iPad sleeve three ways

Are you an “early adopter”? One of the first to own a new Apple iPad? Be the envy of your friends not only for having the coveted device, but for having the coolest carrying case on the block. This tutorial contains three variations on the pattern to allow you to choose the one that best suits your style. These iPad sleeves use the new Moda Snuggle fabric to create an inner lining that is both soft and protective.

• 1 jelly roll. I used “Odyssea” by MoMo.
• 1 jelly roll of Bella Solids, or a cut of a coordinating solid print. Measurements for each sleeve variation are below.
• For each, a 18.5″ x 11.5″ piece of a coordinating Moda Snuggle fabric. (A 1/3 yard cut will yield 2 pieces.)
• For each, a 20″ x 12″ scrap piece of quilt batting.

• Coordinating ribbons, buttons, or other embellishments.

Version A – Simple strips:

1. Create the sleeve exterior:

• Select 4 jelly roll strips and cut each down to 20″ (x 2.5″ wide).
• Cut 4 strips of your coordinating solid 20″ x 1.5″ wide.
• Sew your strips together, alternating your prints and your solids. Start with a solid strip at the top and end with a printed strip at the bottom. Orient any directional prints accordingly. You should end up with a pieced sleeve exterior measuring approximately 20″ x 12.5″. Trim down to 20″ x 12″.
• Baste the sleeve exterior to the batting. I like to use a thin layer of spray baste for a small project such as this.
• Quilt as desired. I free-motion quilted an all-over meandering pattern. Straight-line quilting patterns, such as stitch in the ditch or outline quilting, would work nicely here too.
• Now is a good time to embellish the front of your sleeve as you’d like. Topstitching a coordinating piece of ribbon from side to side would look nice. So would a small collection of vintage buttons, or an appliqued design, monogram, or initial. Don’t be afraid to personalize your design.
• Trim your quilted piece down to 18.5″ wide x 11.5″ tall.

2. Assemble the sleeve:

• Fold your quilted exterior sleeve piece in half along the 18.5″ side with right sides together. Your folded piece should measure approximately 9.25″ wide x 11.5″ tall.
• Remember which opening is your top opening, and stitch the side and bottom openings closed with a single seam. With your fold on the left, starting at the top right stitch down the right side and across the bottom. Use a backstitch at the start and end of your seam, and pin first if you find that to be helpful. Leave the top open.
• Repeat this step with your lining piece. Remember to fold it with right sides together and leave the top open. You should now have two pouch-like pieces that are closed on three sides and open on the top.
• Turn your lining piece inside out so that the Snuggle fabric is on the outside. Place your lining inside of the exterior pouch and push in the corners until it fits snugly. Your exterior strip piece and Snuggle fabric should be facing each other on the inside of the pouch, with your batting later on the outside of the pouch. I alternated the side seams so that the seam of exterior layer was on the right side and the seam of the lining layer was on the left side.
• Line up and pin your interior and exterior layers together around the top.
• Stitch the pieces together around the opening, leaving about a 4″ hole between the start and end of your seam. Backstitch at the beginning and end of your seam.

3. Finish your iPad sleeve:

• Pull the interior and exterior portions of the sleeve through the 4″ opening that you left open at the top of the sleeve. Push out all corners, smooth out your sleeve, and press as needed.
• With a coordinating thread, topstitch (or use a decorative stitch) around the top edge of the sleeve to sew the opening closed.
• OPTIONAL: for a more finished look, select another jelly roll strip and bind the top of the sleeve as you would bind a quilt. You can also tuck the ends of two pieces of ribbon underneath opposite sides of your binding to create a nice tie for securing your iPad in the sleeve.

Version B – Pretty pleats:

1. Create the sleeve exterior:

• Select 6 printed jelly roll strips and cut each down to 20″ (x 2.5″ wide).
• Press each strip in half with wrong sides together so that each measures 20″ x 1.25″.
• Select 6 of your solid jelly roll strips (or cut 6 strips of your coordinating solid 20″ x 2.5″ wide).
• Layer a folded jelly roll strip between 2 solid strips, aligning all of the raw edges.
• Sew all layers together. Press open. You will see that the folded strip is now layered in the seam of the solid strips.
• With your pleat facing downward, line up the raw edges of another folded strip to the top raw edge and layer another solid strip on top. Sew all the layers together and press open, with the pleat facing the same was as the first one. You can see how you are now creating the exterior of the sleeve to have pretty little pleats for added texture.
• Continue piecing the strips together in this manner until you have a piece measuring approximately 20″ x 12.5″. (For the final layer, which should be a folded jelly roll strip, simply baste it to the top-most solid strip using about an 1/8″ seam.
• Baste the sleeve exterior to the batting. I like to use a thin layer of spray baste for a small project such as this.
• Quilt as desired. I quilted in straight lines by stitching in the ditch 1/4″ from each seam. This technique, or stitching in the ditch, will help your pleats to lay flat.
• Trim your quilted piece down to 18.5″ wide x 11.5″ tall.

