Road Fifteen Sixteen Patch Quilt

My name is Erica and I blog over at Kitchen Table Quilting and I am so excited to share this quilt with you.  Road 15 is such an inspiring collection and this was such a fun and quick quilt to put together.  I hope you enjoy the tutorial!

2 Road 15 jelly rolls
2/3 yard Road 15 print for binding
2.5 yards Moda Bella in Gray
5 yards Road 15 print for the backing fabric

1.  Take 72 strips from your jelly rolls and put them into pairs.  You want each pair to have one lighter strip and one darker strip so that there is good contrast between them.

2.  Cut each jelly roll strip in half at the fold. 

3.  Take one half from each jelly roll strip and piece them together along the long edge.  I didn’t pin my strips, but it is important to try piece these as accurately as possible.

 4.  Piece the pairs together along the long sides so that thee colors alternate; here I have blue – black – blue- black.  This should create one piece that is 8.5″ by roughly 22″.  There is a little leeway in the second measurement so if yours is a little shorter that is okay.

5.  Trim one edge. Line up your ruler with the lines on your fabric to make sure that you are cutting perpendicular to the pieces that you have just sewn.

6.  Start cutting 2.5″ strips from the trimmed edge.  This is where you will be glad that you pieced accurately in the previous steps.  If you didn’t sew them perfectly straight, you might need to occasionally re-square the edge of the fabric.  I know that I did.

7.  You should now have 8 pieces that are 2.5″x8.5″.

8.  Flip over every other strip.

9.  Sew them into pairs.

10.  And then pairs again so that you create 2 blocks that are 8.5″ square.

11,  Cut your sashing fabric into 12 strips that are 2.5″xWOF.
12.  Subcut these strips into pieces that are 2.5″x8.5″.  You should be able to get five 8.5″ pieces from each WOF strip.
13.  Sew a one 8.5″x2.5″ strip between each set of blocks and continue joining the blocks until you have diagonal columns.  There should be a single block in the top left corner, then 3 blocks, 5 blocks, 7 blocks, 9 blocks, 11 blocks, 11 blocks, 9 blocks, 7 blocks, 5 blocks, 3 blocks, until you get back to just 1 block in the bottom right corner.

14.  Cut twenty-three 2.5″xWOF pieces for the sashing that is going the opposite diagonal direction.  Cut off the selvage if you haven’t already and sew these strips together along the short side so that you have strips measuring:

• 2 strips 20″ long
• 2 strips 35″ long
• 2 strips 55″ long
• 2 strips 75″ long
• 2 strips 95″ long
• 1 strip 115″ long

15.  Since we are going to trim the blocks along the outer edge, these strips don’t need to reach from edge to edge on the quilt.  Just try your best to center them over each diagonal row and piece together.  The measurements give you more than 5″ extra so you have a little wiggle room.
16.  Once you have added the sashing, piece together the diagonal rows.
17.  Trim the edges to make the quilt square.
18.  Baste, quilt, and bind as desired.

An almost-twin sized quilt that is about 72″x85″. 

I think he likes it, what do you think? 

Erica Jackman
{kitchentablequilting.blogspot.com}

The Valencia Street Bike Basket

Hi! It’s me, Palak– owner of Make It Handmade and a very proud mom. My biggest little one just ‘graduated’ from his tricycle to a 2 wheeler with training wheels. So far, his bike rides have been limited to riding from the backyard to the front yard; but I know this is just a sign of more independence to come.

To send him on his way in style; I decided to make him (and his sister) bike baskets to take with them where ever they go.

These bike baskets are made with just 2 fat quarters and a bit of interfacing or batting and are deep enough to accommodate all the summer essentials– a teddy bear, a princess cup, and those pebbles that were too shiny to leave at the park.

  The very best part? At the end of the summer; you can toss them in the wash, and they’ll look brand new for the first day of school. 

And even though Valencia Street Bike Basket was designed for the preschool set, it’s large enough that you can ‘borrow’ it for your own adult bike.
 

2 Fat quarters (I chose prints from Road 15 by Sweetwater)
4 12 inch lengths of ribbon
18″ x 22″ piece of quilt batting, or sturdy fusible or sew in interfacing

These bike baskets come together very quickly! I was able to finish the red and black bike basket (my second one) in about half an hour; from cutting to loading it up with stuffed animals.  When deciding whether to make a velcro or ribbon closure, consider the the bike– ribbon closures will work on any bike or trike.  To use the velcro closure you must have a bike with a bar between the handle bars.

Let’s get started! 

If you are using fusible fleece or interfacing fuse the lining and interfacing together before starting. If you are using quilt batting or a sew in interfacing, pin the batting/interfacing to the wrong side of the lining, and treat them as one piece of fabric from this point on. I used a heavy canvas lining which you will see in the pictures.

Trim the two fat quarters to get rid of the selvage and ensure they are the same size. Fat quarter sizes vary slightly from brand to brand; but this tutorial will work as long as your pieces are the same size. 

Fold your outer fabric fat quarter into fourths. Cut a 6 inch square from the corner without any folds. Do this for the lining as well. Set those squares aside- we might be using them later!

When you unfold the fat quarters, you should see something like a chubby plus sign. The middle is the base of the basket, while the ‘arms’ of the plus sign are the sides.  

 Using the outer fabric, fold the corners together as shown and sew with a 3/8 seam allowance. In the picture below, I’m sewing the bottom left corner.

 To insert the ribbon ties, pin the 12 inch strips of ribbon 1 inch from the top of seam before sewing the last two corners together. Do this on opposite corners of one of the long sides.

 Do this for the same thing (without the ribbons) for the lining. When you are finished you should have two ‘baskets’– one much floppier than the other.

Press the outer fabric seam allowances toward the short sides of the basket; and press the lining seams towards the long sides of the basket.

 With right sides touching, place the outer basket in the lining basket.

 Pin all the way around, making sure to nest the seams as you go. Sew all around using a 3/8 seam allowance leaving a small opening for turning.

Turn your project through that small opening and press! Top stitch a 1/4 inch from the top of the basket making sure to close the opening you left for turning.

 You are finished and ready to ride!

Velcro Closure

I knew my son wouldn’t appreciate those oh-so-girly ribbon ties; so his basket has a velcro closure. The velcro closure will only work on bikes with a bar between the handle bars.  To add velcro, first make up a basket just as before; leaving out the ribbon.

 Take 2 of the 6 inch squares set aside earlier and place them right sides together (layer the batting on the outiside. Stitch around all sides of the square leaving a small hole for turning. Turn the square out and press well.

 Sew the velcro to the square as shown.

Position and pin the velcro patch so it is centered horizontally and overhangs the basket on top by about an inch.  Attach the square to the basket with two lines of stitching– one  across the middle of the square and one above the bottom piece of velcro.

Although you will see the stitching on the inside of the basket, stitching through the outer fabric, lining and interfacing will give the velcro band more strength.

Tips and Tricks:

• If you can’t find matching ribbon for the ribbon ties; you can use a leftover square to piece together 4 12 inch ‘ribbons’. 
• For the velcro strap, if you have access to the bike, consider making the strap the exact length of the bar. This will make the strap even sturdier and the basket better able to handle heavy loads.
• Consider using one of your scrap squares to applique a name or initial to personalize the basket for your little one.

One stylish bike basket– so your preschooler can take a little bit of home where ever he may roam.

Palak Shah
{www.makeithandmade.com}