The first time I made this block pattern I was involved in a group I found on Facebook that contained thirty women who were to make thirty 12.5 inch quilt blocks, one for each member of the group. With the thirty blocks, each person could then make themselves a quilt with blocks from all over North America. You could make the same block if you wished or make different ones.
Since then I have made a couple of Blankets of Hope for our church's quilt ministry using the pattern. It makes such a pretty quilt that several other members have used the pattern also. I just finished one that I especially liked because of the fabric prints I used and since I haven't had a tutorial in a while for a quilt pattern, I thought I would show how to make it.
It is such a versatile pattern because of its versatility with fabrics. If you are making a lap size quilt (about 42 X 48 inches), it makes up nicely using a charm pack or make it "scrappy by using scraps, or like how I made this one, use one "busy" print for all of the 4.5" squares.
The pattern consist of 42 (forty-two) 4.5 inch squares and 42 strips 4.5 X 2.5 inches and 42 strips 6.5 X 2.5 inches. To make the quilt 42 X 48 inches, I added a 3 inch border.
I used a solid for the strips that went well with the print I used for squares. I cut a strip the width of the fabric and 4.5 inches wide and a strip the width of the fabric and 6.5 inches wide. Then I cut the two strips into 2.5 inch wide pieces to make the rectangles.
From the busy print I chose, I cut strips 4.5 inch across the WOF. From each one I cut 9 (nine) 4.5 inch squares. Doing the math, that means I cut 5 (five) strips.
If you are using a charm pack, you will have to trim the squares down to 4.5 inches for this size quilt. *
Since my busy print was non-directional (didn't have a pattern that had prints going one-way), I could speed up the time to make the blocks by "chain-sewing". I took all of the squares in a pile and first sewed the shorter rectangle to one side of the square without stopping to cut the thread. I pressed the seams first to seal the stitches and then pressed the seam on both sides to one direction. Then I stitched the longer strip down the perpendicular side with the first seam. Repeated the pressing. AND the blocks were made.
All I had to do was arrange them on my design wall so that I distributed the print out over the top.
Did you notice how I arranged them? I alternated the rows so that the squares were completely surrounded by the solid color. Now that meant sometimes corners were touching with the squares and sometimes they weren't. I'm not sure which were the "patient" corners - the ones meeting or the ones not. What do you think?
I sew the blocks together to make strips (rows or columns) depending on which would be the less. In this case, the top is 6 columns by 7 rows so I will sew the vertical blocks together to make 6 columns because that will be one less strips to sew to complete the panel.
When I have the columns made, I seal the seam and then press the seams in each column going the same directions for the column. So that the seams will "nest" when I sew the columns together, I press the odd numbered columns going back toward the first block and the even numbered columns going away. Now you can do which ever way you prefer. It is easy for me to remember this way. You just want to be consistent so your seams will match up when you sew them.
Once you sew the columns together, you can press the seams any direction you wish, I just think it looks nicer if you do all of the columns the same direction.
Now I added the 3 (three) inch border by cutting 5 (five) strips 3.5 inches wide (remember the two quarter inch seams) across the width of the fabric. You need five because the "length" of the quilt will be 48 inches and your fabric is probably 42 inches at the most. The fifth strip will be pieced with two of the other strips for the sides. Sew the top and bottom strip on first and press it toward the border unless it is a white fabric. Cut off any access that you might have. Then sew two of the other strips together pressing the seam to one direction and sew it to one side of the top. Cut off the excess and then sew the excess to the last strip you cut and sew it down the last side.
To finish the quilt, I went back to the pink that I had used for the rectangles in the blocks to cut for my binding. I cut the strips 2.5 inches wide across the width of the fabric for the binding. I usually cut five strips but this pink fabric was wider and I only used three and part of a fourth one to make the binding. I sewed the binding on the back and then brought it over to the front and machine stitched a fancy decorative stitch to sew it back down. If you are sewing the binding down by hand, you will machine stitch it to the front of the quilt and bring it over to the back to slip stitch down. I have only started doing the fancy stitch because sometimes my arthritis in my hands does not want to corporate with me.
I "turned in" the Blanket of Hope yesterday when our quilting group met.
Let me know if you have any questions. I would love to see your finished quilts in the comment section. Enjoy.
