Hi again! It's Alysson, back to tell the tale of another quilt from our flurry of spring stitching. Meet our Flower Power Checkered Garden, the first of two Checkered Garden quilts we sewed up last May.
We decided on a square layout, five blocks by five blocks, and that we wanted our C Color to have consistency in each block, using the low volume FQs in only that position.
We figured out how to get all the cuts we needed for one block out of one FQ (minus the C cuts, which were cut separately from the low volume FQs). We made our initial round of cuts following the above guide, which got us the cuts needed for 20 blocks. For the additional five blocks, we made another round of cuts from our FQ remnants (the white space above), working one block at a time, and cutting just one color position from each FQ. Once a FQ had been used for its "bonus" color position, we set it aside to not be used again. This assured that each FQ would only be repeated in the same position one time in the finished quilt.
Note that it is also possible to get all five color cuts (C included) from a single FQ, and we've provided that guide below. However, you will not have enough in the remnants to make a "bonus" round of cuts for five additional blocks like we did, so using a 20-piece FQ bundle will yield 20 blocks, and you will need additional FQs to get to 25.
Finally we were ready to dive in, mixing and matching as we worked block by block.
Note that scant seams (seams sewn just inside of a 1/4 inch) are your friends on these blocks. And Ashley provides pressing directions for nested seams, which make these easy to put together with no pins. These are the perfect blocks to sew if you are looking for something quick, satisfying, and almost mindless. Both Meghan and I were working our way through separate Bones rewatches on our iPads, and we figured out how to use our rotating cutting mat (affiliate link) to swivel the iPads from facing our machines to the ironing board/cutting mat area. Follow for more hot tips.
Before we knew it, our blocks were done.
A few seams later, and we had our first finished Checkered Garden top...and were already planning for the next one.
Side note that someday we should show you all the antics that go on behind the quilts as we fight against breezes, traffic, and the fact that I am often not nearly as tall as the quilts, to get the final shots you see here.
Meghan and Sarah of Sarah Hearts designed and released TCJ quilt block labels this fall and we used a Meadowland block label for fun on this quilt.
Ashley of Hen House Quilting quilted Flower Power for us, using the Hexi Petals pantograph in a bright neon green thread. Flower Power is backed in Bella Green, and bound in Bonny Dot and Circle in Coral.
And that concludes our very first Checkered Garden, but nowhere near our last. Stay tuned for our next Checkered Garden - the Popsicle Break one. Thanks for letting me share, and if you want more from me, you can find me @wellreadquilter on Instagram.
