A Stroll Down Penny Lane

It's here!!!!  My first Riley Blake Cutting Corners Tutorial.  I am so very excited to share this project!!

This amazing line of fabric is called Penny Lane and designed by Deena Rutter for My Mind's Eye.  Isn't it just adorable!!!  And the quality of fabric is fantastic.  It was so enjoyable to work with!!

 It is really beginner friendly and a quilt that goes together quick.  So fun!!!

So, let's get right to how to make it!!

WHAT YOU WILL NEED

1 Penny Lane Rollie Pollie

1 1/4 yard of Sashing - I used Whisper White

1 1/2 yards of Backing - I used White Penny Lane Main

1/2 yard of Binding - I used Pink Penny Lane Candy Stripes

A quick side note before we start. I tried to make this tutorial very beginner friendly. If you are not a beginner feel fee to simply skim the instructions for what you need. If you are a beginner and you happen to have questions please don't hesitate to ask. You can email me at happyquiltingmelissa@gmail.com. I will try to answer all of your questions asap.  

For a Printer Friendly Version of this tutorial click HERE

STEP 1 - CUTTING

Start by opening your adorable little Rollie Pollie.  You will only need 20 of the 22 strips so pull out 2 and set aside for scrap.  I choose to pull out the solid white and green as white is my sashing.

Grab your first strip.  Keep it folded in half and lay it along any horizontal line on your mat.  Trim your selvage edge off the edge.  It will trim both selvages at the same time.

Now measure 4 1/2" into your strip using your ruler as a guide.  Cut along the edge of the ruler.  This will yield 2 (remember your strip is folded) 2 1/2" x 4 1/2" pieces.  

Now, measure over 15" on your strip (use your ruler long ways to measure).  Line up your ruler and cut along the edge of the ruler.  This will yield two 2 1/2" x 15" pieces. 

Repeat this process for all 20 of your chosen Rollie Pollie strips.  Set the 4 1/2" strips aside to be used for the building blocks step and the 15" strips aside for the subcutting step.  You can throw the little scrap folded pieces into your favorite scrap pile :)

Now it is on to cutting your sashing.  Grab your sashing yardage.  Make sure to press it first.  Now lay the folded edge along the 0 horizontal line of your mat.  Trim a nice clean edge to start.  Now measure over 2 1/2" and align your ruler along the marks on the top and bottom of your mat.  Cut along the edge of your ruler.  Without moving your cut strips, continue to measure over 2 1/2" and cut until your have 12 strips.

Now we are going to trim these strips.  We need the strips to be 34" long so go ahead and align your ruler along the 17" horizontal line on your mat.  You won't be able to get across all 12 strips at once so fold down one so you can align the left side of your ruler.  Cut along the edge of your ruler.  Repeat for the remaining strips.  The top pieces can now be put in your favorite scrap pile :)

Now cut three more 2 1/2" strips using the same method as above.  These will be used for your side borders. Trim the selvage edge off the top. 

Now take one of strips and measure 8" down from the top of the strip.  (the non folded end.)  Alight your ruler and cut along the end of your ruler.  The bottom piece can go in your scrap pile.  

Now just a quick bit of sewing to make your side borders long enough.  Grab the 2 1/2" strip x WOF and your little 8" strip your just cut.  Lay them right sides together aligning the ends.  Sew a 1/4" seam along the bottom of the strip to make your strip now 52ish" long.  Press.  Repeat once with the other 2 1/2 x WOF strip and 8" strip.

Back to the cutting table for the last bit of sashing cutting.  Cut a 6 inch wide strip using the same method as described above.  Trim the selvage off the end.  Now measure 15" down from your trimmed selvage edge.  I use my mat to measure.  Align your ruler along the 15" measurement and cut along the edge of your ruler.    The bit left over under the ruler is scrap.  Go ahead and set these aside for a bit. They won't be used until we get to the backing :)

And now to cutting up your backing fabric.  You will be using some of your backing fabric to make a border on the front of your quilt.  Using the same method to cut strips as you have done before, cut five 2" strips off of your backing fabric.  Trim the selvage edges off the top.  Your fifth strip your will subcut by cutting off the folded end leaving your with two 22ish" strips. 

