2015 Adventure Quilt – Block of the Month #3

2015 Adventure Quilt – Block of the Month #3

March is National Quilting Month; let’s celebrate with the third of twelve in the Block of the Month pattern series. Once complete, the blocks will comprise what I’m calling, The 2015 Adventure Quilt. Join us on our journey as we stitch our way through many quilting fabrics and scraps using assorted techniques. I’ve compiled a collection of blocks that look great as a sampler, which features one stitched block for each month, or as a single block in a quilt design.
Our third Block of the Month pattern is the Scrappy Quarter Circle Block. Quarter-circle blocks are generally pieced together using two shapes with opposing seams. Talk about difficult! My quarter-circle block is made as an appliqué. Quilting with curves couldn’t be easier!
Last month, the Cornered Hearts block was made with one of the Trace ‘n Create Quilt Templates—Carefree Curves templates. This month, use another template from the same set, selecting the 1/4-Circle and Circle Template.
Remember, this quilt will be a scrap adventure for you and me. Total yardage for the entire quilt is not provided; rather we will be working in a color palette of scraps (or Fat Quarters).
If you’d like this block pattern as a downloadable PDF, please click the “Print Post as PDF” button at the lower right of this post.

Notions, Fabrics, and Supplies:

• Assorted fabric scraps or fat quarters
• Trace ‘n Create Quilt Templates—Carefree Curves Collection
• SofShape Fusible Interfacing
• 45 mm Pinking Rotary Cutter Blade by Clover
• Fine Tip Water-Soluble Marking Pen
• Maderia’s Monofilament Thread
• Optional: Clover’s Point 2 Point Turner

Getting Started:

Throughout this adventure, I am working in a scrappy palette of three colors. Any three colors should work. I’ll be working with black, white, and a green/chartreuse color collection. As I rummaged through my quilting fabric scraps, I found that I had the below collection on hand, many from Riley Blake Designs.

Keep in mind that you may need to add interchangeable pieces as the months progress. I found out that as I made this third Block of the Month quilt block some of my go-to fabrics were now gone. A small allover black print was the first fabric that needed to be replaced, and then I purchased a small green polka dot print. As this quilt adventure progresses, you too may need to buy additional fabrics. How’s that for an excuse to buy fabric?

Scrappy Quarter Circle Block

The block this month measures 12-1/2″ x 12-1/2″, and it measures 12″x 12″ once it is stitched into a final project. A 1/4″ seam allowance is included.

Cutting Directions:

• Select eight fabrics from the scrap fabric grouping. Choose light, medium, and dark fabrics.
• Cut four 6-1/2″ background squares for each block.

• Cut four 4-1/2″ additional squares from both cotton and fusible interfacing, such as Sofshape, for each quarter-circle appliqué.
• Stack the 4-1/2″ squares of fabric and interfacing, right side of fabric to the smooth (non-fusible) side of the interfacing.

•  Place the circle template over the square set, align the corners, and trace the 1/4-Circle for 6″ Finished Block arch size.

• Set the machine at a shorter stitch length, 2.0 mm. Stitch along each curve.

• Trim away the excess fabric from the outer curve using a pinking blade.

• Trim the excess interfacing from the interior of the quarter-circle, leaving approximately 1″ of interfacing.

• Turn the interfacing to the wrong side. Glide a point of the turning tool along the stitching line to smooth the curve.

• Press the interfacing to the wrong side of the quarter-circle.

• Position the quarter-circle on a background quarter.

• Thread the needle with clear,monofilament thread or thread that matches the fabric. (We used monofilament thread.) Stitch along the curve with a straight stitch. Also stitch the sides of the quarter-circle to the background square.

Note from Nancy: I don’t trim the excess from behind the appliqué. The extra layer of fabric has never caused a bulk issue in my quilt projects.

• Arrange four quarter-circle sections in a pleasing arrangement.

• Align the top two and lower sections, right sides together. Stitch with a ¼″ seam allowance.

• Press the seam open.

• Join the block halves, right sides together, matching the center seam. Stitch with a 1/4″ seam allowance.

• Press the seam allowance open.

Share your 2015 Adventure Quilt Blocks Socially

If you have a blog site, website, or online social sewing group, feel free to grab the code and share this button.

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If you are on social sites like Instagram, Twitter, Flickr, or Facebook, let all your friends know you are working on The 2015 Adventure Quilt Blocks by tagging your post with the hashtag:  #NZBoM.
The hashtag is a searchable “word” associated with an event or activity, which when searched on popular social websites, like Instagram, Twitter, Flickr, and Facebook shows every single post using that hashtag. Even if you don’t personally know that stitcher, you’ll see her/his progress and a photo. Hashtags are a fun way to network and connect with people who share similar interests.

What would a quilt look like?

As part of this Block of the Month series, included are ideas of what a quilt might look like if you made it with only this month’s block. Some of the concepts have sashing and others do not. These quilts are a good way to brainstorm what this block looks like repeated.

• This quilt features scrappy blocks, set in sashing and traditional cornerstones. This quilt also uses a double border.

•  The following quilt uses the quarter-circle block but has a planned, rather than a scrappy fabric arrangement.

• Changing up the “What would a quilt look like” feature, I decided to include a bed runner. Bed runners lay at the foot of the mattress, warming your feet and giving a bit of accent color to the room. Mixing up the fabric placement creates these large black focus squares. This would measure 24″ x 72″.

Watch more on Trace ‘n Create Quilt Templates—Carefree Curves Collection on Sewing With Nancy part two of Carefree Curves.

To watch Sewing With Nancy on your iPad, iPod Touch, or iPhone, download the app.

In the 2015 Adventure Quilt Block of the Month series, we’ll be making twelve fun blocks from five different templates/tools: Carefree Curves Template, Dresden Template, Grandmother’s One Patch Template, Lone Star Template, and the No-Hassle Triangles Gauge.

Find the instructions for the first three 2015 Adventure Quilt Blocks HERE.

An InLinkz Link-up

Watch for the next block to arrive on the third Saturday of each month!

Bye for now,

 
 
 

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Nancy Zieman—author, pattern designer, businesswoman, producer, and national sewing authority—is the host of the popular show Sewing With Nancy®, which appears exclusively on public television stations across the United States and Canada. Follow Nancy’s blog at NancyZieman.com/blog and sign up to receive Nancy’s E-News for the latest news in sewing, quilting, and creating.