green tone-on-tone (inner and outer borders)
• 1-1/3 yards orange print (outer border, binding)
• 3 yards backing fabric
• 54" square batting

Finished quilt: 45-3/4" square

Finished block: 14-1/8" 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 multicolor stripe, cut:

• 4--3-3/4" squares
• 16--3" squares

From light green floral, cut:

• 4--8" squares

From cream print, cut:

• 4--3-3/4" squares
• 8--3-3/8" squares, cutting each in half diagonally for 16 small triangles total
• 16--3-3/8" squares

From purple tone-on-tone, cut:

• 8--3-3/4" squares
• 16--3-3/8" squares

From gold floral, cut:

• 8--6-1/4" squares, cutting each in half diagonally for 16 large triangles total

From green tone-on-tone, cut:

• 4--2-1/2x42" strips for inner border
• 4--2-1/2x7" rectangles for outer border

From orange print, cut:

• 5--2-1/2x42" binding strips
• 4--7x28-3/4" strips for outer border
• 4--7" squares for outer border

1. Use a pencil to mark a diagonal line on wrong side of each multicolor stripe 3" square.

2. Align a marked multicolor stripe square with a corner of a light green floral 8" square (Diagram 1; note direction of drawn line). Sew on drawn line. Trim excess, leaving 1/4" seam allowance. Press open attached triangle.

3. In same manner, add marked multicolor stripe squares to remaining corners of light green floral square to make a Snowball unit. The unit still should be 8" square including seam allowances.

4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 to make four Snowball units total.

1. Mark a diagonal line on wrong side of each multicolor stripe 3-3/4" square and each cream print 3-3/4" and 3-3/8" square.

2. Layer a marked cream print 3-3/4" square atop a purple tone-on-tone 3-3/4" square (Diagram 2). Sew together with two seams, stitching 1/4" on each side of drawn line. Cut apart on drawn line to make two triangle units. Press each triangle unit open, pressing seams away from cream print, to make two cream triangle-squares. Each triangle-square should be 3-3/8" square including seam allowances. Repeat to make eight cream triangle-squares total.

3. Using a marked multicolor stripe 3-3/4" square and a purple tone-on-tone 3- 3/4" square, repeat Step 2 to make eight stripe triangle-squares.

4. Mark a diagonal line perpendicular to seam line on wrong side of each cream triangle-square (Diagram 3).

5. Layer a marked cream triangle-square atop a stripe triangle-square, making sure a purple tone-on-tone triangle faces a multicolor stripe triangle (Diagram 3). Sew together with two seams, stitching 1/4" on each side of drawn line. Cut apart on drawn line to make two triangle units. Press each unit open, pressing seam in one direction, to make two hourglass units. Each unit should be 3" square including seam allowances.

6. Repeat Step 5 to make 16 hourglass units total.

7. Using marked cream print 3-3/8" squares and purple tone-on-tone 3-3/8" squares, repeat Step 2 to make 32 small triangle-squares. Each small triangle-square should be 3" square including seam allowances.

8. Referring to Diagram 4, sew small triangle-squares to opposite edges of an hourglass unit to make a star point unit. Repeat to make eight A Units and eight B Units.

9. Sew cream print small triangles to opposite ends of a star point unit to make a star point row (Diagram 5). Press seams away from cream print triangles. Repeat to make eight star point rows total.

10. Referring to Block Assembly Diagram, sew star point units to opposite edges of a Snowball unit. Press seams toward star point units. Add star point rows to remaining edges of Snowball unit; press seams toward Snowball unit.

11. Sew gold floral large triangles to opposite edges of Step 10 Snowball unit. Press seams toward triangles. Add gold floral large triangles to remaining edges to make a star block. Press seams toward block center. The block should be 14-5/8" square including seam allowances.

12. Repeat steps 10 and 11 to make four star blocks total.

1. Referring to Quilt Assembly Diagram, sew together blocks in pairs. Press seams in opposite directions. Join pairs to make quilt center. Press seam in one direction. The quilt center should be 28-3/4" square including seam allowances.

2. Cut and piece green tone-on-tone 2-1/2x42" strips to make:

• 2--2-1/2x45-3/4" inner border strips
• 2--2-1/2x28-3/4" inner border strips

3. Sew green tone-on-tone 2-1/2x28-3/4" inner border strips to opposite edges of quilt center. Add orange print 7x28-3/4" outer border strips to same edges. Press seams toward outer border.

4. Sew green tone-on-tone 2-1/2x45-3/4" inner border strips to remaining edges of quilt center. Press seams toward inner border.

5. Referring to Quilt Assembly Diagram, join two orange print 7" squares, two green tone-on-tone 2-1/2x7" rectangles, and an orange print 7x28-3/4" strip to make a long outer border strip. Press seams toward green tone-on-tone. Repeat to make a second long outer border strip.

6. Sew long outer border strips to green tone-on-tone inner border strips to complete quilt top. Press seams toward outer border.

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

2. Bind with orange print binding strips.