Follow steps 2 and 3 (assembling and finishing your sleeve) above.

Version C – Dynamic diagonals:

1. Create the sleeve exterior:

• Start with your 20″ x 12″ piece of quilt batting. This will serve as a template for the exterior of your quilt sleeve.
• Using the batting as a guide, begin cutting and laying out jelly roll strips in an eye-pleasing diagonal layout, making sure the strips have some overhang on either side of the batting template. Once you have your design and your strips are cut, move them to the side.
• Beginning at the bottom left corner, place your first diagonal strip on the batting and then the second strip on top of it, right sides together. Move your piece of batting to the machine and stitch all three layers together. Press the strips open. You can now see how you will be assembling the exterior of the sleeve, strip by strip, directly to the batting.
• Once you have sewn all strips to the batting, trim the overhanging pieces from the sides. You can use your batting as your guide, keeping in intact at 20″ x 12″.
• Quilt as desired. I used a decorative stitch along each seam. Straight-line quilting (such as outline stitching or stitching in the ditch) would work nicely here, as would an all-over quilting pattern or free-motion meandering pattern.
• Now is a good time to embellish the front of your sleeve as you’d like. Topstitching a coordinating piece of ribbon from side to side would look nice. So would a small collection of vintage buttons, or an appliqued design, monogram, or initial. Don’t be afraid to personalize your design.
• Trim your quilted piece down to 18.5″ wide x 11.5″ tall.

Follow steps 2 and 3 (assembling and finishing your sleeve) above.

• A stylish new sleeve to protect your iPad and carry it in style!

Feel free to “hack” this tutorial to (as Randy Jackson would say) “make it your own, dawg”. Want to add straps, flaps, snaps, or other fasteners? I’d love to see it! Be sure to post your finished iPad sleeves in the Moda Bake Shop Flickr group.

John Adams
Quilt Dad

Cushion Couture

You know what they say about great minds, right?  So I guess we shouldn’t have been surprised when we found out that we were both planning pillow tutorials for the Moda Bake Shop … using the same fabric line!  We decided to join forces and create one mega tutorial.  The Jaybirdquilts / Quilt Dad collaboration was born, and we were able to inspire one another to put forth the best collection of pillow patterns possible.  Think of it like chocolate & peanut butter… great alone… but even better together!!

So today we have tutorials for you for pillows.  Lots and lots (and lots) of pillows.  Why?  Because we LOVE pillows!  They’re relatively quick and easy to make, they let you integrate your favorite quilting fabrics into your home decor, they’re functional and, let’s face it, they’re FUN!  And what could be more fun that pillows made from the awesome debut line of fabric for the design team at Sweetwater, Authentic?

The best part is that these tutorials are for pillow covers — slipcovers, if you will.  They’re easy to change out with your decor, so imagine sets of these covers in your favorite seasonal or holiday fabrics… or even just a new set for any reason!

The other great thing is just how versatile these tutorials are.  You can make multiple versions from the same tutorial…. & with different fabric selections and placement each can look totally different!  We encourage you to mix & match.  Most of all, have fun.  We’d love to see your finished pillows.  Don’t forget to post them to the Moda Bake Shop Flickr pool!

here are all 6 pillows.

we numbered them to make your life a bit easier!

Pillows # 1 & 2
Layer Cake
Jelly Roll
Dessert Roll
Muslin for backings – Yardage will depend on the width of the muslin you use.  For each pillow, you will need two cuts measuring 27.5″ x 32″.  For this project I used a premium muslin in a creamy color.

