A year-long quilt project
Welcome to the first step in the 2024 quilt project. As I explained in the New Year’s post here, I’ll be making a quilt this year and inviting you to join with me, here on the blog. This is what to expect:
- a new appliqué block each month
- a new embroidery stitch each month
- cheerful bright colours (but of course you can choose your own colour palette!)
- a quilt celebrating the seaside
There will be instructions at the end on how to put the different blocks together to make quilt measuring 72 x 72″. However, you are welcome just make the individual blocks each month and use them in a different way.
Please note: All the instructions are free and available for your personal use. They cannot be used for commercial purposes or for teaching. I do run a small business, so if you enjoy making the quilt please consider also purchasing one of my patterns from the Etsy shop (link below) and/or tell your quilting friends about Amanda Jane Textiles. Thank you!
January block: The Kite
The block is made up of a central panel, featuring a red and yellow kite flying in a blue sky, framed by a white border. It measures 12½ x 14½” (12 x 14″ finished in the completed quilt).
Materials
You will need:
solid colours or low-volume prints in 100% cotton fabric: 9 x 11″ pale blue; 12 x 14″ white; 6 x 7″ red fabric; 5 x 9″ yellow
stranded cotton for embroidery in navy blue
a small piece 2 x 4″ of fusible web (for example Bondaweb)
red thread for apppliqué and white thread for piecing
Cutting
1 Download the template for the central panel of the block using the pink button below. Set your printer to print at A4/letter with narrow margins. You may lose a little of the image on the sides but the main information will be there. Trace the following shapes onto tracing paper (a) the outline of the outside of the kite (b) the top left triangle (c) the bottom right triangle (d) a small triangle from the bows on the tail of the kite. Cut out the tracing paper shapes and use them as templates for cutting out.
2 Trace the following shapes onto tracing paper (a) the outline of the outside of the kite (b) the top left triangle (c) the bottom right triangle (d) a small triangle from the bows on the tail of the kite. Cut out the tracing paper shapes and use them as templates for cutting out.
3 Cut out the kite shape in red fabric.
4 Cut out the top left triangle and the bottom right triangle in yellow fabric.
5 Bond a piece of fusible web to an offcut from the red fabric following the maker’s instructions. (Take care to protect your iron and ironing board with tracing paper or baking parchment.) Cut out 8 small triangles in red fabric.
6 From the white print fabric, cut two border strips 2½ x 10½” and two border strips 2½ x 12½”.
Making the block
1 Place the two yellow triangle on the top left and bottom right of the kite. Pin in place.
2 Using the template as a guide, pin the red kite shape onto the 9 x 11″ piece of background pale blue fabric. You will be trimming the background down to 8½ x 10½” when the appliqué and embroidery is complete, so take care to place the kite correctly in position. The tip of the kite at the top should be 1½” from the top edge and from the left edge of the blue background.
3 With red thread in your machine and a regular machine foot, set your machine to zigzag, with a stitch width of 4 and a stitch length of 1. Stitch straight down the centre of the kite from top to bottom, insert the needle, lift the presser-foot, turn on the needle, then continue round the outside of the kite, securing it to the background fabric. Take the threads to the back and finish them off with a knot. Finally stitch the cross-bar at the centre of the kite and finish off the threads.
4 Following the suggested line on the template mark out the curvy line of the kite’s tail with a pencil.
5 Place the 8 red triangles, in pairs, along the string of the kite and use an iron to bond them into place (using protective paper as before).
6 With the sewing machine set back to regular straight sewing and a stitch length of 2 sew round each pair of bows to secure them in place, finishing off the threads at the back.
7 Stitch the tail of the kite using a backstitch. There are three videos on the Amanda Jane Textiles YouTube Channel to help you.
(a) How to use stranded cotton here
(b) How to thread an embroidery needle here
(c) How to do backstitch here
8 Press the block from the back (still using the protective paper on the ironing board).
9 Trim to 8½ x 10½”.
10 Stitch the side borders (2½ x 10½) to each side of the central piece, pressing the seams out towards the borders.
11 Stitch the top borders (2½ x 12½) to the top and bottom of the central piece, pressing the seam allowances out towards the borders.
12 Use a ruler and a pencil with a fine nib to mark the straight line for the string of the kite.
13 Stitch this with two strands of navy stranded cotton using a backstitch, making sure that the last stitch ends just inside the border.
The Kite block is complete. Set it aside and look out for the next block in February!
If you have a hankering to use lots of scraps, why not try this colourful quilt which can serve as a wall-hanging, lap-quilt, play-mat or cot quilt. Buy the pattern here
Thank you for reading my blog. Quilt Patterns are here, Fabrics are here, Classes are here
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