MINI MEDALLION
Mix it up with Elizabeth Dackson’s medallion quilt – whip up some HSTs, try a little FPP and then finish with some traditional piecing.
Mix it up with Elizabeth Dackson’s medallion quilt – whip up some HSTs, try a little FPP and finish with traditional piecing.
NOTES
Q Seam allowances are ¼in, unless otherwise stated. Q Press all fabrics before cutting. Q Press seams open. Q RST = right sides together. Q WOF = width of fabric. Q HST = half-square triangle
CUTTING OUT
1 From the fat eighth of print fabric cut two (2) 7in squares for the HSTs in the medallion centre. 2 From each of the eight (8) Cross block 5in squares cut four (4) 2½in squares, for the Cross blocks. You will have thirty-two (32) squares in total.
3 From each of the eight (8) Plus block 5in squares cut: Q One (1) 2in x 3½in rectangle. Q Two (2) 1¼in x 2in rectangle.
4 From the background fabric cut:
Q Forty-eight (48) 2½in squares cut in half diagonally to create ninety-six (96) triangles, for the Cross blocks. Q Two (2) 7in squares for the HSTs in the medallion centre. Q Thirty-two (32) 1¼in squares for the Plus blocks.
5 From the binding fabric cut:
Q Two (2) 2½in x WOF strips. Q Two (2) 6in squares, for hanging corners.
PIECING THE MEDALLION CENTRE
6 The centre block is made up of sixteen (16) HSTs. Eight can be made at the same time using the following method ( Fig 1). Mark a 7in background square with two diagonal lines from corner to corner, on the wrong side. Place this background square right sides together with a 7in print fabric square. 7 Sew a ¼in seam on either side of the two drawn lines, for a total of four seams. Using a quilting ruler, cut exactly through the centre of the fabric squares, vertically and horizontally, to create four units. Now cut along the two drawn lines to create eight HST units. Repeat this process with the other background square and print square to make eight more HSTs – for a total of sixteen (16) HSTs.
8 Press seams open and trim each HST down to 2¾in, aligning the 45-degree marking on a quilting ruler with the seam in the centre of the unit. Trim all the units.
9 To assemble the medallion centre, arrange the half-square units in four rows, each with four units, as shown ( Fig 2). Sew the rows together, pressing the seams open.
THIS MINI MEDALLION QUILT IS A GREAT WAY TO TRY OUT A NEW TECHNIQUE, LIKE FOUNDATION PAPER PIECING!
FOR A SCRAPPY LOOK, PIECE EACH CROSS OR PLUS BLOCK WITH DIFFERENT FABRICS IN THE SAME COLOUR FAMILY.
Now sew rows together, aligning the seams neatly, and press the long seams.
PIECING THE CROSS BLOCKS
10 The Cross blocks are paper pieced using the template (see page 87). A pieced unit is created with a print fabric and the pale background fabric, four times for each block. A 2½in square of print fabric is used for piece 2 on the template, with 2½in pale background triangles for pieces 1, 3 and 4. 11 Take a template and place it wrong side up. Place a triangle of background fabric over section 1, right side up, making sure it covers the entire number 1 section, as well as a generous ¼in around the edge for a seam allowance. Pin in place, or use a dab of general-purpose glue. Take a 2½in square of print fabric and place it right sides together with triangle 1, aligning its lower slanted edge with the triangle. Make sure both pieces extend past the line to allow for the seam. Pin in place and then flip the template over and sew along the line between sections 1 and 2, sewing slightly past the line at each end. Fold the paper template out of the way to trim the excess fabric at the seam allowance and then flip the square into place and press the seam.
12 Repeat this process to sew on background triangle 3 and then background triangle 4, trimming the seam allowance and pressing, as before.
13 Take the pieced unit to the cutting mat and place it printed side up. Trim it square, to the outer line on the template. Remove the paper template.
14 Repeat this process to foundation piece three more units, using the same print/ background combination.
15 Take the four pieced units and arrange them together as shown ( Fig 3), creating the cross shape. Sew the units together and press. Check the block is 3½in square.
16 Continue in this way to make eight (8) Cross blocks in total, each using a different print, and each measuring 3½in square.
PIECING THE PLUS BLOCKS 17 To sew the Plus blocks, take two 1¼in pale background squares and sew them to either side of a 1¼in x 2in print rectangle, pressing seams towards the darker fabric. Repeat to create a second unit. Now sew these two units to the top and bottom of a 2in x 3½in print rectangle ( Fig 4). Check the block is 3½in square. Make eight (8) Plus blocks like this in total.
ASSEMBLING THE QUILT 18 Take the centre unit and the sixteen (16) blocks you have made and lay them out in the order shown ( Fig 5), alternating the Cross and Plus blocks as shown. Sew three blocks together (Plus, Cross, Plus) in a vertical row and sew this unit to the left-hand side of the centre section. Repeat this with three more blocks on the right-hand side.
19 Now sew five blocks together in a horizontal row (Cross, Plus, Cross, Plus, Cross). Sew this unit to the top of the quilt, aligning corner seams neatly, and press the seam open. Repeat with the remaining blocks and sew to the bottom of the quilt.
QUILTING AND FINISHING 20 Make a quilt sandwich by laying the backing fabric right side down, with the batting on top. Add the quilt, right side up. Baste with pins or spray adhesive. Quilt as desired. The quilt shown was free-motion quilted in a vermicelli pattern. 21 Trim off excess batting and backing fabric and square up the quilt. Tidy any thread ends. Sew the binding strips together with 45-degree seams and press the seams open. Fold the binding in half along the length, wrong sides together, and press. Before attaching binding, press the two 6in binding squares in half, wrong sides together. This creates hanging corners for the quilt. Pin the hanging corners in the top right and left corners on the back of the quilt. Once the corners are pinned in place,