Off Kilter - A Quilt Finish and Tutorial

I am so excited to get to share my newest quilt and tutorial.  So let me just get right to it because I can't wait.   I am calling this quilt, Off Kilter and I am so loving it!!!

Back at Spring Quilt Market I had the wonderful opportunity to chat with some of the ladies at Free Spirit Fabrics about doing some tutorials using their lovely fabrics.  Thank you  to Free Spirit Fabrics for providing the fabrics for this tutorial!!  I was instantly drawn to their new Denyse Schmidt Modern Solids.  I mean, who wouldn't be when you see this box of yummy solid goodness.   I really wanted to design something that highlighted the beautiful array of colors.  

And that is how Off Kilter came to be.   So, do you want to make your own Off Kilter quilt??  Let's get to that.   The tutorial is written with the option of 2 sizes.  A Lap that measures 59" x 70" or a Twin that measures 72" x 86".   This quilt is so much fun to make and goes together so easy.  You are going to have so much fun!!!  So pick a size and let's get to it ;)

MATERIALS NEEDED:

For both the Lap and Twin sized quilts you will  need 40 Fat Quarters.
           You will need to choose 8 colors with 5 shades of each color.   Sort them from darkest to lightest in each of the 8 colors.   Below is an image of the 40 shades I choose from the Denyse Schmidt Modern Solids collection.

Additional, to the 40 Fat Quarters you will need:

                      LAP                                                                           TWIN
1 1/3 Yard of White Solid for Sashing                       1 3/4 Yard of White Solid for Sashing
1/2 Yard of Black Solid for Binding                          2/3 Yard of Black Solid for Binding
4 Yards for Backing                                                 5 1/4 Yards for Backing

STEP 1 - CUTTING

So let's get to cutting.  For the sake of clarity, I will be giving cutting for the quilt color layout I made.  But feel free to switch the color layout around as you desire.

Stack up the 5 shades of one colors Fat Quarters.  Trim the bottom and right hand side to give you a straight edge.   You will be cutting anywhere from 3 to 5 rectangles depending on what color you have stacked up.   If you are doing a LAP size, cut your rectangles 2 1/2" x 11 1/2".  If you are doing a TWIN size, cut your rectangles 3" x 14".

From the Purple and Blue stacks, you need to cut 5 Rectangle Sets each.   From the Red and Green stacks, you need to cut 4 Rectangle Sets each.  From the Orange, Brown, Yellow, and Grey sets, you need to cut 3 Rectangle Sets each.

And a last bit of cutting.   From your White Solid cut the following depending on your size quilt.

                      LAP                                                                           TWIN
(11) 2" x WOF Strips                                                              (13) 2" x WOF Strips
(36) 2" x 10 1/2" Rectangles                                                   (36) 2" x 10 1/2" Rectangles
(36) 1 1/2" x 3 1/2" Rectangles                                               (36) 1 3/4" x 4 1/2" Rectangles

STEP 2 - SEWING THE BLOCK

Now, with the cutting all done we are ready to move on to making our blocks.   We are aiming to make 30 total blocks that are 5 rectangles long arranged from darkest to lightest.   Now if you are experience in chain stitching, go right ahead and chain stitch your blocks together skipping the next few steps.  If you are new to chain stitching, I will explain it now ;)

I find it easiest to chain stitch 2 color sets at a time.  This way I have room to lay each set out.   Lay the sets out individually with the stack from darkest to lightest.   Grab the first 2 Rectangles off the first pile.

Align and sew a 1/4" seam along the long edge.  Now when you get to the end of it, don't clip your threads, just grab the first 2 rectangles off the next pile and stitch a 1/4" seam along the long edge.

Continue on in this fashion until you have stitched the first 2 rectangles in all of the sets.   Now, clip your threads and stack your stitched sets in a pile.

Now I like to have the stack of stitched units next to my machine for ease.   Grab the next strip from the first set (which will be the third one) and align it with the first unit in your stack.   Take care to align it on the lighter side.   Stitch a 1/4" seam along the edge.

And once again, you are going to chain stitch the third rectangle to all of the sets.  Then clip your threads and stack up your units again.   Keep repeating this process for the 4 and 5 rectangles until you have your blocks complete for all of the sets.

I found it easiest to chain stitch the Green and Red blocks together and then I did the Grey, Brown, Orange, and Yellow blocks together.  In the end, you will have 30 blocks with the designated number of blocks listed below.   Press your seam allowances towards the dark side :)

STEP 3 - MAKING THE BLOCK OFF KILTER

And now, we are ready to make these blocks a little Off Kilter.  Once again, I find a little assembly line process here really speeds things up.  So do all of your subcutting for all your blocks first, then you can chain stitch on your white rectangle and then chain stitch the row sewing;)

So for the first Sub-Cut, will be cutting the block into 3 rows.

