My Tulip Garden

It’s been just over a month since I posted the tutorial for a tulip block made from Thrifty Quilter pieces. (click HERE to re-read that post.) Today seems like a good time to plant My Tulip Garden:

“My Tulip Garden”
by Anne Wiens, 2011

This quilt, which measures 44″ x 60″. was designed and made for my quilt guild’s 5″ charm square challenge a couple of years ago, however, I keep it in my Thrifty Quilter (TQ) collection because those 5″ squares were trimmed down to 2.5″ squares, 4.5″ squares and 2.5″ x 4.5″ rectangles.

Here are the materials required to make this quilt:

1.5 yards white fabric for background:

Cut six 4.5″ x width-of-fabric (WOF) strips and cut eight 4.5″ squares from each strip.

Cut three 2.5″ x WOF strips and cut sixteen 2.5″ squares from each.

Cut one 1.5″ x WOF strip and cut into eight 1.5″ squares and eight 1.5″ x 2.5″.

Cut six 2.5″ x WOF strips and set aside for borders.

Scraps:

110 assorted 4.5″ squares

Eight 5″ squares for tulips – cut each square into three 2.5″ squares and one 1.5″ square.

Eight green 5″ squares for leaves – cut each into two 2.5″ x 4.5″ rectangles.

Sixteen assorted 5″ squares – Cut one 2.5″ square and one 2.5″ x 4.5″ rectangle from each.

Construction:

First you will need to make eight Tulip blocks, following the instructions I gave you in a previous post. (See the link above.)

Make 8 Tulip blocks

Use 42 of your 4.5″ scrap squares and 42 of the 4.5″ white squares to make 4.5″ Half Square Triangles (HST’s). Don’t toss the cutaway triangles. We’ll use those in another project.

Make six blocks that have four Half-Square Triangles (HST’s).

Make six blocks that have three HST’s and one 4.5″ white square.

Make 15 4-Patch blocks.

You should have a total of 35 blocks. Lay them out in seven rows with five blocks per row, like this:

Layout for My Tulip Garden.

Sew the blocks into rows, then sew the rows together. Measure the length of your top and use the white 2.5″ x WOF strips  to piece two border strips of this length (it should be about 56.5″ long). Sew to the sides of the piece. Measure the width, including the side borders (should be about 44.5″) and make your top and bottom borders.

The backing for this quilt should be about 48″ x 64″ and the batting should be about the same size.

Layer your top, batting and backing and quilt as desired.

In the next blog, I’ll show you how to make the flanged binding I used for My Tulip Garden.