Beach Umbrella Quilt

Hello everyone! I’m Becky from Patchwork Posse. Today I am sharing the quilt pattern for a cute and beachy umbrella quilt. During the summer I find that a little bit of shade goes a long way! These umbrellas are all about giving you a place to hide away from the heat. The fun contrast in the Weeds fabric collection with red, blacks, and grays is perfect for showcasing the fun print on the umbrella. Even though there is curved piecing in this quilt, once you get the hang of it, you can quickly sew all the blocks together. The key is pinning. You will be using pins. A lot of them. If you notice one umbrella is facing the wrong way….I did this on purpose. You don’t have to do that if you don’t like. I find it fun to add something a little ‘off’ in quilts.

• 5 to 10 fat quarters in red for the umbrellas
• 5 to 10 fat quarters in gray for the block backgrounds
• ½ yard fabric for spacer blocks (I used a light gray on dark gray polka dot); cut into (12) 7″ squares
• 1½ yards of red ric rac for umbrella handles; cut into (13) 4″ pieces
• Coordinating thread for top-stitching the ric rac
• ¼ yard red fabric for 1st border; cut into (2) 2″ x 32″strips and (2) 2″ x 35″
• 4 to 5 gray fat quarters for 2nd border; cut into (60) 2″ x  9″ strips
• 1 fat quarter for cornerstones; cut into (4) 4″ squares
• {Beach Umbrella Quilt template at the end of the Printer Friendly file}

(1) Cut out the umbrella pieces using the {templates}. Make sure you pay attention to the grain line arrow on the template. This will help keep the curves on the bias which will be a lot easier to sew. I used red for the umbrella parts and the dark gray and black for the background. Notice that section D is the bottom of the block and where you will be sewing the ric rac handle. NOTE: when cutting your fabric make sure you ADD 1/4″ to each. If you don’t, your blocks will be too small.

(2) Pin the center of piece A to the center of piece B- the will be curved in different directions.

 

(3) Pin the ends of the pieces together.

 

(4) Sew across this edge, stopping every few stitches and easing the edges together. When you get to the center, leave your needle down and adjust the rest of the piece.

(5) Using this method, continue sewing pieces C and then piece D to make your block. This is what the back of the block will look like:

 
Front of the block:
 

(6) Press the block.

(7) Repeat steps (1) through (6) to make a total of 13 umbrella blocks

(8) Pin the ric rac in place and sew down the center of it using matching thread. Tuck the ends under to make it look more finished.

(9) Taking your spacing blocks and your umbrella blocks, sew 3 rows:

(10) Taking your spacing blocks and your umbrella blocks, sew 2 rows:

(11) Sew your rows together to make the quilt center.

(12) Attach the first (red) border to the top and bottom (shorter strips). Attach the longer strips to the sides.

(13) Create the gray pieced border:

• Sew (6) 2″ x 9″ strips together. Square up to 9″. 

•  Cut from corner to corner twice to make 4 triangles. 

• Sew the triangles together. Notice that the strips will be going different directions. You can choose if you want them to miter or go the same direction. The point will go past the other piece by a little bit. That is what you want to happen. In the example, I chose to keep them all going the same direction. The strips will NOT line up. Don’t go crazy trying to make that happen. 

• Sew additional triangles together until you have 4 borders with 9 triangles in each. 

• The ends will have a point and aren’t quite long enough. You will need to unpick one end of the row. 

• Sew the extra triangles to the ends of the rows to get them to the correct length and to make them square on the ends. The 4 border pieces should be 35″ long each. 

(14 )Pin the border to the quilt center and sew to the top and bottom of the quilt.

(15) Sew the 4 squares to the ends of the other 2 pieced border rows and sew these rows to the sides of the quilt.

(16) Layer, baste, quilt, and bind.

Above is a close-up of the quilting I chose. Feel free to do whatever quilting pattern you would like.

Finished Quilt Block: 7″ x 7″
Finished Quilt: 42″ x 42″

For more quilt tutorials and easy sewing projects, stop by {patchworkposse.com} or follow me on {Facebook}. You can also find me on {Pinterest}. Hope you enjoy this quilt!

