On Memorial Day, we remember those who have died in service to our country. Flags wave and red, white and blue abounds in patriotism. For quilters, it's a good day pull out those patriotic-colored fabrics and perhaps sew something for a veteran.
Here's a tutorial for a mini quilt using red, white and blue solids.
You'll Need:
1 fat quarter each of three red solids (Crimson, Real Red and Claret)*
1 fat quarter each of three blue solids (Midnight, Royal, and River)*
1 fat quarter white solid
Lightweight interfacing or muslin
13" square of batting
13" square of backing
Cutting:
From each red and blue solid:
Cut two strips ranging in width from 1" - 2"
From the white solid:
Cut four strips ranging in width from 1" - 2"
From the remaining Midnight:
Three 2-1/4" x 21" strips for binding
From the interfacing or muslin:
Cut four 6" squares
Make the Blocks:
1. Lay a wider white strip diagonally across the muslin square.
2. Choose another strip to layer on top and stitch along the long edge using a 1/4" seam allowance.
3. Press open.
4. Continue sewing various red and white strips to the square until it is completely covered.
5. Trim the unit to measure 6" square. Make two red stripe units.
6. In the same way, make two blue stripe units.
7. Cut each unit in half diagonally. Cut one blue unit perpendicular to the stripes and one parallel to the stripes. Do the same with the red units.
8. Match up each red unit with a blue unit that has the stripes running in the opposite direction. Make four blocks.
9. Play around with the lay out of these blocks. You can try them like this:
Or like this:
10. Sew the blocks into rows and join the rows. Press seams open to decrease bulk.
11. Layer the backing right side down, batting, and mini quilt top right side up. Quilt as desired. Trim backing and batting even with the quilt top and use the three 2-1/4" x 21" navy strips to bind.
Looking for some more red, white and blue inspiration? Check out
this post!
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