Make Your Own...

I've had a few requests for pattern/directions for my son's Star Wars Quilt.
I love this design as it is very masculine, super simple to make, and easily adapted to your favorite school/team colors.  Enjoy...

Pick your size/color palette:
12 blocks = 45" by 60"  ~~  7 colors (4 colors for blocks, 1 color for "pop", white, and sashing color)
16 blocks = 60" by 60" ~~ you can decide to use either 7 or 8 colors
20 blocks = 60" by 72" ~~ 8 colors (5 colors for blocks, 1 color for "pop", white, and sashing color)



For my son's and my FIL's quilt I had the backing fabrics picked out first.  I chose the front colors based on the colors found in those fabrics.  I also chose one fabric as the "pop" of color for each quilt~~a tiny bit of red in the Star Wars fabric and orange basketballs in the other.


 

Cutting
After you've decided on the number of blocks you will be making cut 4" squares from each color to equal the total amount needed.  For instance, for the 12 block size you chose 4 colors plus a "pop" color, so cut three 4" squares from each fabric and one 4" squares from your "pop" color for a total of 13 squares (12 squares divided by 4 fabrics = 3 squares from each and 1 from "pop" of color).

Then cut 2" strips width of fabric from each color.  I figured I needed 2 strips per block. Using 12 as the example you will need at least 24 strips total.  To figure out how many strips per color, divided total number needed (24 strips) by number of colors (4 colors) = number of strips (6 strips) of each color.  From the "pop" color cut at least three strips.

For the white I started with 1" strips.  I think I calculated 3 strips per block.  So, 3 strips x 12 blocks = 36 strips total.

I always err on the side of caution so when buying fabric I would buy a few extra inches of each color.  This will help you avoid cursing later on if you happen to miscalculate or mess up on a block.

Sashing:
Since solids can be unforgiving in showing mistakes in quilting I chose to have all my sashing pieces be seamless.  The best way for me to do this was to purchase a piece based on the finished length of the quilt.  So for my FIL's quilt I purchased 64" of Kona Ash, and for the Star Wars I purchased 75" of Kona Navy.  By doing this I was able to cut my sashing pieces 4.5" by length of fabric and have no seams.


Sewing:
I don't have exact measurements for cutting the strips to sew on the blocks.  For me it was most effective to sew my strips onto the square first and trim them up as I sewed. 

In the diagram above you can see how I sewed each of the blocks.
1. Start with center square  2. Sew a strip to each side, iron towards outside of block and trim  3. Sew strip to top and bottom, iron and trim  4-7 Repeat. 

The easiest way for me to keep all my colors straight was to work on one center color at a time.  For instance, I'd take the 3 yellow colored center squares, pick one strip from each of the remaining colors and sew the first border on.  Then I'd repeat with the next border.  That way I could see that I wasn't using the same color twice with any given center square.  It helped me NOT make any blocks that were the same.

Colors:

Someone asked me for the exact colors I used for my son's quilt.  Actual colors are listed along with (alternatives).  All were purchased from JoAnn's.

A. Quilter's Only Cotton Saffron (or Kona Maize)
B. Country Classic Royal Blue
C. Country Classic Scarlet (or Kona Rich Red)
D. Country Classic Light Blue (or Kona Sky)
E. Country Classics in Bronze
F. Kona Khaki (or Quilter's Only Natural)
G. White
H. Kona Navy

(Keep in mind I am no pattern writer so if you have questions please ask ~ just make sure you leave an email address so I can answer you back.)
Happy Sewing!