Becky Jorgensen
{www.patchworkposse.com}

Stack ‘Em Up Quilt

– One Ticklish Layer Cake by Me & My Sister Designs for Moda
– 1.5 yards 22194 22 Blue from Ticklish by Me & My Sister Designs for Moda {border & binding}
– 1 yard 9900 200 Off White, Bella Solid
– 1/4 yard – 22197 23 Purple from Ticklish by Me & My Sister Designs for Moda
– 1/4 yard – 22195 22 Blue from Ticklish by Me & My Sister Designs for Moda
– 1/4 yard – 5501 15 Daisy from Noteworthy by Sweetwater for Moda
– 1/4 yard – 5508 24 Pickle from Noteworthy by Sweetwater for Moda

My schedule is pretty much like everyone else’s- super busy! I love to quilt but just can’t find the time to make really intricate quilts especially when I need then to be a little larger in size than say, a wall hanging. So, I enjoy designing quilts that I can cut and piece in a day or two at the most. Yup! I said it… and I hope you’ll give this one a try so you can see exactly what I mean.

The quilt finishes about 58″ x 71.5″ and is made up of only 2 blocks. The blocks are NOT a traditional quilt block size in that they finish at 13.5″ x 13.5″. The reason for this is I designed the blocks to use Layer Cake squares as efficiently as possible.  This is great for three reasons: 1) less cutting for you and 2) very little to no fabric waste and 3) my favorite- a good size quilt that whips up quickly!

The way I’ve created the quilt here is just one variation using the two blocks.  Once you finish your 20 blocks feel free to play around with them and re-orient them any which way you want.  It’s a lot of fun to make your own one-of-a-kind quilt so it’s always something I encourage!

Let’s get to it!

I’ll break down the cutting and piecing into each block first then all you have to do is repeat until you get 10 blocks of each Block #1 and Block #2. Simple enough.

Block #1: You will need 10 of these total. Each finishes at 13.5″ in the finished quilt.
Center square: One 10″ x 10″ layer cake square {1 per block… easy, right?}
Side strips: 2.5″ x 10″ {4 per block}
Corners: 2.5″ x 2.5″ {4 per block}

Block #2: You will need 10 of these total. Each finishes at 13.5″ in the finished quilt.
Center strip: 5″ x 14″ {1 per block}
Solid white corners: 5″ x 5″ {4 per block}
Center color squares: 5″ x 5″ {4 per block}

Now that you see how easy it is to whip this quilt up let’s get started on how to get all the pieces we need from the fabric we have.

 Step 1:  Open your Ticklish layer cake and select 10 squares you want to use as your centers for Block #1. Be spontaneous. The quilt WILL be beautiful no matter which ones you select.  Press your squares flat with your iron and set aside.

 Step 2: Gather the 1/4 yards you have of each of the four different fabrics. Cut 3 strips measuring 2.5″ x WOF (width of fabric) from each fabric.

Step 3: Turn strips the other way and cut out rectangles at the 10″ mark. So you end up with pieces that measure 2.5″ x 10″.

 {Tip: You can get 4 rectangles from each 2.5″ x WOF strip you cut.}

 Repeat until you get 10 rectangle units measuring 2.5″ x 10″ from each of your 4 fabrics. Set your 40 units aside.

Step 4: Set aside units for Block #1 because we still need our corner squares but I like to wait until after I’ve cut the pieces I need for Block #2 so I can go back and use as many scraps as I can.

Step 5:  Cut up the 1 yard of white fabric to get 40 squares measuring 5″ x 5″.
{Tip: If you cut 5″ wide strips x WOF (width of fabric) you only need to cut 5.  Then from each of those strips you can cut 8 of the squares you need … for a total of 40.}

Step 6: Pick out 5 more layer cake squares that you want to be the accent color blocks in your Block #2. Press flat with iron. {See pic at beginning of post if you don’t remember what Block #2 looks like.}

Step 7: Cut each layer cake square in four.  Taking care to end up with 4 squares that measure exactly 5″ x 5″ from each layer cake square. You will get 4 squares from each for a total of 20 squares.
{Tip: Always check your measurements.  Some layer cake squares may be a little bigger or smaller than the 10″ x 10″ size. If it’s too big trim it down. If it’s too small, no biggie. Choose another square. There are more than enough for you to make this quilt.}

Step 8: To make the long pieced center strip in Block #2 we will need to piece it.  Start off by selecting another 5 layer cake squares and slice them in half to get two rectangles measuring 5″ x 10″. 

