TRY SOMETHING A LITTLE DIFFERENT AND ADD FACING INSTEAD OF BINDING!
NOTES
■ Seam allowances are ¼in throughout,
unless otherwise noted.
■ Press seams open throughout,
unless otherwise instructed.
■ Press fabrics well before cutting.
■ This project uses the template included
with this issue of the magazine.
■ RST = right sides together.
■ WST = wrong sides together.
CUTTING OUT
1
Cut your diamonds using the template from the magazine, following steps 1–5 on p6. For the large diamonds use 3½in strips. For the small diamonds use 2in strips. See steps 2–3 below for the amount of diamonds to cut.
2
From the purple fabrics cut:
■ Five (5) large diamonds.
■ Twenty eight (28) small diamonds.
3
From the green fabrics cut:
■ Four (4) large diamonds.
■ Fourteen (14) small diamonds.
4
From the background fabric cut:
■ Four (4) 1½in x 22in.
■ Two (2) 1½in x 9in.
■ Twelve (12) 1½in x 7in.
5
From the binding fabric cut:
■ Four (4) 2½in x 14½in.
■ Four (4) 2¾in squares.
MAKING THE QUILT TOP
6
Arrange your diamonds, referring to Fig 5 for placement. Note the diamonds along the top and bottom edge will be trimmed for the final quilt.
7
Piece one of the bottom partial diamond sections as follows. Sew three small diamonds in a row. Then sew one diamond to the bottom, pressing the seam towards the single diamond (Fig 1). Repeat to make a second partial diamond for the bottom.
8
To make the top partial diamond section, sew the small diamonds together in pairs. Sew these pairs to either side of the large diamond, aligning with the left and bottom of the large diamond (Fig 2).
9
To make one full diamond section, join the small diamonds in one row of two, and one row of three. Join the smaller row to the top of a large diamond. Then join the longer row to the side (Fig 3). Repeat for all six full diamonds segments.
10 Join the diamonds in rows, using the 1½in x 7in background strips between each diamond segment. To sew a row, first join the strip to one diamond, press open, then trim the edges even with the pieced diamond. Then join the next diamond. Repeat until all rows are sewn, then sew the 1½in x 7in strips to the beginning and end of the rows (Fig 4).
11 Join a 1½in x 9in strip to the bottom of the top left diamond, and also the top of the bottom right partial diamond. Join a 1½in x 22in strip to the bottom of the two middle rows.
12 For each long sashing strip, mark the positions of the vertical strips using a quilt ruler, ¼in from the raw edge. Using these marks, sew the rows together, carefully aligning the diamond segments (Fig 5).
13 Carefully trim the top and the bottom edges of the quilt top, so that it measures 15½in tall (Fig 6). Sew the remaining 1½in x 22in strips to the top and the bottom. Trim the strips at each side evenly with the edges of the quilt.
QUILTING AND FINISHING
14 Press the quilt top and backing well. Make a quilt sandwich by placing the backing fabric right side down, the batting on top, then the quilt top centrally and right side up. The backing and batting are slightly larger than the quilt top. Baste the layers together using your preferred method.
15 Quilt as desired. Sarah quilted around the large diamond pieces, and around each larger pieced segment, using her walking foot. Trim away the excess batting and backing and square up the quilt.
MAKING THE FACED BINDING
16 Press each of the 2½in x 14½in binding strips in half, lengthwise, WST. Press each of the 2¾in squares in half, diagonally and WST, to form four triangles.
17 With the quilt top right side up, place one strip along one edge, matching raw edges. Make sure to centre the strip, as it is shorter than the side of the quilt. Clip, then baste in place. Repeat with each side of the quilt.
18 Place one of your binding triangles in each corner of the quilt, aligning the raw edges. Make sure these triangles cover the raw ends of the binding strips on each side (Fig 7). Baste in place.
19 Sew along each side of the quilt, from top to bottom, so the seam runs off the edges at each end. Do not sew around, pivoting at the seams. Sew across each corner, at a 45 degree angle (Fig 8). Taper the corners, being careful not to cut into your corner stitch lines.
20 Press the binding strips away from the quilt. Then press the full strip to the back of the quilt, carefully pushing out the corners. Press, making sure the binding is fully turned to the back, and not visible from the front. Hand stitch the binding to the back of the quilt to finish.