A Little Happy Sew Along ~ Home Sweet Home Mini Quilt ~ Part 1 Cutting Instructions and Piecing

Welcome to week 1 of the Home Sweet Home Mini Quilt Sew Along!  If you're joining me for the first time today, you can read the Introduction post HERE. Before we get sewing I just wanted to say a BIG thank you to everyone who purchased kits from us, we were completely amazed by the number of orders we received....thank you SO MUCH!  We have a small number of these available HERE, but I'm afraid we have currently sold out of the thread packs....sorry, we will restock as soon as we can!

So without further ado, lets get sewing!

BEFORE STARTING Always Remember to:

1. Read all instructions before you begin.
2. RST means right sides together.
3. All seam allowances are  1/4”.
4. FWOF means full width of fabric.
5. If you need help, please do get in touch!

CUTTING INSTRUCTIONS

Today we're going to piece together the Mini Quilt Top,  you will need a selection of pretties from your stash cut to the following sizes (If you purchased a kit, the pieces included were a slightly bigger than these measurements, so you will need to cut them to size):

From the three background fabrics ( I used Essex Linen in Putty and Flax and Mochi Dots in Putty) cut: 

Fabric A  (1) 8 1/2" x 10 1/2" rectangle 

Fabric B  (1) 8 1/2" x 2 1/2" rectangle

Fabric C  (1) 4 1/2" x 12 1/2" rectangle

From the ten different border prints ( I used a selection of Cotton Lawns by Frou Frou) cut:

From each of fabrics D & I cut (2) 2" squares

From each of fabrics E, F, G, H, J, K, L & M cut (2) 2" x 3 1/2" rectangles

You will also need:

A piece of lace and a piece of ribbon, both measuring 9 1/2" long

A selection of woven wools or wool felt for the appliques and co-ordinating threads

For the binding, you will need (2) 2 1/2" x FWOF strips

17" square of Wadding/Batting

18" square of Backing Fabric

PIECING INSTRUCTIONS

To start with, we're going to piece the background of the mini quilt. 

With RST, sew the Fabric A rectangle to the Fabric B rectangle. Press the stitches to set them and then press the seam open. This unit should measure 8 1/2" x 12 1/2"

Carefully sew your piece of lace over the seam line.  Allow an approximate 1/2" over hang at each side, this will be cut away at a later stage, but in the meanwhile helps, the lace from fraying.  I personally do not use pins, I simply hold it in place, but if you prefer pop some fine pins in to hold, whilst you're sewing.

Carefully sew the ribbon on to the top edge of the lace.  For a neat finish, match your thread colour to your ribbon.

With RST, sew the Lace Unit to the Fabric C rectangle. Press the stitches to set them and then press the seam open. This unit should measure 12 1/2" x 12 1/2"

Lay out the border fabrics using the diagram and pictures of the completed mini as a guide for the fabric placement.

With RST, sew the four side border fabrics (M, L K & J)  together, note the fabric placement is different on either side.  Press the stitches to 'set' them and then press the seams open.  These two units should measure 2" x 12 1/2" 

With RST, sew the six top and bottom fabrics (D, E, F, G, H & I) together, again note the fabric placement.   Press the stitches to set them and then press the seams open.These two units should measure 2" x 15 1/2".

With RST, sew the side borders to the background, followed by the top and bottom borders.  Remember to press the stitches to 'set' them and press all the seams open.  The finished unit should measure 15 1/2" square.

Next week we'll be adding the pretty appliques, so I look forward to seeing you then.

Mum (Penny) and I would love to see your progress, so please do use the hashtags, so we can take a peek! 

#alittlehappysewalong or/and #prettyfabricsandtrims

Happy Stitches!