 For the LAP quilt, measure down 2 1/2" from the top of the block and cut a horizontal line.  Then measure down 3 1/2" from the cut line (or if you didn't move your top row, 6" from the top) and cut a second horizontal line to make 3 rows.

 For the TWIN quilt, measure down 3" from the top of the block and cut a horizontal line.  Then measure down 4 1/2" from the cut line (or if you didn't move your top row, 7 1/2" from the top) and cut a second horizontal line to make 3 rows.

And now, we are going to cut a little more off just the center row.

 For the LAP quilt, measure in 1" from the dark end of the block and cut a vertical line, making the center row just shorter than the top and bottom rows.

 For the LAP quilt, measure in 1 1/4" from the dark end of the block and cut a vertical line, making the center row just shorter than the top and bottom rows.

And now, time to make everything the same length again.  Place a small White Rectangle along the light end of the center row with right sides together.  Stitch a 1/4" seam along the edge.   Once again, press towards the darker side. Chain stitching here will save a lot of time ;)

And now, it just needs to be a block again.  So place the first row onto the second with right sides together.  Align as you go stitching a 1/4" seam along the edge.   Then place the third row onto the now stitched together first and second row.  Align as you go stitching a 1/4" seam along the edge.  Once again, chain stitching ;)

Press the 2 seam allowances open and Wha La.   You have  Off Kilter blocks!!!   You should have a total of 30 blocks.

STEP 4 - SEWING QUILT TOP

And now, you get to see it all come together.  I love this part!!!  Layout your 30 blocks as shown below taking care to match the block orientation.  (but you can always change it up if you like ;)

Now, take your 2" White Rectangles and place them between and and at the beginning and end of each row as shown to create sashing strips.

And now we are going to sew the sashing strips to the blocks.  Place the strips along the end of the blocks with right sides together.  Align and sew a 1/4" seam along the edge of each strip.  I like to chain piece one row at a time so I don't get confused ;)  Press the seam allowance towards the sashing strip.

And now, we can sew the sashed blocks into rows.  Place the second block onto the first with right sides together.  Align and sew a 1/4" seam along the edge.   Now place your third block onto the end of your now sewn together first and second block.  Align and sew a 1/4" seam along the edge.   Continue in this fashion for the fourth and fifth blocks.   I don't chain stitch here, I just sew one row at a time ;)  Press the seam allowances towards the sashing.

And now you should have 6 lovely rows that look something like this ;)

Almost there ;)   Grab your White WOF strips and sew them end to end to make one long strip.  Now subcut that long strip into 7 strips.  You can either use the exact measurements which would be for the the LAP size you want to sub-cut (7) 59 1/2" long strips.   For the TWIN size, you want to sub-cut (7) 72 1/2" long strips.  OR, I like to lay out my sashing strips between my blocks and cut based on the length of my block row.

And now, it is just like making the rows, only on a really long scale.    Place the sashing strips onto the pieced rows with right sides together.  Align and sew a 1/4" seam along the edge.

Press the seam allowance towards the sashing strips.

And now you can sew the rows together.   Place the second row onto the first.   And this is where you are going to want to use some pins ;)   Align and pin the rows together. **See next picture.  Sew a 1/4" seam along the pinned edge.   Then repeat the process adding one row at a time.

When pinning, lift up the top row and ensure that your vertical sashing strips are aligned, otherwise it will look Off Kilter in a way you don't want it to ;)

Press the seam allowances towards the sashing and then sit back and enjoy your beautiful Off Kilter quilt top!!!  Wasn't that fun!!!

STEP 5 - FINISHING THE QUILT

And now, it is time to Baste It, Quilt It, and Bind It.  I know, I just packed a lot of work in one sentence.   If you are new to quilting, you can see my Finishing Video's here that will walk you through each the steps for finishing up your quilt ;)

When it came time to quilt mine, I decided for some simply wavy lines running vertically down the quilt.  I love how this simple design really adds to the overall movement of the quilt ;)

The thread color is Pearl 402 in So Fine by Superior Threads.  I choose this color because it blended best with the lighter shades.  Of course, you are not going to find a color that blends well with every color in the quilt, but a nice neutral tone will be your best bet ;)  

And then, it's time to bind.  Cut your Black yardage into 2 1/2" strips to create your binding strip.  I machine attached my binding strip, because I just don't like hand stitching all that much ;)

Ad you are done.   Now the only questions is, which way to hang it.   Do you like Dark to Light or Light to Dark??   Seriously, I can't decide :)

I hope you have enjoyed this tutorial and if you make your own Off Kilter Quilt I would love to see it!!  You can email me a picture at happyquiltingmelissa@gmail.com, post it to social media with #happyquiltingwithmc  or or add it to my flickr group here ;)  I can't wait to see your Off Kilter Quilts!!!

And that just about wraps things up ;)

Have a Happy Quilting Weekend!!!

Linding this finish up to Sarah's an Amanda's ;)