Step 9: Set one half aside. We will cut the other half up to create our center strip unit. Take the one half reserved for cutting up and cut 2.5″ strips from it.  You should be able to get 4 rectangles each measuring 2.5″ x 5″.

Step 10: The short strips you have will now be sewn to the short ends of the longer/bigger rectangle you have set aside but you will use a different fabric. So, cut up whatever layer cake squares you like for this and mix & match them any way you want.

Step 11:  Using a 1/4″ seam allowance sew the end pieces onto the half of the layer cake square piece until you get units that look like the ones below. The finished unit should measure 5″ x 14″. Repeat to get 10 units.

Step 12: Now we can revisit what’s left of our layer cake and select the ones you want to use as your cornerstones for Block #1. You didn’t forget about those did you?! Well, you will need to cut out a total of 40 squares that measure 2.5″ x 2.5″. To do that just take a layer cake square, cut it in half and then cut that half lengthwise to get two 2.5″ x 10″ strips as shown below. Then you can cut the 2.5″ x 2.5″ squares from those strips as shown below also. You will need 4 cornerstones per Block #1 for a total of 40.
{Tip: Feel free to use 4 different cornerstones for each block or keep them the same like I did. Make this fun quilt your own. It will be marvelous no matter what you decide!}

 Now that all the prep work is done we can start piecing! Yay! For a scrappy quilt like this with a lot of different fabrics I like to assemble the design of my quilt top on a design wall of some kind.  It just makes it easier to see the blocks from a far and make any changes as you go. Nothing expensive or fancy.  I just have a piece of batting thumb tacked into my studio wall.

Step 13: Lay out your 10 squares for Block #1 in any order you want. This quilt alternates blocks so leave space between each Block #1 for a Block #2 that will go there later. Move them around until you get a design you like.

Step 14:  Start laying the side strips around the center square using one of each color for every block. Arrange them any way you want similar to the picture below. Repeat for every Block #1 on your design surface.
{Tip: Space your Block #1s further apart than I show in the picture below. I had to do some moving around after to accommodate the full size Block #2s in there.}

Step 15: Place your cornerstones in place to finish off your ten Block #1s. Again, arrange them in any manner you want. You can keep them the same color on each block or totally randomize them.

Step 16:  Look at your Block #1s and see if you want to switch anything up. Once you have it just the way you want you can start piecing your Block #1s. Using a 1/4″ seam allowance to sew the corner stones to the one long strip at the top and the other longer strip on the bottom.  Then sew the side strips to the center square as shown below. Press your seams in opposite directions (see pic below).

Step 17: Now to sew the top and bottom units we just created to the larger center unit. Use a 1/4″ seam allowance and make sure you are abutting those intersecting seams so you get nice crisp meeting points as shown below.

Step 18: Repeat the process to get 10 Block #1s. 

Step 20: Start working on Block #2! Begin by placing the different parts that make up the block in the correct orientation. You need 4 white squares, one will go on each corner. Then decide which way you want to orient your longer center strip and place it either vertically or horizontally. The spaces that are blank will be filled in with the color squares you cut from the layer cake squares back in Step 7. Sew in the same manner as Block #1. The top row, center row, bottom row and then sew them all together using the same 1/4″ seam allowance. Repeat to get 10 Block #2s.