Pillows # 3-6

Layer Cake

Assorted Authentic yardage for backings – Yardage will depend on what fabric you choose.
-For the largest pillow, you will need two cuts measuring 27.5″ x 32″.  I used one yard of cream authentic canvas for this. {The canvas is 58″ wide}
-For the 18″ pillow, you will need two cuts measuring 22″ x 18.5″.  I used 2/3 a yard of a black print from authentic for this.

-For the 16″ pillow, you will need two cuts measuring 20″ x 16.5″.  I used 1/2 a yard of a black print from authentic for this.

-For the 14″ pillow, you will need two cuts measuring 18″ x 14.5″.  I used 1/2 a yard of  a cream print from authentic for this.

Pillows 1 & 2

The two pillows I created are each a whopping 27″ square. I was shopping for pillow forms (for another project) when I came across these huge 27″ pillows. I immediately knew I wanted to make something large. My inspiration came from my children, who love to lounge around on the floor while watching TV, and the idea for these “playroom pillows” was born. I knew right away that Authentic by Sweetwater was the perfect fabric fit for this project.

I think these pillows would be great for anything from a nursery to a kids’ room to a teen hangout to a college dorm.  Oh yeah, and it should go without saying that they’d be great for grown-up decor, too!  Customize them with the fabrics that fit your needs best. I’d love to see what you make!

John – Quilt Dad

PILLOW #1 – Modern Medallion Pillow

Finished pillow size: 27″ square

The first design is my modern take on a more traditional medallion-style quilt. I love the idea of building a pattern from the center, border by border and bit by bit. I updated the design a bit to include some of my favorite “building blocks” and give it a fresh look. While each component is fairly simple, the overall effect of the finished pillow looks complex.

1. Center square

To begin, select two jelly roll strips: one of a featured print and one of a background print. The background print should also be one that is included in the dessert roll. Pull out the dessert roll strip that matches the background print jelly roll strip.

You should now have 2 jelly roll strips and a dessert roll strip.

From the feature print jelly roll strip, cut two 2″ squares and a 2″ x 5″ rectangle.

From the background print jelly roll strip, cut four 2″ squares.

Arrange as follows:

Sew each row together, and then sew the three rows together into a square block.

From the dessert roll strip, cut two 4.5″ squares. Then cut each square in half on the diagonal, resulting in four triangles.

Arrange the four triangles as follows, and then sew the triangles to the block. I sew the triangles to two opposing sides first and press before attaching the other two.

When all four triangles are attached, square the center block up to 6.5″.

2. First border

Select three jelly roll strips. From each, cut three rectangles 2.5″ x 3.5″ each. You should have 12 total rectangles — four of each print.

Arrange the rectangles as follows:

Sew each set of three rectangles together and press, but do not attach them to the center block yet.

Select two more jelly roll strips. From each, cut 18 1.5″ squares.

Arrange the 1.5″ squares into four nine-patch blocks. Sew the nine-patch blocks together.

You now have all of your components to assemble your first border: a top row containing two of the nine-patch blocks on its ends; a middle row with your center block in the middle position; and a bottom row that mirrors the top. Sew each row together, and then sew the rows together. Your pillow top should now measure 12.5″ square.

3. Second border

Your second border will be fairly simple. Select two jelly roll strips of the same print. From each, cut a 2.5″ x 12.5″ strip and a 2.5″ x 16.5″ strip, for a total of four pieces.

Attach the 12.5″ strips to the top and bottom of your pillow cover and press. Then attach the 16.5″ strips to the left and right sides of your pillow cover and press.

Your pillow cover should now measure 16.5″ square.

4. Third border – Flying Geese

The third border is comprised of 40 flying geese units. Each flying geese unit measures 2.5″ x 4.5″.

Cut 40 2.5″ x 4.5″ rectangles from a variety of prints from your jelly roll. These will be the prints that will be featured in your flying geese, so keep that in mind when selecting your prints. From the Authentic line, I selected the jelly roll strips featuring words, newsprint, and numbers.

Cut 80 2.5″ squares from a variety of prints from your jelly roll. I restricted mine to three different prints and, unlike the rectangles we just cut, these are meant to be the background against which your featured prints can pop. I selected subtle & small prints in the soft green hues.

Assemble your 40 flying geese units. I use a method similar to the one described here.

Arrange the flying geese around your pillow cover as seen in the photo of the pillow. Sew the 8 flying geese units that border the top of the pillow together, press, and attach to the top edge of the pillow. Repeat for the 8 flying geese units that border the bottom of the pillow.