Now just like we did with the sashing side borders, take your 2' x WOF strip and place your 22" ish strip along the edge of it with right sides together.  Sew a 1/4" seam along the edge and press.  Repeat with your other set.  Now your two side borders are ready when you get to that step :)

And the last bit of cutting :)  Are you excited??  Lay your backing fabric out on your mat just like before with the fold line along the 0 horizontal line of your mat.  Measure 12" and line your ruler up along the marks on the top and bottom of your mat.  Cut along the edge.  Set these 2 pieces aside to be used in your pieced back.  And you are done cutting.  (for a bit :)

STEP 2 - STRIP PIECING

Strip piecing is a great way to save time in piecing.  Remember those 15" strips your cut out of your jelly roll.  Grab them.  Choose two.  Don't worry to much about what you are matching up, you want to keep it random.  

Lay your top piece onto your bottom piece with right sides together.  

Now sew a 1/4" seam along the long side of the pieces.  No need to pin.  Just align the edges as your go and sew away.  If the edges don't line up perfect no worries.  There is a little wiggle room for that :)

Once you have finished your first set, grab a second set and feed it right into your machine without clipping any threads.  This is called chain stitching and it saves a lot of time.  Continue chain stitching until you have stitched up 20 sets.  You won't have any 15" strips remaining.

Now go ahead and clip your threads between pieces separating them.  Press your pieces.  I like to press to one side.  

STEP 3- SUB-CUTTING PIECES

So now we are going to sub-cut those 15" strip sets that we just chain pieced.  Lay your first set out aligning the bottom along any horizontal line on your mat.  Measure in 2 1/2" with your ruler.  Align your ruler and cut.

Now measure in an additional 2 1/2" align your ruler and cut.  Repeat this process for all 20 of your strip sets cutting two 2 1/2" wide sets out of each set.

So now your have a pile of 40 2 1/2" x 4 1/2" pieces and 20 10" strip sets.  Separate your 20 sets into 2 piles of 10.  (Make sure there are 10 in each pile, I miscounted and had mine in piles of 9 and 11 and had to do some adjusting, oops )

Grab your first set of 10.  Align your first piece along the horizontal line on your mat.  Measure in 2 1/2", align your ruler, and cut.

Now measure in 7", align your ruler, and cut.  The remaining is scrap and your wiggle room for uneven edges :)  Repeat these last 2 steps for your remaining 9 pieces in the set.

Now grab your second set of 10 pieces.  Align the first piece along the horizontal line on your mat.  Measure in 4", align your ruler, and cut.

Now measure in 5 1/2", align your ruler, and cut.  The remaining is scrap and your wiggle room for uneven edges :)  Repeat these last 2 steps for your remaining 9 pieces in the set.

And now your have all of the pieces your need.  Make sure to keep your 40 2 1/2" sets separate form your 10 2 1/2" sets.  We will be using the 40 in the next step of building blocks.  Your other pieces can be set aside for now. 

STEP 4 - BUILDING BLOCKS

Remember those 2 1/2" x 4 1/2" pieces you cut clear back in step 1.  Grab them now and also get your 40 2 1/2" x 4 1/2" pieces sets you just finished cutting in step 3.  Go ahead and match up your sets so that you have the solid block matching the pieced block in each set.  (It is much easier to just look at the picture than describe this :)

Continue matching sets and stacking them in a pile until all of your pieces have been matched.  You should have a pile of 40 blocks sets to be pieced together.  

Take the first piece from each pile and place them right sides together.  This is where you stitch together your little building blocks :)  Sew a 1/4" seam along the side.  Where these are such small pieces I did not bother with pins but if you like you are welcome to use them.  Continue chain stitching a 1/4" seam along the edge of all 40 of your sets.

When finished, clip the threads between pieced sets and press your seams towards the solid piece of fabric.  They just lay nice that way :)

So now you have your building blocks completed and everything you need to put your rows together.  I found it easier to separate my "building blocks" into 4 piles of 10. Now grab your subcut pieces.  This is what you should have for your rows.  You will use one piece from each pile for a row (or 8 pieces per row.) 

STEP 5 - PIECING ROWS

Grab one piece from each set above to make a row.  Mix up the pattern your have for variation.  Now just lay them into a row.  This is where the fun comes in, there is no set way to lay these out.  You want each row to be different.  I visualized these as a street with buildings and no 2 streets are alike.  (Hence the name, a Stroll Down Penny Lane.)

