The Danica Quilt

This is a very simple quilt that I created for a very special niece.  These juvenile prints prints in bright colors made the quilt very fun to piece!  The pattern is a basic square-in-square, great for precuts.  I used 60 charm squares and 40 jelly roll strips, but a variety of fat quarters would do the trick!

"The Danica"

Block Size:  8" x 8"
Layout:  6 columns of 10 blocks each, with 4" borders.
Quilt Dimensions:  56" x  88" (extra-long twin)

Materials:  

• Blocks:  2/3 yd each of 10 fabrics  (or 40 jelly roll strips & 60 charm squares)
• Border: 7/8 yd, cut into 4 1/2" strips
• Binding:  1/2 yd, cut into 2" strips, joined diagonally.
• Batting:  Twin (at least 60" x 90")
• Backing:  2 1/2 yds Minky (60" width of fabric)

Directions:

Cut each of the 10 fabrics as follows:

• Step One:  4 strips 2 1/2" x 42" (Width of Fabric), subcut into (12) 4 1/2" and (12) 8 1/2" rectangles.
• Step Two:  2 strips 4 1/2" x 42" (Width of Fabric), subcut into (8) 4 1/2" squares.
• Total of (120) 2 1/2" x 4 1/2" rectangles, (120) 2 1/2" x 8 1/2" rectangles, and (80) 4 1/2" squares.   [Twenty of the squares are extra and can be stashed, made into a pillow sham, or turned into a doll blanket! ]
• If you are using precuts, subcut each of the 40 jelly roll strips as in Step One.  Take 60 charm squares and trim to 4 1/2" x 4 1/2", as in Step Two.

I paired the ten fabrics into five sets - brown and white, blue and pink, orange and multi, red-orange and light green, pink and bright green.  For the brown and white set, a brown square is surrounded by white rectangles, a white square by brown rectangles, and so on for the other sets.

• For each 4 1/2" square, sew two 2 1/2" x 4 1/2" rectangles to opposite sides.  Press.  Add two 2 1/2" x 8 1/2" rectangles, making an 8 1/2" finished block.  Make 60 blocks.  Press.
• Arrange the finished blocks into 6 columns of 10 blocks each.  Sew blocks together into columns.  Press.  Sew columns together.  Press.  Attach borders.  Press.
• Layer quilt top, batting, and backing, and baste them together with either long stitches or safety pins.  Quilt as desired.  Trim excess batting and backing.  Bind.  Gorgeous!

Care Instructions:  Wash with warm water and mild detergent on a gentle cycle.  Tumble dry low or line dry.

For instructions regarding the "plus sign" method and other basic quilting techniques, follow my blog!