Retreat Quilt

Finished quilt 49" square

While on retreat with Tiny Stitches last month, one of the first things we did was to test our 1/4" seam allowance. Each quilter was given three sets of strips to sew together. We were able to diagnose problems before we started the project quilt and avoid some frustration. I like to do this on retreat or in classes because many folks don't realize their travel machine has a different quarter inch than their home machine. Tiny differences add up quickly when sewing lots of seams. I'll have this pattern available free of charge at Tiny Stitches within the next week. If you can't wait, you can print this version.

Supplies needed:

9 assorted fabrics- 1/4 yd (fat quarters will work)
Sashing Fabric- 1/2 yd
Border Fabric- 3/4 yd
Batting- 57" x 57"
Backing- 3 1/4 yds
Binding Fabric- 1/2 yd

Cutting Instructions:

9 assorted fabrics-
cut 48 strips 1 1/2" x 3 1/2" from each fabric

Sashing fabric- 
cut 6 strips 1 1/2" x 38 1/2"
cut 6 strips 1 1/2" x 12 1/2"
cut 4 strips 1 1/2" x 5 1/2"
cut 4 strips 1 1/2" x  4 1/2"

Border fabric-
Cut 4 strips 4 1/2" x 38 1/2"
Cut four square 4 1/2" x 4 1/2"

Binding fabric-
Cut 5 strips 2 " x WOF

Sewing Instructions:

Sewing the blocks-
Sew the 1 1/2" x 3 1/2" strips together lengthwise into sets of three.
Press the seams either direction.
Sew these units into four rows of four. Sew the rows together to make a 12 1/2" block.
Press and trim to 12 1/2" if needed.
Make 9 blocks.

Sewing the borders-
Sew a 1 1/2" x 38 1/2" sashing strip to a 4 1/2" x 38 1/2" border strip.
Press toward the border strip.
Make 4 borders.

Sewing the corner blocks-
Sew a 1 1/2'' x 4 1/2'' sashing strip to a 4 1/2'' border square.
Press toward the border square.
Sew a  1 1/2'' x 5 1/2'' sashing strip to the side of this unit.
Press toward the sashing strip.
Make 4 corner blocks.

Sewing the binding-
Sew the binding strips together end to end.
Press lengthwise (wrong sides together).

Assembling the quilt top:

Arrange the blocks into three rows of three. Place a 1 1/2" x 12 1/2" sashing strip between the blocks in each row.
Sew the rows (block, sashing, block, sashing, block- as shown in the photo)
Press the seams toward the sashing strips.
Place a 1 1/2" x 38 1/2'' sashing strip between the rows. Sew the rows together with a sashing strip below the first row and below the second row. Press toward the sashing strips.
Sew a border with sashing strip to the top and bottom of the quilt.
Press toward the border units.
Sew a corner block to each end of the two remaining border units. Be careful to place them so that the sashing strips will appear as they do in the photo.
Sew these borders to each side of the quilt.
Press the quilt. Layer, baste and quilt as desired.
Bind the quilt.

Thanks again to everyone who participated in the retreat, you made a fun little quilt! I enjoyed putting it together and many thanks to Cheryl for quilting it!

Enjoy every stitch!
Diane