Stack and Whack
What a name! This is a tutorial for layering fabrics, matching the prints, and cutting them to get identical cuts. You may have received our pattern, "Stellar Blooms" from our 2024 Ozark Hills Shop Hop or you may have purchased the pattern at one of the shops in the Ozark Hills Shop Hop after the Shop Hop. Or, maybe you just stumbled upon this Blog and decided to read it. Any way you got here, I'm glad you are here. Including this in the pattern would be too much. So, I decided to post it in a Blog post.
For the Stellar Blooms pattern, you will need 4 repeats at least 8" for the Throw size and Twin size. You will need 4 repeats at least 12" for the Queen size. If the fabric you picked does not have a repeat that width, purchase 4 more repeats (more fabric).
Here is the measurement of the repeat of this fabric.
Cut your strips. Cut 4 strips the width of the repeat of your fabric. Find an image on your fabric that you can identify easily and find where it repeats. Use the image to cut your fabric at the repeat.
Trim the selvage off the edges of your strips.
Pin the strips together. Unfold your strips and press the folded edge to remove the crease OR you can cut your strips in half at the fold. Near the long edge of the fabric strip, find a spot on your fabric that you can identify easily. Put a pin in that spot. Put the pin in the same spot on another strip. Repeat with the other two strips. If you cut your strips in half, you will have two sets of strips to pin together.
Find another spot along the long edge of the fabric and do the same thing as before.
Repeat a few more times along the same edge of the fabric.
After I have several pins in the long edge of the fabric, I hold the fabric up and "shake" it to get the fabrics to line up.
Sew the strips together. Use a long basting stitch to sew the strips together. Remove the pins after you sew the strips together.
Roll the fabric as you baste several places along the strip. Continue to sew from the same edge of the fabric.
You can see the basting stitches on this strip.
Cut one edge of the strip to have a clean edge on the strips.
Cut the strips 3-1/2" wide. Continue cutting strips across the width of the fabric.
Make a clean cut on one edge of a strip. Cut each strip into 3-1/2" squares.
Remove the basting stitches from a stack of squares. Keep the stack together until you sew them together. I put a pin in each stack of squares. You can also use binder clips.
Now is the time to "play". Lay your squares out with the same corner towards the center. Rotate each square a quarter turn so the same corner is to the center. Repeat with another corner until you have seen all four corners toward the center. Decide which lay out you like the best and sew the squares together.
Repeat with each set of squares until you have the number of squares you need for the size quilt you are making.
Here are some of the blocks I have from this fabric.
These will be used as the center of the Stellar Bloom blocks.
Hope you enjoy this tutorial to make the "Stack and Whack" centers of the Stellar Bloom Quilt. If you did not get a pattern, they will be available at a later date at one of the participating shops in the Ozark Hills Shop Hop.
Thank you for stopping by.
Happy Quilting!
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