Run 'n Stitch: Spring Tulip Quilt Tutorial

The robins are chirping, Spring is here!! There is nothing quite like the feeling of Spring in Southeast Alaska. This year the sun has been shining and the stars are out at night. The robins are singing, the ducks are quacking. This time of year holds promise for things to come during the next six months of light in Alaska. One of the things I love about the season are tulips. Unfortunately, the deer love the tulips as much as I do. They nip the little buds from the stalks just as they are about to open. My solution is a tulip quilt of course. I developed this pattern to use with Aunt Grace '30's fabrics.

This pattern is for a Twin size quilt. For the full pattern with Crib, Twin, Queen and King size directions, Click Here

For this quilt project you will need:

Light Fabric- 1-1/2 yards

Medium Fabric-2-1/2 yards or 16 fat quarters

Dark Fabric-1/2 yard

Sashing and border fabric-2 yards

Backing fabric-5-1/2 yards

Binding fabric-3/4 yards

Cutting Instructions for a Twin Size quilt:

Light-

Cut (6) 4-3/8” strips:
crosscut into (48) 4-3/8” squares; set (16) squares aside, cut (32) squares on the diagonal and make (64) 1/2 square triangles.
Cut (10) 2-1/4” strips: Set aside (6) strips. From remaining strips cut (64) 4” X 2-1/4” rectangles.

Medium -
Cut (6) 4-3/8” strips: ! cross cut into (48) 4-3/8” squares. Set (16) squares aside, cut (32) on the diagonal and make (64) 1/2 square triangles.
Cut (7) 8-1/4” strips:! Cross cut into (16) 8-1/4” squares.
You can use fat quarters instead of the medium value fabric for a scrappy look. You will need 16 fat quarters-cut (1) 8-1/4” block and (3) 4-3/8” squares from each fat quarter. Set (1) 4-3/8” square aside; Cut (2) 4-3/8” squares into 1/2 square triangles.

Dark-
Cut (4) 2-1/4” strips.

All seams are a scant 1/4” from the edge of the fabric.
WOF means Width of Fabric

Draw a diagonal line on all light and medium 4-3/8” blocks. Set aside.

Step 2
Sew one light 1/2 square triangle to one medium 1/2 square triangle.

Snip off your dog ears.

Step 3
Lay one medium and one light 4-3/8” block on top of the 8-1/4” square, matching your drawn diagonal lines, as shown.

If you are using a different fat quarter for each block, be sure the 4-3/8” square is the same fabric used for the 8-1/4” square.

Pin in place as shown.
(I am generally not a pinner but pinning is a good idea for this step)

My pile of 8-1/4" blocks. Spring;)

Step 4
Using your 1/4” foot, sew a seam a scant 1/4” on each side of your drawn line, from end to end. You can chain at this point, just sew all of your blocks down one side and turn the string and sew back up the other side.

Step 5
All of your 8-1/4” blocks will have a light block and a medium block sewn to it on the diagonal. You will make 2 cuts on each block. The first cut is from corner to corner through the middle of the block with nothing sewn to it. Do not move the fabric at all Make the next cut through the middle of all of the fabric blocks as shown. Press toward the small, corner triangle and snip the dog ears.

Cut #1

Cut #2

You will have 4 pieces that look like this

Step 6
To finish flying geese blocks, sew the remaining 1/2 square triangle to each side as shown. The light 1/2 square triangle goes on the sections that are all medium and the medium 1/2 square triangle goes with the sections that have a medium bias triangle and a white 1/2 square triangle. You will have (4) flying geese units. Sew 1/2 square triangle to unit to make flying geese blocks. Cut dog ears and press toward the triangle.

Step 7
Sew together light 2-1/4” X WOF strips and dark 2-1/4” X WOF strips. Press toward the dark strip. Cut strips into 2-1/4 X 4” rectangles. You will need one set for each quilt block. You may not need to cut the entire strip set. Set aside.

Divide your light/dark 4” X 2-1/4” strips in half. Make two equal piles and with the dark square on the top and the light square on the bottom and lay the two piles side by side. Place an equal number of 4” X 2-1/4” light strips next to these piles as shown. Sew the light strips to the light/dark strips so you have equal sets of mirror image blocks. Press toward the dark/light side.

Step 8
Sew the 1/2 square blocks to each of the light/ dark blocks as shown. You will have equal piles of mirror image blocks.

Step 9
Sew each of your flying geese blocks to these blocks as shown to make the tulip block. You will have an equal number of mirror image sets.

Setting Blocks:
You will sew sashing first but you must cut your boarder strips before you cut your sashing strips

Cut your borders first. Crib/Lap quilt borders can be cut from selvedge edge to selvedge edge. The larger quilt borders are cut from the length of the fabric. Use the remaining fabric to cut your sashing strips.

Side borders- cut two strips that measure 63-1/2" X 6-1/2"
Top and Bottom Borders-Cut two strips that measure 61-1/2" X 6-1/2"

Sashing: From you Sashing/Border fabric, cut (54) 7-1/2” X 2-1/2” rectangles and (56) 9-1/2” X 2-1/2” rectangles. You are using the sashing to separate the blocks. You will not have sashing for the outside blocks. If you choose to sash around the outside blocks, you will need to buy more fabric and cut more strips.

Border: Sew the side borders onto the quilt first. Sew the remaining two border strips to the top and bottom of the quilt.