Sew the 12 flying geese units that border the left side of the pillow together, press, and attach to the left edge of the pillow. Repeat for the 12 flying geese units that border the right side of the pillow.

5. Fourth (and final) border

Your final border will be another fairly simple one. From a variety of your leftover jelly roll strip scraps, cut a total of 26 2.5″ x 4.5″ rectangles. Sew six of them together on the short ends, creating a long 2.5″ x 24.5″ strip. Attach it to the top edge of the pillow. Repeat with another six rectangles and attach to the bottom edge of the pillow.

Repeat with another seven rectangles and attach to the left edge of the pillow. Do it one more time with the final seven rectangles and attach it to the right edge of the pillow.

Your pillow cover now measures 28.5″ square. Trim it down to 27.5″ square.

6. Quilt the pillow top

I prefer for my pillow covers to be quilted. To do this, I cut a piece of batting 27.5″ square and spray basted my pillow cover to the batting. I then free-motion quilted the entire pillow cover with an all-over meandering pattern in a coordinated thread color. You do not need a backing layer for this quilted piece — it’s just fine with the batting exposed on the back.

7. Create the envelope back

Create an envelope back for your pillow using two pieces of backing fabric measuring 27.5″ x 32″ each. Fold each piece in half so that it measures 27.5″ x 16″ and press the fold. On the backing piece that will show the exposed fold, machine attach a binding strip made from a jelly roll strip that is 27.5″ in length.

8. Assemble the pillow

Layer the pieces with the pillow top face up first, then the backing piece with the binding next (aligning the raw edges to the top, left, and right edges of the pillow), and finally the other backing piece (aligning the raw edges to the bottom, left, and right edges of the pillow).

Pin around all four sides and sew all layers together with a 1/4″ seam. I like to go around the pillow twice for added reinforcement.

Turn the pillow inside out through the envelope backing and insert your pillow form.

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PILLOW #2 – Offset Stars Pillow

Finished pillow size: 27″ square

This next pillow combines two of my favorite blocks: the half-square triangle and the wonky (or liberated, or maverick) star. I love the seemingly random appearance of the two stars, slightly offset, against the backdrop of classic triangles. By chain-piecing and employing liberated block-making techniques, this pillow cover came together quickly.

1. Make your HST’s.

To start select three dessert roll strips that will serve as the background for your pillow. As the background, these prints should be light & subtle. From the Authentic line, I selected three of the beige prints.

From each dessert roll strip, cut 11 3 7/8″ squares. You should have a total of 33 3 7/8″ squares. (Note: you only need 32, so one of these squares will be leftover when you assemble your HST’s.)

Select 8 layer cake squares. Unlike the dessert roll strips, these will serve as the featured fabrics of the pillow. They should contrast nicely with the background squares that you just cut.

From each layer cake square, cut four 3 7/8″ squares. You will have a total of 32 3 7/8″ squares.

Here’s a look at what you should have cut by now:

Using 32 of your background squares and 32 of your focus fabric squares, make 64 HST units. I use this tutorial. Your HST’s should finish at 3.5″ each.

2. Make your star units

From your layer cake & dessert roll, select two groupings of three prints to create your star units. Each grouping should contain a center print and a coordinating print for the star points (from the layer cake), and a contrasting / neutral print for the background (from the dessert roll).

Here is what you will need for each (quantities are per star):

• for the star center: one 3.5″ square
• for the star points: four 3.5″ squares, cut in half on the diagonal
• for the background: eight 3.5″ squares

Assemble your wonky star units. I use the technique outlined in the tutorial found here (but with the measurements I specified above).

3. Lay out the units and assemble

Lay out the entire pillow top in an eye-pleasing way. Arrange all of the HST’s with the feature fabric and the background fabric aligned in the same direction. If you think about the layout as a grid, the star units will take the place of nine HST units in your design. You can see where I placed my offset stars in my design, but I encourage you to lay it out in a way that feels right to you.

Sew the pillow top together row by row. The pillow top should finish at 27.5″ square.

See above for instructions on quilting and backing your pillow cover.

