Country Summer Bonus Quilt

Hello!  I have been busy recently baking up a new recipe called Country Summer for the Moda Bake Shop in Lella Boutique's upcoming collection, Garden Variety.  I can't share that quilt yet, but it should be posted soon!  What I want to share with you today is the bonus quilt I made using the leftover fabric from my fat eighths.  I had a 5-1/2" square and a 2-1/2" strip of each print.  I played around with some options and am really happy with the result!

The bonus quilt finishes at 65" x 78" and is actually a little larger than the original.  That's two large throw quilts from one fat eighth bundle!  Yes, you read that correctly.  Fat eighth, not fat quarter.  Plus background fabric, of course.

You don't have to make the original quilt to make this bonus quilt.  You can use scraps from your stash or three matching charm packs.  I have included instructions for both.  I used 5-1/2" squares since that's the size I was able to get from my scraps.  If your fat eighth is a little too short or you are using charm packs, you can use 5" squares instead.  Your finished quilt will be slightly smaller at 62.5" x 75.5" but still a great size!

Fabric requirements:

- if using scraps, you need the following print fabrics:

• 30 squares that are either 5-1/2" or 5" square
• 30 strips that are 2-1/2" wide by the length of the fat eighth (approximately 21")

- if using 3 charm packs, choose 30 prints from each (make sure you choose the same 30 from each)

- 3-1/2 yards of background fabric

- 3/4 yards of binding fabric

Cutting:

- if using scraps, leave the squares and strips as they are
- if using charm squares, subcut two squares of each print into four 2-1/2" squares (for 8 squares total)
- from the background fabric, cut the following:

• 15 strips, 2-1/2" wide; cut each strip in half if using strips from your scraps; cut each strip into 2-1/2" squares (16 per strip) if using 2-1/2" squares cut from charm packs
• 15 strips, 5-1/2" wide (or 5" wide if using smaller squares); subcut each strip into 4-1/2" rectangles (8 per strip)

Creating the four patches:

If you are using 2-1/2" wide strips, the four patches are made using strip sets.  Sew each print strip to a background strip.  Press towards the print strip.  Subcut each strip set into eight (8) 2-1/2” wide segments.  

If you are using 2-1/2" squares, pair up all of your print squares with 2-1/2" background squares and sew together to create segments like those shown above.  Press towards the print.

Pair up each two-patch segment with a matching segment and sew together.  Press in either direction.  You will have four four-patches for each of your 30 prints.

Assembling the blocks:

Gather four matching four-patches and a matching 5-1/2" (or 5") square, plus four background rectangles (either 4-1/2" x 5-1/2" or 4-1/2 x 5").  Arrange them as shown below.  Make sure that the four patches are all turned the same way.  

Sew the segments into three rows.  Press the first and third rows towards the four-patches.  Press the center row towards the center print square.  Sew the rows together and press towards the center row.

 Assembling the quilt top: 

Arrange your blocks into 6 rows of 5 blocks each.  Rotate every other block 90-degrees or one-quarter turn.  Where two blocks touch, the prints in the four patches should be touching and the background squares should be touching.

Sew your blocks into rows.  Alternate the direction that you press the seams between each row so that the rows will nest.  

Your finished quilt will measure either 62.5" x 75.5" or 65"x 78" depending on the size of your center squares.  

Once the Garden Variety yardage shows up in shops, I will be able to quilt and bind my top.  I will update this post and share more photos on Instagram then!  

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial!  Don't forget to keep an eye out for the Moda Bake Shop tutorial for the original Country Summer quilt.  

Until next time,
Amanda