Patchwork Times by Judy Laquidara

These fabric requirements are pretty exact.  If you’re like me, and want to add a little for fluff . . just in case the worst thing happens, add a little to these amounts.

Background (where I used white) – 3-5/8 yards
Border (where I used purple) – 2-1/2 yards (This includes all the dark purple used in the quilt.)
Accent (where I used black) – 3 yards
Four colors (where I used green, pink, aqua and lavender) – 3/4 yard each
Gold – 1/2 yard  NOTE: If you want to add gold to the pieced border, you’ll need an extra 9-1/4″ square (just one square will give you four gold sections for your border.  You will have enough of the colored fabrics that you don’t need gold unless you just want it in there.

A few more thoughts on color/fabric choices.  Remember that I pretty much only use tone on tone fabrics and that’s kinda the only way I can think.  My thoughts here are merely suggestions and for those who use other type fabrics, I’m sure you have a much better sense of how those fabrics will work on this quilt.  This is mostly for those who feel they’d like a little help choosing fabrics/colors

1. Make sure there’s no blending.  Use colors that enough different from each other that the definition of the piecing is easily seen.  The design and secondary design will be lost with blending of colors/fabrics.  Initially, I was afraid the black I used, which is a mottled, grayish black, wasn’t going to show up well against the purple I used in the border.  It’s fine but if I’d had a blacker black, I would have used it.  I also wondered if the lavender I chose would blend with the purple.  It worked out ok.  Had I been choosing fabrics at the quilt shop, I would have chosen something besides the lavender but I was choosing from the stash and am happy with the results.
2. Obvious one way designs, as well as plaids and stripes are not going to work so well with this quilt. There are many squares that are cut on the diagonal once and some twice so if using an obvious one way design, you’re going to have pieces going directions that may not “match”.
3. Because part of one block (the almost flying geese section) meets up with a plain square from the other block and you want these to look like one unit instead of a piece from one block meeting a piece from another block, think about that when choosing fabrics.  Those tone on tones are perfect! 
4. Don’t choose a background fabric that is busy as that will interfere with the design.  Anything that reads as a solid from a distance should work fine.

Questions?  Other suggestions?

If you’re comfortable selecting your own fabric, please don’t listen to me.  Most of you probably think I stink at choosing fabrics anyway!  I had already mentioned that my original plan was to use this quilt as a mystery for a retreat in October, 2010.  But then, I decided that the fabric choices are so important for achieving the desired look, that this design would not make a good mystery project.

I’m going to do something here that I will probably regret.  I’m going to tell you approximately how much fabric you need for each color so you can start digging through your stash and see where you stand.  Do not go buy fabric and do not start cutting yet! I have to finish the borders to be sure these amounts are correct.  They’re close but they’re likely not exact yet.  They shouldn’t be too much off but . . just don’t go buy this amount of fabric, ok?

This is the first one I made when I was still on the design wall.  I’ll call it Quilt #1.

Here’s the second one I made to test the pattern.  See what I do for you?    Let’s call it Quilt #2.

My recommendations for choosing fabrics:

Decide which colors you want to use for your “colored fabrics”.  Sometimes it helps me to find a pretty print . . something that I really like.  Then I use the dots on the selvage to help me choose similarly colored fabrics.  Often, I don’t even use the printed fabric in the quilt but just as a guide to choosing colors that work nicely together.  The four “colored fabrics” are the fabrics you use in the center of the quilt.  In Quilt #1, the colors I used for the colored fabrics are lavender, aqua, green and pink.  In Quilt #2, the colors I used for the colored fabrics are denim blue, goldish tan, olive green, and drab purple.

As of now, I’m going to say you’ll need about 3/4 yard of each of the four colors you want to use.

You’ll notice that the gold centers are much brighter in Quilt #1.  Of course, you do not have to use gold.  Use whatever you want but make sure it’s the right shade to go with the four colors you’re using.  Where I’ve used gold, you’ll need about 1/2 yard.  If you want to use gold in the flying geese border (I did), you’ll need an extra 9-1/4″ of fabric but really, you only need one 9-1/4″ square.

Now, decide if you want to use white, ecru, a light shade of anything for your background.  For Quilt #1, I used a bright white.  For Quilt #2, I used an ecru with an ecru vine design . . what I would call ecru on ecru.  For the background, as of now, you’re going to need about 4 yards.

What I call the “border fabric” is where I’ve used purple in Quilt #1.  What I call “accent fabric” is where I’ve used black in Quilt #1.

For Quilt #2, the accent fabric is black with a gold dot and the border fabric is a brown kinda tweedy looking fabric.  For the border fabric, as of now, I’m saying you need 2-5/8 yard and for the accent fabric, you’ll need about 3 yard.

For binding, you’re going to need probably 11 binding strips.  If you cut your binding at 2-1/2″, that means you need 27-1/2″ for binding.

That should give you something to think about!    I’ll get definite amounts for the yardage by Monday but I knew many of you were anxious to start digging through you stash.

The next Quilt for an Hour is the Morning Splash quilt.

I will make a page for Morning Splash and you will be able to access all the posts dealing with this project by going to the right sidebar, then go to Free Patterns and Projects/Quilt for an Hour Projects and all info will be under the “Morning Splash” link.

Some things you might want to know before we begin:

• If the quilt is made according to the instructions, it will be about 88″ x 105″.
• There are some 1/8″ cuts.  There are 8 hash marks on most rulers.  It isn’t difficult at all to make 1/8″ cuts but for those who don’t want to do it . . this quilt is not for you!
• This quilt is not hard but it is set on point and there are portions of blocks in the side and setting triangles.  There will be at least a couple of videos posted to get you through sections that may be a bit tricky.  I think that in the end, everyone who does this quilt will be pleasantly surprised at how easy it is.
• The pattern will stay on the blog but I will only be able to answer questions and offer guidance while we’re doing the project.
• It will still be called “Quilt for an Hour” but the instructions are written more to get all of each step done so it’s more going to be a ‘step’ quilt than a one hour at a time quilt.
• Without a lot of effort, I’m able to make the center and pieced border (but not put all borders on) within one week.  I started the second top Sunday and had all the main part of the blocks (everything except the pieced border) done by Tuesday evening.  Yes, I sew a lot without interruptions but I’m just telling you this so you know this isn’t a terribly difficult quilt.
• There are nine borders, including the pieced border, but you can leave off any you don’t want to use.
• Like we did with the Freeze Frame top, I’ll give you the cutting instructions with each step so if you have to stop mid-stream, you will not have wasted a bunch of fabric.
• The plan is to start the instructions on Monday, November 2.  Instead of giving instructions Monday through Friday, I’m going to give instructions Monday through Thursday.  That will give you Friday, Saturday and Sunday to get caught up if you need extra time.  I’m doing it this way because it is important that everyone be caught up and working along with us when we get to the setting triangles and pieced border.
• Fabric requirements will be posted by Monday, October 26. Color/fabric choices make or break this quilt so I’ll give you plenty of tips on fabric selection over the next couple of days.

So, tell your friends . . another Quilt for an Hour is about to begin!  And, this is a good one!  (if I do say so myself!)