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I think of pillows as if they are mini quilts… they really do offer us the ability to experiment and push ourself to try something new.  At the same time… they don’t have to be complicated… or take a lot of fabric!  Simplicity was the inspiration for my pillows…. I like to change decor often… and having bold graphic pillows… really helps to do that!  I have lots of green in my house… so authentic was the perfect fabric choice!  I hope you enjoy these simple… yet bold tutorials… and that they inspire you to make some pillows!

julie – jaybirdquilts

PILLOW #3 – giant disappearing nine patch

{ just a giant version of this block }

Finished pillow size: 27″ square

1. Pick 9 layer cake squares and sew them into a 9 patch

2. Fold your nine patch in half and then in half again and use a large ruler to trim it down to 28″ square

3. Then open it up & slice down the middle in both directions

4. Rearrange your blocks like this… and sew them back together!

5. Quilt the 27.5″ panel & follow john’s instructions to make the back!  I did an all over loopy pattern for the quilting on this pillow.  Insert 27″ pillow form & you are done!

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PILLOW #4 – half square triangles

Finished pillow size: 18″ square

1. Pick 4 layer cake squares – two dark & two light

2. Draw a diagonal line down the middle of the back of the light two

3. Sew a scant 1/4″ seam on either side.

4. Then cut on the line & press towards the dark.

5. Trim the 1/2 square triangle units to 9.5″

6. Sew the 4 together as shown.

7. Quilt the 18.5″ panel & follow john’s instructions to make the back!  {The two pieces should each be cut at 22″ x 18.5″  Fold in half to be 11″ x 18.5″}  I did straight line quilting on this pillow to echo the bold triangles.  Insert 18″ pillow form!

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PILLOW #3 – half square triangles

Finished pillow size: 18″ square 

#5 – rail fence

1. Select 4 layer cake squares

2. Cut the layer cake into 4 pieces 2.5″ wide

3. Repeat for the other 3 layer cake pieces

4. Sew them into a rail fence block

5. Repeat to make 3 more.

6. Trim them to 8.5″ square

7. Lay them out as shown above and sew together

8. Quilt the 16.5″ panel & follow john’s instructions to make the back!  {The two pieces should each be cut at 20″ x 16.5″  Fold in half to be 10″ x 16.5″}  I did straight line quilting 1/4″ in from each “rail” on this pillow.  Insert 16″ pillow form!

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PILLOW #5 – square in a square

Finished pillow size: 16″ square

1. Pick 3 layer cake squares.  I picked a color for the outside that had 2 of the same print in the layer cake… if your layer cake doesn’t have any duplicates just pick 2 prints that look similar.

2. Cut both of the light layer cake squares in half on the diagonal

3. Take two of the triangles and pin them to the dark layer cake square as shown above

4. Sew 1/4″ seams and press to the dark

5. Trim excess fabric off

6. Repeat with the other two triangles and pin them as shown above

7. Sew 1/4″ seams and press to the dark

8. Trim to 14.5″ square

9. Quilt the 14.5″ panel & follow john’s instructions to make the back!  {The two pieces should each be cut at 18″ x 14.5″  Fold in half to be 9″ x 14.5″}  I quilted lots of straight lines on the outside triangles… and also quilted squares inside of squares on the black portion.  Insert 14″ pillow form!

6 amazing pillows!!

We hope you enjoy our ideas… and that we have inspired you to make some pillows!

john @ quilt dad

julie @ jaybirdquilts

"Off the Grid" Sliced Nine Patch Quilt

I’m so excited to be back for my second Moda Bake Shop tutorial! This time I’ll share a quick and easy quilt pattern featuring my variation on the classic 9-patch block. Finishing out at approximately 50″ square, this quilt would make a great lap quilt, baby quilt, or dorm room quilt to send off to your favorite college student. If you’re inspired, maybe you can even whip one up this week for your Valentine!

• 2 charm packs (Note: you will need a total of 81 charm squares. My two charm packs of MoMo’s “Wonderland” line only yielded 80 squares, so I cut my final square from my backing fabric.)
• 1 honey bun of the same line
• 3 yards of a coordinating backing fabric
• 1 yard of a coordinating binding fabric

Step 1:

Separate out your charm squares into nine groups of 9. You will be sewing these bundles into 9-patch blocks, so be cognizant of your mixture of color & pattern in each group.

NOTE: all of the squares will be cut down further in later steps except for the center square of each 9-patch. So if you have a large print that you want to feature, or an image that lends itself to fussy-cut squares, it would be good to include one in each of the bundles.

Step 2:
Sew your first group of 9 squares into a 9-patch block. Remember, the center square is the only one that will not be cut down further, so be aware of your placement of squares. Press your seams accordingly.

