Sunday, February 2, 2014

Aussie Stack n Slash - Quilt #2 Done

Wow, the 2nd in my 2014 year of quilts is done! 

This is the Stack n Slash that I started a very long time ago.  My mother was visiting her brother in Australia and brought me back some Aussie prints.  I used some coordinating hand dyes from my stash and stitched the blocks.  I used the left overs to create a border.  The quilt is 70" square...perfect for cuddling under while watching TV.

   
 
 
I stitched the binding to the back of the quilt and folded it to the front to machine stitch it in place.   I moved the needle as far to the left as I could and stitched close to the folded edge.


 
 Done, nice and neat.  No unnecessary stops and starts.
 
Now a quick tutorial on how to make the stack n slash blocks.
1. Start with a stack of 3-6 squares of fabric.  Cut them 1-2 inches larger than the desired finished size of the block.
 
 2. Stack them evenly.  Make a cut through all layers.  Slide this cut section away from the rest of the stack.
3. Make a 2nd cut and move that section away from the rest of the stack.
 
 4. Make another cut and move it away.
 5. Make the last cut. 

 
6. Place the cut sections onto a scrap of batting to keep them from sliding around.  Now comes the hardest part.   On the first cut, don't do a thing.  On the 2nd cut section, move the top layer to the bottom of the stack.  On the 2nd cut section, move the top 2 layers to the bottom.  On the 3rd cut section, move the top 3 layers to the bottom and on the last cut section, move the top 4 layers to the bottom.  You'll notice that each section has a separate fabric.
 7. Sew the last 2 cut pieces together.  Finger press the seam allowance flat.
 
 8. Sew the 3rd section to the first 2 sewn.  Finger press the seam allowance.  Don't worry about matching the top and bottom edges of the seam.  I usually try to make sure the bottom edge of the seams match closer than the top edge of the seam.
 9. Continue adding the pieces in the reverse order of the cuts.  Press the seam allowances flat.   Trim the block to the desired cut size.  I started with an 8" cut block and the finished block is trimmed to 6 1/2" cut.
 10.  Repeat these steps with the remaining 4 stacks.  

11. Try making cuts in different directions.  Use only 4 fabrics or more.  Each block will look different.  Each column of blocks comprises blocks from the same cut set.  Even though the layout is the same, the blocks look different because they are "scrappy".
 11. A simple re-arranging of the blocks makes the quilt top sparkle.   Not sure what will become of this top......

 

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