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Making a Boho Beach picnic quilt

by Paul Leger

What better time than now to gather and use fabrics from the Banyan Batiks Boho Beach collection?

These light and airy fabrics will make a pretty and perfect picnic quilt, measuring approximately 64½” X 64½” before quilting.

This week's quilt project, a Boho Beach picnic quilt

This week’s quilt project, a Boho Beach picnic quilt

Spring has sprung! Before you know it, summer vacations will begin! Whether your plans for summer include a “staycation” or far-flung travels, a gorgeous picnic quilt should definitely be part of those plans.

Fabrics from the Boho Beach collection that we'll be using this week.

Fabrics from the Boho Beach collection that we’ll be using this week.

To really set off and highlight the Boho Beach collection fabrics, I’ll use Banyan Batiks White on White # 81200-10.

Banyan Batiks White on White # 81200-10

Banyan Batiks White on White # 81200-10

To put this quilt together, I used the following quantities of fabrics:

  • (2) ¼ yd pieces of Boho Beach fabric
  • (2) ½ yd pieces of Boho Beach fabric
  • (2) ¾ yd pieces of Boho Beach fabric
  • (1) ⅔ yd piece of Boho Beach fabric for binding
  • (1) 5 yd piece of White on White as the background fabric

While considering a design for this quilt, feeling nostalgic, I started thinking about going back to basics. In this case, the basics will be half-square triangles. With that idea in mind, this week, I’ll show you 4 different ways to make half-square triangles.

This week's techniques are all about Half Square Triangles

This week’s techniques are all about Half Square Triangles

The first method I’ll show you is the one that most of us learned when we began quilting. Never mind when that was! But, I digress.

To demonstrate the first method, we’ll cut our first squares from the (2) ⅓ yard pieces of Boho Beach fabric along with one-half yard of the background fabric.

Today's selection is blue 80219-45, the lime green 80210-78 and the White on White 81200-10

Today’s selection is blue 80219-45, the lime green 80210-78 and the White on White 81200-10

When I took my first quilting class, I was told that to make perfect half-square triangles (HST), I needed 2 pieces of fabric, each cut ⅞” larger than the desired finished size of the HST block. In other words, if I wanted a 2” finished HST I had to cut my fabric pieces to measure: 2⅞” x 2⅞”.

TIP Over time, however, I’ve learned that as hard as I try, sometimes my seams are off. So, to make sure my HST are perfect every time, I begin instead by cutting (2) 3” square fabric pieces. Then, after I assemble my HST, I trim them down to a 2½” x 2½” unfinished HST.

You’ll need to cut (16) 2⅞” x 2⅞” squares (or, following the tip above, (16) 3” x 3” squares) from each ¼ yard piece of the 2 selected Boho Beach fabrics. You’ll also need to cut (32) 2⅞” x 2⅞” squares, or (72) 3” x 3” squares, of the background fabric.

After you’ve cut out all your squares, draw a diagonal line on the wrong side of the background fabric using a pencil.

Make 1 diagonal line from corner to corner.

Make 1 diagonal line from corner to corner.

Match a background fabric with an accent colored fabric right sides together. Once they are stacked sew a ¼” seam on each side of the pencil line.

Using the diagonal line as a guide sew a seam on each side.

Using the diagonal line as a guide sew a seam on each side.

After you’ve sewn all the diagonal seams on your squares, cut along the diagonal pencil line. Open the resulting half-square triangles and press the seams towards the darker fabric. Trim to 2½” x 2½”, if required.

Trim your Half Triangle Squares down to 2½” x 2½”, if required.

Trim your Half Triangle Squares down to 2½” x 2½”, if required.

It’ll take you a little while to complete the steps above, but when you’re done, you’ll be ready to try the next technique for making half-square triangles that I’ll share in tomorrow’s post using more Banyan Batiks Boho Beach collection fabrics!

4 fabrics from the Banyan Batik Boho Beach collection

4 fabrics from the Banyan Batik Boho Beach collection

This is part 1 of 5 in this series.

Go to part 2: Making multiple Half Square Triangles using the grid method

Go to part 3: In quilting, some seams take you from squares to Half Square Triangles

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16 comments

Cinthia June 6, 2019 - 8:41 am

Sorry, I couldn’t find the link to the pattern on this page. Do you know where it is? Thank-you

Reply
Carla A. Canonico June 6, 2019 - 9:46 am

Hi Cinthia, the whole pattern is written from Monday through Friday. You can click on the link at the end of the Monday post, Part 2, to continue the instructions. At the same time Paul walks you through the pattern, he shows you the 4 methods to make HSTs and when to use each method depending on the fabrics you’re using. Thank you for visiting QUILTsocial!!

Reply
Keta Caudillo June 5, 2019 - 9:42 pm

Thank you for the free pattern Paul, I will be using my own fabric to make this quilt. But I do love the fabric you are using. I appreciate you sharing all your tips and snips.

Reply
Paul Leger
Paul Leger June 9, 2019 - 7:55 am

Have fun making the quilt. Very easy techniques.

Reply
Barbara Leonard June 5, 2019 - 9:51 am

Love your blog, lots of good ideas and great quilts

Reply
Paul Leger
Paul Leger June 5, 2019 - 5:14 pm

Thank you Barbara

Reply
Sheri fowler June 4, 2019 - 8:24 pm

Love the colors in this quilt!!

Reply
Paul Leger
Paul Leger June 5, 2019 - 5:17 pm

Aren’t they? I love playing with them.

Reply
Beryl Rasmussen June 4, 2019 - 10:23 am

In the instructions above, you said to cut 32 squares at 2 7/8″ or 72 squares at 3″. Is that just a typo?

Reply
Paul Leger
Paul Leger June 4, 2019 - 11:10 am

Sharp eye, yes a typo, thanks for catching it. Sorry for the confusion.

Reply
Nancy June 4, 2019 - 10:19 am

Love the colors & patterns.

Reply
Paul Leger
Paul Leger June 4, 2019 - 11:09 am

Thanks Nancy

Reply
Carolyn June 3, 2019 - 9:57 am

The colours in this quilt are so cheerful! Bravo!

Reply
Paul Leger
Paul Leger June 3, 2019 - 10:13 am

Thanks Carolyn

Reply
Cinthia MacLean June 3, 2019 - 9:06 am

What is the finished size of the quilt? Thank-you

Reply
Paul Leger
Paul Leger June 3, 2019 - 10:13 am

Hi Cinthia, the pre quilting size is 64½” X 64½”.

Reply

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