New Growth {Part 2}

Quilt-A-Long, Part 2: Preparation & Cutting Instructions

Welcome back!  I was going to wait until tomorrow morning to post these instructions, but if you're like me, you can't wait to dive into new projects!

Just a few housekeeping-type notes before we get started!

• Fat Quarters: They're are supposed to measure approximately 18" x 22" - but their actual size can be really varied.  For this pattern, as long as your fat quarter is at least 20" tall, you'll be just fine.
• Starching: Using starch as you iron is a personal preference.  My starch brand of choice is Niagara Non-Aerosol spray starch - It's under $2 a bottle at Target, is biodegradable and ozone friendly, you don't have to worry about old starch sitting under the spray nozzle and then old, rusty, spray dripletts on your nice, white project ... and it also comes highly recommended by Ms. Carrie Nelson of Miss Rosie's Quilt Co. fame!  Personally, I like to starch my fabric right before I cut it, rather than starching and pressing blocks (which could cause shrinkage and possibly a little bit of distortion).
• Pressing Seams: Everyone has their own preference on whether to press seams open or direction-ally.  I say go with what you're most comfortable with.  That being said, though, I recommend for this project to press your fabric away from the background fabric, especially if you're like me and you're using a white background!

By now, you should have all of your materials gathered and your fabric washed, pressed, and starched as desired.  {See part 1 if you need a refresher!}

Since all four of the pregnant ladies I know are having boys, I chose to go with a nice blue and yellowy-green palate and my favorite white-on-white polka dot fabric for my background print - I went ahead and folded my fat quarters in half (so that the 18" edges are touching) just to make cutting with my Shape Cut ruler easier.

Preparation:

Besides ironing your fabric, the only prep-work you need to do is to decide which of your fat quarters you'll be using as the main color - used in the second and fourth rows.  Once you've picked it, label the rest of your fabrics A,B,C,D,E, and F.  The quilt is supposed to look scrappy, so just make sure that you don't have two really similar fabrics right next to each other.  To help myself keep track, I like to take a photo of all my fabrics and label it for reference.

Cutting Instructions:

1. From the Main Color, cut:
• 6 - 2.5" x 22" strips
2.  From each of the remaining six fat quarters (A-F), cut:
• 3 - 2.5" x 22" strips
3. From the background fabric, cut:
• 12 - 2.5" x width of fabric (width of fabric) strips;
• cut each of these in half to make 24 - 2.5" x 22" strips
• 5 - 4.5" x wof strips
• trip four strips down to 4.5" x 40.5"
• cut the fifth strip into 8 - 4.5" x 4.5" square
4. From the binding fabric, cut:
• 5 - 2" x wof strips

Stop by tomorrow for the chain assembly and further cutting instructions.  Be sure to post your fabric selections and your progress on the New Growth Flickr group.

Happy Sewing!!