Pond Quilt
Pond Quilt is a super simple and fun English Paper Pieced quilt, made only from 2" Kites! It's a great quilt for beginners, and a simple option for those looking to chill out with some stitching in the evening.
Finished Quilt Size: 31" x 34"
What you'll need:
English Paper Pieces and templates:
Fabric:
Fat Quarter Bundle of at least 16 prints. I used Dana Willard's Blush for Art Gallery Fabrics.
I also used a 4 1/2" x WOF strip of Art Gallery Pure Essentials in Crystal Pink.
1 1/4 yds fabric for backing
1/3 yd fabric for binding (I used Crystal Pink for this also)
Additional Supplies
40" x 42" batting
Rotary cutter/mat/ruler
Embroidery scissors
Hand-sewing needles (Bohin Milliners, size 9)
Thread
Fabric glue and/or Clover Wonder Clips for basting*
Sewing machine
Pressing tools
*See tutorial for more information on basting.
Cutting instructions:
To cut basics, or patterned prints, cut a 4 1/2" x width of FQ, and re-cut 3/8" seam allowance around the Kite, as shown to the left.
To fussy cut motifs, centre the Kite Acrylic Template over the picture, and rotary cut around the template, or mark with a pen and cut with scissors.
Cut enough of each print until you have 162 kite pieces cut.
Constructing the rows:
1. Prepare all the pieces by basting the fabric to the paper templates.
2. Layout all the pieces in 9 rows of 19 kites, starting with the first kite, pointy end up, then the next one pointy end down, and so on, until you are happy with colour and print placement. Snap a photo on your phone or label the rows in numerical order.
3. Place the second kite over the first, right sides together, so that the matching seam is lined up and stitch from the pointy end of the first piece, to the pointy end of the second.
4. Without breaking the thread, place the 3rd kite over the second, right sides together, and stitch along the matching seam. Continue along the row until finished. When you finish a thread, knot it, and start another.
5. Sew 9 rows.
Sewing the Quilt top:
6. Join the rows in numerical order. Place row 2 over row 1, right sides together. Using 3 stitches and a knot for anchoring the threads and small whipstitches for joining the fabric folds, sew the edges of the pieces together, bending the papers as needed to match the edges and corners.
7. Add the rows one at a time, and remove the papers, if desired, once they are completely surrounded. Doing so as you go makes the quilt a bit lighter to handle for sewing subsequent rows, but you can wait until the quilt is completed before removing papers if desired.
8. Once the quilt is complete, remove any remaining papers and press the quilt top flat
FINISHING
9. Open out the turn-under of the outside edge pieces and press again.
10. Layer the backing (wrong side up), batting, and quilt top (right side up). Baste the layers together. Quilt as desired.
11. Trim the excess quilt top, batting, and backing 1/4” beyond the seam line where the papers have been.
12. Sew the binding strips together end to end using diagonal seams. Press the binding in half wrong sides together.
13. Leaving an 8" tail of binding, sew the binding to the quilt through all layers, matching all raw edges. Miter corners. Stop approximately 12" from where you started. Lay both loose ends of binding flat along quilt edge. Where these two loose ends meet, fold them back on themselves and press to form a crease. Using this crease as your stitching line, sew the two open ends of the binding together right sides together. Trim seam to 1/4" and press open. Finish sewing binding to quilt.
14. Turn the binding to the back of quilt and hand-stitch in place.
