Craft of the Week: Quick Quilts

I love these kind of quilts. They are totally simple, easy to make, lap blankets. They will brighten any room, add decor to blah, and keep you warm during these frosty winter nights. I bought a bunch of these "charm packs" last Christmas, on sale. I finished piecing four by the end of January, and am now sewing like a mad woman to get them done!

You buy them in pack like this. They are five by five (inch) squares, of a "line" of fabric. I love Moda, they make some of my favorite patterns. You could select any of your favorite fabrics though, cut them into five inch squares, and follow the rest of the instructions.

I use 88 squares, 8 by 11. Lay the pieces out randomly, just pay a little attention to what color is where. There is not rhyme or reason to these. That's one of the things that makes them so cool. The fabric patterns themselves "make" the quilt. I love to see them all come together.

Label your pieces with small stickers. Label row and number, like a1, a2, a3... I just caught onto this trick and it's making my life SO much easier. (I'm making eight quilts! I know, I'm a crazy woman. And I might be dead before they finished.)

I stack the pieces, numbered, on top of each other. All the same direction, then start sewing them out of my lap; a1 to a2. Then grab a3 and a4. You will be chain sewing these together in twos, all the way through k7 and k8. Then grab your sewn pieces a1/a2 and sew a3/a4 together. See? It's a little math like, eeek - sorry. You sew 2 together, then four, then eight; then you take all 11 of your strips of 8 and sew them together. Ta-daaaaa!

Cute huh? Now you need to sew on your borders. You will have a "stop" border, then a larger border. Finish up with your binding.

Buy three fabrics that you really like in the quilt. I chose my favorites.

For a complete quilt you will need:

8x11 0r 88 squares (5")

Stop border: 3/8 yards of fabric, cut into 2 1/2 inch strips, the length of the fabric.

Outer border: 7/8 yards of fabric, cut into 5 1/2 inch strips, the length of the fabric.

Backing and cotton batting: 3 yards each

Binding: 1/2 yard (or 3/4 yard if cutting on a bias), cut into 2 1/2 inch strips, the length of the fabric.

Total quilt size: 51X65

You can make these any size. They are totally adorable and easy. Make one soon, and tell me all about it!