A year-long quilt project
Welcome to the fourth step in the 2024 quilt project. (You can find the first one here, the second one here and the third one here. 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 of the year 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!
April block: The Anchor
The block is made up of a central panel, featuring a grey anchor, on a blue background, framed by a red border. The chain is added by using ‘open chain stitch’ (an extension of last month’s hand embroidery stitch) . The block measures 14½ x 10½” (14 x 10″ finished in the completed quilt).
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!
Materials
You will need:
solid colours or low-volume prints in 100% cotton fabric: 7 x 11″ blue; 6 x 9″ grey; 16 x 11″ red
fusible web (such as Bondaweb)
stranded cotton for embroidery in grey
grey sewing thread for appliqué and 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.
2 Trace the shapes of the anchor and the chain onto tracing paper.
3 From the tracing paper cut out a template for the shape of the anchor. Bond fusible web to the wrong side of the grey fabric (making sure you protect your iron and ironing board). Pin the anchor template to the right side of the grey fabric and cut out.
4 From the red fabric, cut four border strips 2½ x 10½”.
Making the block
1 Pin the anchor shape centrally on the blue background fabric. Small appliqué pins are very helpful for holding fabric pieces in place. NB the blue fabric is slightly bigger than the finished size, it will be trimmed later.
Bond the anchor to the background, protecting your iron and board as before. Carefully, press the areas between the pins and then remove the pins and press the rest.
2 With grey thread in your machine and a regular machine foot, set your machine to zigzag, with a stitch width of 3 and a stitch length of 1.5. Stitch around the outside edge. Take the threads to the back and finish them off with a knot.
3 Mark the position of the chain with a water-soluble marker. Cutting the chain shape out of the template makes this easier. Trim the blue background piece to 6½ x 10½.
4 Attach the two red side borders, pressing the seams outwards. Attach the top and bottom borders, pressing the seams outwards.
5 Use open chain stitch to create the rope. You can see a demonstration of how to do this embroidery stitch on my YouTube channel here.
6 Finish off the thread at the back.
7 Press the block from the back.
The Anchor block is complete. Set it aside and look out for the next block in May!
This pattern – available here in my Etsy shop – also uses appliqué – to make this attractive baby-quilt ‘This is my world’.
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