March Mini of the Month

 This month's mini is a variation on my Dreaming in Black and White quilt. The pattern for it includes five sizes...but not this one. So I will share how I made this little gem in case you want to whip one up for St. Patrick's Day. Or how cute would it be in pastels with eggs for Easter? Or red, white and blue with stars for Memorial Day? Or blue and white with sail boats for summer?  Oh I could get carried away with this simple little design. Or maybe I already have. (insert evil grin here)

See how I just snuggled three hearts together in each corner to make it look like a shamrock? I used a cookie cutter for my heart shape, but you can find hearts anywhere, if not I'm sure google has a few thousand that will pop up if you do a search.

 

The directions for this quilt are as follows:

 

Dreaming In Green Mini (22" square)

3" blocks

 

Materials needed:

fat quarter of green paisley

fat quarter of green plaid (I used the back of an old shirt)

half yard of background (I used a leftover strip of backing from a larger quilt)

24" square batting

24" square backing

90" of bias binding

 

Cutting Directions:

Cut seven 4 1/2" squares from the paisley

Cut seven 4 1/2" squares from the background

Cut three 1 1/2" strips (at least 18" long) from the plaid

Cut three 1 1/2" strips (at least 18" long) from the background

Cut two 4" x 15 1/2" strips from the background fabric for borders

Cut two 4" x 22 1/2" strips from the background fabric for borders

 

Sewing Directions:

Layer the paisley and background squares right sides together and mark on the diagonal. Sew one quarter inch away from the diagonal line on both sides. Cut on the marked line and press toward to green. Layer these two units together with opposite colors facing each other, and snug the seam together. Mark a line on the diagonal and repeat. Pinwheel press the seams on your quarter square triangles. You will need 13 of these. Since each pair creates two blocks, you will have one extra. Trim the blocks to 3 1/2" square.

 

Sew the 1 1/2" strips together lengthwise into a set of green, background, green. Sew another set into background, green, background. Cross cut these into 1 1/2" units. Sew these units together to create nine patches with the green in the corners and center. You will need a total of 12 of these. They should measure 3 1/2" square at this point.

 

Arrange the blocks according to the photo and sew them together into rows. Join the rows. Add the two shorter borders to the sides, then add the two longer borders to the top and bottom. Add any applique shapes you prefer. I used needle turn but any method will do.

 

Layer with batting and backing. Quilt as desired. To achieve the scalloped edges, I traced a wave rule that I have, but any curved object will work.

 

Enjoy every stitch!

Diane