Step 3:
Select one of your 9-patch blocks. See how the block features 2 vertical and 2 horizontal seams? Using your cutting mat and straight-edged ruler, make a straight, vertical cut that measures 2.25″ to the right of the right-hand vertical seam. (I lined the seam up against a vertical inch mark on my mat, and used the mat guides to measure 2.25″ inches over.) This will slice through the squares in the third column of the block.

See my picture to help visualize this step:

Step 4:
Perform the same step, but this time measure 2.25″ to the left of the left-hand vertical seam. This will leave you with 3 separate pieces of the block.

Step 5:
Select 4 honey bun strips. Be sure to select strips of colors and/or patterns that might not already appear in that 9-patch block. From each of the 4 strips, cut a 7.25″ piece and an 8″ piece. You should now have four 7.25″ pieces (each of a different print), and four corresponding 8″ pieces. Put the four 8″ pieces aside for now.

Step 6:

Arrange the four 7.25″ pieces into two “columns” of 2, in between the three pieces of the original block like so:

Sew the column pieces together:

Step 7:
Reassemble the block, with your newly created columns inserted where you had previously made the slices. Sew the 5 pieces back together.

Step 8:
Rotate your reassembled block 90 degrees. Once again, identify your two vertical seams. Repeat steps 3 & 4, making two more slices in your block.

Step 9:
Pull out the four 8″ pieces that you had put aside in step 5. Arrange them to match up with the pieces you have already sewn into the block. Each of the four prints should connect, making a cross-like pattern. See the picture to help clarify:

Step 10:
Sew these new column pieces together, and reassemble the block again. Your finished block should now look like this:

Step 11:
Repeat steps 2-10 for the remaining nine sets of charm squares, making a total of 9 “split nine-patch” blocks.

Step 12:

Now that we’ve made the 9 blocks for the quilt, the remainder of the tutorial will step through sashing the blocks.

Take an inventory of your remaining honey bun strips. (I don’t know about you, but at this point I had a huge pile of cut-up strips. It’s a good time to make sure you have what you need for the remaining steps.)

1. First, find 8 honey bun strips that have at least 16.75″ in length each. (If longer than 16.75″, trim down to size.) These can be prints that you haven’t used in your quilt yet (preferred), or leftover strips from making your blocks. Put these aside for now.
2. Pull out 8 more honey bun strips of at least 16″ in length each. These can be prints that you haven’t used in your quilt yet, or leftover strips from your blocks. Cut two 8″ pieces from each of these strips, yielding 16 total 8″ pieces (2 of each print).
3. Find another 8 honey bun strips that have at least 9″ in length each. These can also be prints that you haven’t used in your quilt yet, or leftover strips from making your blocks.
4. Finally, find or cut 8 more 8″ strips. These can be from any prints that you’ve used already in the quilt, or from any unused honey bun strips that you still have.

Let’s recap this step. You should now have:

• 8 “A” strips, 8″ in length each (8 different prints)

• 16 “B” strips, 8″ in length each (8 different prints, two of each print)
• 8 “C” strips, 16.75″ in length each (8 different prints)
• 8 “D” strips, 9″ in length each (8 different prints)

Step 13:

Lay out your nine blocks in an eye-pleasing 3 x 3 grid. Pull out your 8″ “A” & “B” strips. Working in vertical columns, pick two pieces to serve as sashing in between each block, as well as above the top block and below the bottom block.

In your first column, select four “A” strips and four “B” strips. (Remember, your “B” strips are the ones that each has a matching partner.) Your four “B” strips should occupy the right position of each sashing, closest to the center of the quilt:

Sew all of the sashing pieces together, and then assemble the entire first column:

Step 14:
In your middle column, select eight “B” strips. Lay them out to create sashing above, below, and in between the blocks. The first four should be the matches to what you’ve already used in the first column. These will occupy the left position of each sashing, matching each up with its partner in the first column.

Sew all of the sashing pieces together, and then assemble the entire middle column.

DO NOT sew the columns together yet.

Step 15:
In your third column, take your remaining four “A” strips and four “B” strips. Again, lay them out to create sashing in between the blocks. Your four “B” strips should occupy the left position of each sashing, matching each up with its partner in the middle column.

Sew all of the sashing pieces together, and then assemble the entire third column.