Here are a few examples of different layouts.  You don't have to separate the building blocks, they can be next to each other, they can spin, get creative and have fun with it :)   Lay out 10 rows.  (And with that said, if you like order, you are welcome to layout all 10 rows the same way.)

Now, to sew your rows together.  This is super easy.  Just grab the first piece in your first row and flip it over onto the second piece with right sides together.  Make sure to match up the seam.  It is more important for the center seam to line up then for the edges.  Put a pin in the seam and then sew a 1/4" seam along the pinned line.  Make sure to remove your pin as your get close.  Don't sew over pins, it is a bad habit and brakes a lot of needles :)

No need to press at this time.  Just keep adding the next piece in the row, pinning the center seam, and stitching the 1/4" seam along the pinned line.  (Note - Every once in a while there won't be a center seam to pin because of the solid blocks, in that case just pin it to keep it even.)

When you have all 8 pieces sewn together in your row, go ahead now, and press it.  Doesn't it just look adorable!!  Repeat this process for all 10 of your rows.  

STEP 6 - ASSEMBLING TOP

And now that your rows are all sewn you are ready to put the top together.  This is where things really start to come together fast.  Grab 8 of your pieced rows.  The remaining 2 can be set aside as they will be used for the pieced back.  Now grab 9 of your 32" sashings.  Lay your pieces out as follows.  Play with your block rows until your get a layout that is just right for you :)

Once you like your layout you are ready to attach the sashing.  Lay your sashing along the top of each row with right sides together.  Your last row will have a sashing along the top and the bottom.  Starting with the first row, stitch a 1/4" seam along the edge of the row.  Once again, you don't need pins, you can just align as your go.  

At the end of the row you will have a little bit of sashing left over. (wiggle room :) Go ahead and trim it even with the pieced row and then press to the sashing side.  Repeat for all 8 rows.  Your top now will look like this.  

Now you are ready to sew your rows together.  Lay your first Row with now attached sashing onto your second Row with now attached sashing.  Go ahead and pin along the seam line to ensure your ends will come out even.  Repeat for Row 3 & 4, Row 5 & 6, and Row 7 & 8.  Sew a 1/4" seam along the pinned line (removing pins as your go) and press.  Then repeat sewing your now sewn together Row 1 & 2 to your now sewn together Row 3 & 4 and your now sewn together Row 5 & 6 to your now sewn together Row 7 & 8.  And you guessed what is last.  Sew Row 1, 2, 3 & 4 to Row 5, 6, 7 & 8.

Now your top looks like this and you are ready to add your side sashing.  Now you are glad your sashing are all ready to go.  Grab the 2 52ish" long sashings and lay them right sides together along the 2 sides of your quilt top. Make sure they are right sides together, so the seam of your sashing should be on top.  Now you just sew a 1/4" seam along the edge, aligning as your go, and trim the excess at the end.  Press towards the sashing.  Repeat for the other side.  

And now your quilt top looks like this.  Only have to add your border now. 

Grab those 2" strips we cut from the backing material at the very beginning.  Lay the WOF strips along the top and bottom of your quilt.  Place them right sides together along the edge and sew a 1/4" seam, clip the excess (a little more than usual) and press.  

Now grab those longer 66"ish long strips we made earlier and lay them right sides together along the 2 sides of your quilt.  Sew your 1/4" seam and press.  Oh yes, you are a master at this now!!!  And your Quilt top is Done!!!  Isn't it just fabulous!!

STEP 7 - MAKING THE PIECED BACK

And now not the back.  I always love just a little bit of fun on the back of a quilt.  It just gives it a bit more character I think :)  So grab those 2 pieced rows you set aside and your remaining 3 34" long sashings.  Lay them out as follows.

Stitch them together the same way you did the front.  See the beginning of step 6 if your forgot how.   Your piece should look like this.

Now grab those 6" x 15" pieces your cut at the very beginning.  Those will be added to the sides.  The reason they are wider than the front is to give your the extra room you need when making your quilt sandwich and quilting.  Lay the pieces along either sides with right sides together.  As always, stitch a 1/4" seam along the edge, trim the excess and press.

Now your are ready to layout your back.  Grab your remaining 2 backing pieces and lay them out as follows.  

Lay your bottom 12" wide piece onto your pieced piece with right sides together.  Pin along the edge.  Now stitch a 1/4" seam along the edge and press.  Now lay this piece your just finished putting together along your remaining backing piece, pin, stitch 1/4" seam and press.

