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Curved strip-piecing using Island Vibes fabric creates a sweet baby quilt

by Jean Boyd

Yesterday I showed you how to add some contrasting strips to your curvy, strip-pieced segments to create an original block. Today I’ll an adorable small baby quilt – it could also be a  wall quilt – using more fabrics from the Banyan Batiks Island Vibes Palm Bay collection.

This quilt will be 30″ x 43″ when finished. Ready?

Baby quilt made with Island Vibes batiks

Baby quilt made with Island Vibes batiks

materials

  • 3 fat quarters from the Island Vibes collection for the blocks
  • 1 fat quarter for the sashing. I used Banyan Batiks Ketan #120 Cashmere.
  • 24 – 1½” squares for cornerstones for sashing; blue scraps were used from the blocks I made on the first 2 days this week.
  • 1 yd [.9 m] for borders and binding
  • 1⅓ yd [1.2m] for backing

Cutting Instructions

Note: These strips will be cut on the lengthwise grain of the fabric. Each strip will be about 18″ long.

  • From each of the 3 fat quarters for the blocks, cut 2 – 4″ strips, 2 – 3″ strips and 2 – 2″ strips.

Cut 4", 3" and 2" strips from each fat quarter.

Cut 4″, 3″ and 2″ strips from each fat quarter.

  • Arrange the strips in groups of 3, having a 4″, 3″ and 2″ strip in each set.

Arrange the strips in groups of 3, having a 4", 3" and 2" strip in each set. Using the very beautiful Banyan Batiks Island Vibes fabric collection.

Arrange the strips in groups of 3.

  • Take the first 2 strips and overlap the long sides by about 1″, keeping the right sides up. Line up the short ends closest to you. It doesn’t matter if the other 2 ends don’t line up.
  • With your rotary cutter, make a gentle wavy cut along the length of the strips. Hold the strips in place as needed to make sure they stay overlapped. You want to be cutting through both layers of fabric all the time.
  • Remove the excess fabric from each strip.
  • Sew the long wavy edges together using a ¼” seam. If you leave the bottom strip flat on the machine bed and hold the other strip up slightly as you’re sewing, the edges will fit together quite well. Pinning is not necessary – in fact, it seems to make it harder to sew the strips together. Sew slowly! Adjust the speed on your sewing machine if possible, so you aren’t tempted to sew too fast. This isn’t the time for speed sewing!
  • Press the seams in one direction – it doesn’t matter which way they go.
  • Lay the third strip on top of the 2 sewn strips, overlapping by about 1″. Line up the bottom edges.
  • Cut another wavy line through both layers. Remove excess fabric and sew the third strip to the previously sewn ones.
  • When making these strip sets, I did cut 3 strips at a time, but it’s OK to cut just 2, sew them together and then cut and sew the third strip.

3 curved strips ready to be sew together; Using the very beautiful Banyan Batiks Island Vibes fabric collection.

Curved strips ready to be sew together

  • Continue sewing the strips in groups of 3 until you have 6 curvy, strip pieced sets.

Completed curved strip sets; Using the very beautiful Banyan Batiks Island Vibes fabric collection.

Completed curved strip sets

  • Cut each strip set into 3 – 6″ blocks. Depending on how curvy, you made your strips, you may find that your blocks might have to be 5½” or 5¾”. That’s OK. You’ll just have to remember to adjust the size of your sashing when you come to that part.
  • You’ll have 18 – 6″ blocks, but you only need 15 of them for this little quilt.

Cut each strip set into 6" blocks.

Cut each strip set into 6″ blocks.

  • Using a design wall or similar surface, arrange 15 blocks as desired, making 5 rows with 3 blocks in each row. Alternate the direction of the strips.

Arrange 15 quilt blocks in rows of 3 for the quilt top. Using Banyan Batiks Island Vibes fabric collection.

Arrange 15 quilt blocks in rows of 3 for the quilt top.

Join me tomorrow and I’ll show you how to cut sashing and borders to finish up your Island Vibes quilt.

This is part 3 of 5 in this series.
Go back to part 2: Making a versatile Island Vibes curved strip pieced quilt block

Go to part 4: Finishing a baby quilt with sashing makes it sweeter!

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10 comments

Melinda Griffith March 10, 2019 - 3:15 pm

Thanks so much for this tutorial…..I love batiks, and this is a great idea!

Reply
Jean Boyd March 10, 2019 - 4:43 pm

Thanks Melinda. Glad you liked it!

Reply
NancyB from Many LA March 8, 2019 - 10:09 pm

The baby quilt is so cute ! I might make one!

Reply
Judy March 7, 2019 - 10:23 am

Beautiful calming fabric line 🙂

Reply
Jean Boyd March 7, 2019 - 5:13 pm

I agree! And definitely what I needed during this long, cold winter in Ontario.

Reply
Patricia Crawford March 7, 2019 - 10:01 am

I love this fabric and design. Great for babies.

Reply
Jean Boyd March 7, 2019 - 10:03 am

Thanks Patricia. Glad you liked it.

Reply
Anda March 6, 2019 - 9:16 pm

Very interesting technique!

Reply
Melody Lutz March 6, 2019 - 2:27 pm

Love me some CURVES!

Reply
Jean Boyd March 6, 2019 - 6:03 pm

Hi Melody. I really enjoyed making the curved strip piecing blocks – and they’re easy to do!

Reply

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