Step 16:
We will now be creating vertical sashing in between the columns using our “C” and “D” strips.

Create four vertical sashes, each comprised of a D+C+C+D strip (in that order). In other words, you will start with a 9″ strip, attach a 16.75″ strip, attach another 16.75″ strip, and finish with a 9″ strip. These will all be sewn together on their 1.5″ sides, creating a long, skinny continuous sashing strip.

We’re not worried about matching any prints up here, so just arrange them in an eye-pleasing layout.

Step 17:

Lay your quilt out, from left to right, in the following order:

1. Skinny vertical sashing strip
2. Vertical column 1
3. Skinny vertical sashing strip
4. Vertical column 2
5. Skinny vertical sashing strip
6. Vertical column 3
7. Skinny vertical sashing strip

Sew all components together in this order.

Step 18:

Baste, quilt, and bind your quilt.

A brand new quilt!

NOTE: you will have leftover honey bun strips for some other fun Moda Bake Shop projects!

If you have any questions, please let me know in the comments below. And if you decide to make your own “Off the Grid” quilt, I would absolutely love to see it! Visit me at my blog, http://www.quiltdad.com/.

Turning Corners Table Runner

I am so excited to be one of the Moda Bake Shop’s latest designers! I’m John and I blog at http://www.quiltdad.com/. This is my first project for the Bake Shop, but hopefully not my last!

This tutorial is for a very versatile table runner pattern. I don’t know about you, but I like my table runners to be l-o-n-g. (I just think they’re more dramatic that way.) This pattern will yield a table runner that’s approximately 6 feet long! The great thing about this pattern, however, is that you can split the blocks into two shorter table runners, or a 36″ square table topper. Any format you choose is sure to be a stunner!

OK, so let’s get started …

• 1 Moda Honey Bun — I used Deb Strain’s “Fresh” (note: you will need 36 honey bun strips, so be sure your honey bun has at least that many)
• 1.25 yards of a backing fabric
• 0.5 yards of a binding fabric

Step 1:
Separate your honey bun strips into four sets of 9 strips apiece. Because they followed the colors of the rainbow, the fabrics I selected separated nicely into red/orange/yellow strips, and blue/green strips. You might also group the strips by lights and darks, by colorways, or by tone. They key is to look for similar tones within each strip set, but contrast between them.

Step 2:
Sew your strip sets together. Press seams (I press mine to one side). You should have four strip sets of 9 strips apiece, and the strip set should measure approximately 9.5″ wide.

Step 3:
From each strip set, cut four blocks measuring 9.5″. Square up your blocks to 9.5″ square each. You should have 16 total blocks. Separate them out into two piles, each containing 8 blocks. Here is where you will separate the blocks by contrasting colors, tones, colorways, etc.

Step 4:
Line up all of the blocks so that the strips are running horizontally, from right to left. From the first pile of 8 blocks, cut each along the 45 degree diagonal line from the block’s bottom left corner to the top right corner.

From the second pile of 8 blocks, and this is important, cut each on the diagonal from the top left to the bottom right of the block. Don’t cut all 16 blocks the same way — 8 have to be cut on one diagonal, and the other 8 have to be cut the opposite way.

See the picture for a visual explanation:

When you swap half of one block with half of the other, the strips from each should line up to form a 90 degree angle, like so:

And now you know why I named this the “Turning Corners” table runner!

Step 5:
Sew the blocks back together. Each new block should contain half from your first pile, and half from your second pile. Be sure to line up seams so that the strips match up when they “turn the corner” — pin them if that is your preferred method.

Square up your blocks again. They should square up to about 9″. If yours are a little smaller or a little larger, that’s OK … as long as you square them all up to be the same size.

Step 6:
Now for the fun part. Audition different layouts for your blocks. The contrast you created will let you create stripes …

… or diamonds …

… or pinwheels. I decided on pinwheels.

Step 7:
Sew all of your blocks together. For the full table runner, lay them out 2 blocks wide by 8 blocks long. To make two shorter table runners, lay each out in a 2 x 4 block format. For a square table topper, lay the blocks out in a 4 x 4 grid.

Step 8:
Baste, quilt, and bind as desired. I free-motion quilted mine with a meandering stipple pattern.

A beautiful new addition to your decor, or a perfect hostess or holiday gift!

I hope you enjoy this tutorial. If you make one, I’d love to see it! And be sure to add it to the MBS Flickr pool.