A Canadian girl's journey of stitching through Margaret Atwood's fiction...

A Canadian girl's journey of stitching through Margaret Atwood's fiction...

A Canadian girl's journey of stitching through Margaret Atwood's fiction...
The first of a series of free quilt patterns by Michelle Southern from her blog at quiltsofaliasgrace.wordpress.com
PROJECT REQUIREMENTS:
- One fat quarter EACH of red or pink fabric, and white fabric
- Freezer paper, pencil, paper
- Needle (or sewing machine), thread, rotary cutter and mat, scissors, quilting ruler, iron
PROJECT TIME:
- About 4-10 hours, depending on applique method and skill level. Suitable for beginners.
OTHER INFORMATION:
- Finished block is 9” square.
- Section IX of “Alias Grace” by Margaret Atwood.
- Blog post for this block can be found at http://bit.ly/zW1rCE
NOTE: These patterns are for personal use only.
1) Cut 2 red and 2 white 5” squares. Arrange squares as shown. Sew red squares to white
squares; press towards red fabric. Sew together to form the background for the block.
Although it is always best to make your points match when sewing your blocks together
(if only for accuracy and measurement’s sake) since the middle will have appliques
covering it, perfect matching doesn’t really matter for this block, but it should still be as
accurately sewn as possible.
2) Fold a piece of paper in half. Align folded edge with center of fabric, using ruler to center.
Sketch out half of heart ensuring the drawn sides touch the seam edge. Hold the paper’s
edge against a mirror to view the full heart before cutting and re-draw as needed. Heart
should be roughly 1/3 of space in block. Enlarge or shrink until it fits in your block. Carefully
cut out heart. To reproduce the applique used in these photos, see Page 2 for instructions
and measurements.
3) Trace around heart onto flat (not shiny) side of freezer
paper. Cut out hearts. Leaving room between hearts for
1/4” seam allowance, iron shiny-side down onto fabrics,
four on each colour fabric. Cut out each heart, 1/4” away
from the ironed-on template. With iron, press seam
allowance towards freezer paper, clipping around curves
as needed. Remove freezer paper carefully just before
appliquing.
4) Pin or baste white heart to red square, positioning as
shown. Sew to block using a blind stitch or blanket stitch.
Continue until all 8 hearts are appliqued in place, ensuring
1/4” seam allowance from edge on all outer hearts.
Your block should now measure 9 1/2” square. This
block, when finished, is 9” square.
Finished block: Hearts and Gizzards
Notes:
· If making a Hearts and Gizzards quilt rather than a single block, it is probably much easier to sew ALL background squares
together first and then sew on all heart appliques
· Unless the block is to be left as-is (unfinished) be sure to applique all outer edge hearts 1/4” in from all sides.
· Use any applique method you wish: raw-dege applique, machine-stitched, and fusible web applique all provide different
results.
· I did not cut out the base fabric from behind the appliques, however you may choose to do so.
· Check online, at your local library, or quilt guild to find resources on different applique methods.
To reproduce my heart applique:
1) Fold a piece of paper in half.
2) From top corner at folded edge, measure down 2 1/2” then meaure across 2 1/2”. Draw a diagonal line to each mark.
This diagonal line should be 3 1/2” long.
3) From the top (non-folded) edge of this line, measure down 2” and mark. This is the outer corner of the heart applique.
4) From top corner of paper, measure ALONG THE FOLD and mark at 1/2”. This is the inner corner of the heart applique.
5) Draw a curve from inner heart corner to outer heart corner, reaching to edge of paper.
Copyright ©2012 by Michelle Southern. Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood Copyright ©1996 by O.W. Toad Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
We have made every effort to ensure that these instructions are accurate and complete. However, we cannot be responsible for human error,
typographical mistakes, or variations in individual work. Patterns may be photocopied and used for personal use only; they may not be packaged or sold.
[ Blog: quiltsofaliasgrace.wordpress.com | Contact: quiltsofaliasgrace@gmail.com | Music: songsforhauntedhouses.com ]