Step 21: By now you should have 10 Block #1s and 10 Block #2s. At this point double check to make sure each one of your 20 blocks measures 14″ x 14″.  I have a 14″ ruler so this was easy. You may need to do some trimming.
{Tip: If blocks are smaller than the 14″ x 14″ find which block is the smallest of the bunch and trim them all to that size. No need to panic if they are all different sizes. Consistency is key.  Just make sure they are all the same size before you start sewing them together.}

Step 22: Once all blocks are square and the same size we can start assembling the quilt top.  I have the quilt set up like this but you can rearrange them in any way you’d like at this point. Make it your own!

Step 23: Once you have the block arrangement to your liking start connecting the blocks!  I like to split it up and piece 3 blocks at a time instead of sewing the whole row of 5 across. This helps keep the pieces more manageable as you sew and will be a lot easier to match the intersection block points on the quilt.  Once I have one large 3 block x 4 block section pieced {shown below} I go to what’s left and piece another larger 2 block x 4 block section {shown below}.  Then, I’ll sew just one long 4 block seam to join the two quilt top sections.
{Tip: There only a few intersecting points that have to be matched when you are sewing the blocks together. So keep an eye out for those when pinning and sewing.  It’s basically only where the cornerstones on Block #1s meet.}

Step 24: Your quilt top is almost done! Now we just need add a super quick and easy border to finish it up!

Step 25: For the border we are working with 1.5 yards 22194 22 Blue from Ticklish by Me & My Sister Designs for Moda. Leave the fabric just as it comes folded off the bolt and re-fold it on itself making sure it is staying on grain. This will make it easier to cut with a shorter ruler.  If you have a WOF (width of fabric) ruler you can skip this step.

Step 26: Trim off a little from the edge to start with a clean cut straight edge. Then proceed to cut eight (8) 2.5″ x WOF (width of fabric) strips. {Use the remaining fabric to cut your binding strips when you get to that point.}

 Step 27: Cut the selvages off each strip.

Step 28: Now we’ll be sewing two (2) strips together at a time until we end up with four (4) long strips, each made up of two (2) 2.5″ x WOF strips. To prepare your strips for sewing lay one strip with the pretty side of the fabric facing up vertically in front of you.  Take a second strip and lay it with the pretty side of the fabric facing down horizontally in front of you so that the corners are flush over the strip that’s underneath.  Like I’m showing in the picture below.  The set up should look like a backwards letter “L”.

Step 29: Now pin in place and draw a line with some kind of fabric marking device starting on the top right corner and down to the bottom left corner.  Then stitch directly on that line {backstitching at beginning and end just in case!} Trim your seam allowance to 1/4″ and repeat to the remaining strips remember that you should only be sewing two together at a time.  DO NOT sew all eight (8) together.  Each combined pair of strips will be one side border and you will need four (4) to add borders around the four sides of your quilt. Make sense?

 Step 30: Press all seams open on your border strips and when you turn it over you should now have one continuous strip as shown below.

Step 31: To add the borders pick one side of your quilt and lay the pretty side of the border strip to the pretty side of quilt top and pin along entire edge.  Use a 1/4″ seam allowance to sew on.  {Note: You will see below that I like to leave at least an inch of excess border strip on both edges of my quilt tops because I prefer to go back and trim them afterwards.  This will ensure a nice straight angle border.}

Step 32: Then press your seam flat first and then by opening the border strip back and pressing your seams towards the darker fabric.

Step 33: Now we can trim the edges.  Take a square or rectangular ruler and line up two of it’s edges flush with the side of your quilt and trim away any excess fabric. Repeat on opposite end of border strip.

Step 34: Now you have one border strip attached.  For the next one you always want to attach the the border to the parallel side of the one you just sewed.  In other words, if you add your first border to one long side of the quilt the second border you attach should be to the opposite long side of the quilt and NOT a short side. Like I show you below. After two parallel borders are attached proceed to add the remaining border strips to the shorter sides of the quilt top. Press after each seam and trim flush with the edge of the quilt top.

 

That’s it! Your quilt top is complete! It should measure approximately: 58″ x 71.5″. Makes a fun picnic or lap quilt for Spring/Summer.  I love quickie quilt designs like this because they make great last minute gifts!

Vanessa Wilson
{craftygemini.blogspot.com}