Horsefly Quilt Pattern Release

September 20, 2013

I am very excited to bring you another quilt pattern to enjoy! This is Horsefly. Horsefly originally appeared in the Spring issue of Modern Quilts Unlimited. It began with the idea to make the classic Shoo-fly block into it's own oversized whole-quilt block.

Horsefly is the Shoo-fly quilt block on steroids, with the whole quilt finishing around 75" x 75". In my house, quilts need to be big - either to set a bed, host a picnic, or cover all the kiddos during movies and popcorn. Horsefly fits the bill.

To make this quilt feel playful, I used Patty Young's Textured Basics line. I think this quilt would look fantastic in many of the colorful palettes out right now. I can envision it in some Denyse Schmidt, Alison Glass and Bonnie & Camille prints. Just lovely!

Gotta love a stripey binding...

This quilt is easy to put together.... the pattern is based around off-centered 4-patch and 9-patch blocks that make up the mosaics of color. It makes a nice large sized confident beginner's quilt. Most of the blocks are strip pieced, which makes putting all those mosaics together a snap.

Horsefly Quilt Pattern Highlights:

Includes all cutting and piecing instructions and diagrams to make the quilt
Finished size 74 1/2" x 74 1/2"
Unfinished block size 7 1/2"
Easy strip piecing technique to create 4- and 9-patch blocks
Requires 1/4, 3/8, and 1/2 yards of various prints

Horsefly Quilt Pattern (PDF) is now available in my shop.

Enjoy! If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask! {annemarie@genxquilters.com}

Free Printable Half-Square Triangle Reference Sheet

September 13, 2013

Sometimes I look up the same information.... over and over and over....

like if I want my HSTs to be this big, I should cut my squares this size?

And then finally, I have a light bulb.

Here is a reference sheet I made for myself to remember those math calcs for making Half-Square Triangles. It's based off the Infamous HST tutorial from Sisters' Ten.

Here you go...

enjoy!

FREE Printable PDF Half-Square Triangle Reference

Sisters' Ten Modern BOM September Block: Sister's Choice

September 6, 2013

Oh my gosh - it's September already. That means we are in the home stretch of the Sisters' Ten Modern Block of the Month Club. September brings us block 9 of 10, Sister's Choice. I adore this block. It is so simple in it's construction, yet playing with 5 different fabrics can yield such a lovely design visually. Have fun with this one! I'm looking forward to seeing your color combos.

Cutting Instructions.

For 12" blocks.

Cut (4) 3" x 3" squares of Fabric A (background).
Cut (4) 3 5/8" x 3 5/8" squares of Fabric A (background). (for HSTs)
Cut (4) 3" x 3" squares of Fabric B.
Cut (4) 3" x 3" squares of Fabric C.
Cut (4) 3" x 3" squares of Fabric D.
Cut (1) 3" x 3" squares of Fabric E (center).
Cut (4) 3 5/8" x 3 5/8" squares of Fabric E (for HSTs).

For 9" blocks.

Cut (4) 2 3/8" x 2 3/8" squares of Fabric A (background).
Cut (4) 3" x 3" squares of Fabric A (background). (for HSTs)
Cut (4) 2 3/8" x 2 3/8" squares of Fabric B.
Cut (4) 2 3/8" x 2 3/8" squares of Fabric C.
Cut (4) 2 3/8" x 2 3/8" squares of Fabric D.
Cut (1) 2 3/8" x 2 3/8" squares of Fabric E (center).
Cut (4) 3" x 3" squares of Fabric E (for HSTs).

Piecing Instructions.

*DO NOT use a scant 1/4" on all seam allowances for this September block. This block is comprised of a 5 x 5 design, which does not divide nicely for 9" and 12" blocks. Cuts are *slightly* oversized to compensate. If you sew with a standard 1/4" (and NOT the scant), your blocks will come out just fine.

1. Make 8 Half-Square Triangle (HST) units pairing 4 Fabric A squares with 4 Fabric E squares.

Use (1) Fabric A square and (1) Fabric E square to make (2) total Half-Square Triangle units using the method in this tutorial. Repeat the process for the remaining 3 sets of Fabric A and E squares. Make 8 HST blocks total. The HSTs should be trimmed down to:

12" blocks: 3" (unfinished size).

9" blocks: 2 3/8" (unfinished size).

2. Layout the Half-Square Triangle Units, remaining Fabric A, Fabric B, Fabric C, Fabric D and Fabric E squares as shown below.