And your back is complete!!!  Isn't it just the perfect finish!!

STEP 8 - FINISHING UP

So now you are ready to put it together now.   Baste it, Quilt it, and Bind it ;)  If this is new to you, you can see my video tutorials here that walk you through all these steps.  

And you are done!!  Way to go!  Don't you just love it  An adorable A Stroll Down Penny Lane measuring 38 x 48 perfect to snuggle up a little one with!!!!

If you make this quilt, I would love it if you would email me (happyquiltingmelissa@gmail.com) a picture of your quilt or add it to my Flickr Tutorial Page, or post it on social media with #happyquiltingwithmc.  I just can't wait to see your quilts :)

I hope your enjoyed this tutorial I know had some fun putting it together for you all.  And Happy Quilting your own Stroll Down Penny Lane :)

Calling all Happy Quilt-A-Long Quilters

This is a shout out to all of you that joined me on the Happy Quilting Quilt-A-Long.  I need pictures!!!  There is going to be a super fun parade showcasing all of your work on the 31st, but as of right now I only have a picture from 1 Happy Quilter.  That would be a pretty short parade :)  

So if you joined me on the Happy Quilting Quilt-A-Long, please email me (happyquiltingmelissa at gmail dot com) your favorite picture of your completed project by March 30th.  It can be all quilted up or just the top sewn together.  My top won't be quilted, things just got a little busy.  (but I have 3 showings of my house today so I am not complaining :)  I will also be announcing the winner of the Burgundy Buttons gift certificate at the end of the parade.  Yippee Skippee!!

Thanks to all of you that joined me quilting-a-long.  It was so much fun and I had such a good time getting to meet so many new friends through it :)  Looking forward to the parade and have a Happy Quilting Day!!!

Another New Quilting Design

So I have been trying some new designs in quilting.  I like to branch out and try new things, it keeps my from hanging out in my stippling comfort zone :)  Warning - Tangent coming -  I have yet to do feathers, I have drawn them so many times but never like the end doodle enough to actually try it on a project.  I really love the look of feathers so I am determined to get them down one of these days.  I will just have to keep doodling them.  So I am just putting it out there -  I will do a project quilted with feathers, eventually :)  Okay - Back on Topic - I showed you a new stitch I tried the other day and I have another new one to show today.   This time I went for a  loop in a loop.  What do you think??

This is what I thought.  Yup, the design reminded me of those adorable little oysters in Alice in Wonderland.  However, that got me thinking and reminded me of the Walrus in the story that has always creeped me out since I was a kid.  Ahh, I can't have my design creeping me out, what to do???

So I mentioned this to a friend and showed her the new design.   She instantly said that it reminded her of peacock feathers.  Now that is something I can jump onto.  So with that, I decided it is my new Peacock Feather design. Yippee Skippee.

These peacocks were walking around our resort when we went to Jamaica in Jan.   They are so beautiful!

So do you love the first picture and want to see more of this super adorable project and even get a step-by-step tutorial on how to make it??  Well Check Back on Monday!!  That' s right you only have to wait till Monday :)

Oyster image courtesy of thetoyzone.com

Paper Piecing - A First :)

Last night I gave paper piecing a try!!  This is something I have wanted to try for some time and just never gotten around to it.  So when Katie asked for a "Star" themed block for her VIB block I figured it was the perfect opportunity to give it a try :)  I searched through my EQ 7 library (I am learning a little more about this program with each passing day) for a "Star" block that I thought I could tackle for a first timer.

So I took a deep breath and hacked into the beautiful Innocent Crush prints of Anna Marie Horner.  Can I just say I love these prints!!!  I want some of my own :)  It took me a little bit to get my head wrapped around this technique.  It just seemed so backwards to me and the whole "your fabric size doesn't matter" thing was really weird.  Not that it was necessarily hard, just different.  Once I got the hang of it though it became more enjoyable.

So with all of that rambling . . . I present my first Paper Pieced Block - The Spinning Star.  It isn't perfect, but I have to say I am pretty pleased with the outcome for having it be my first try at this new technique.

Oh, and just in case your wondering, I haven't made a final decision about if I like this technique or not.  There were parts I liked, and there were others I didn't.  My end decision is that I need to try it a  few more times.  So Paper Piecing . . . I will be working with you some time in the future :)