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Shaded Red Quilt

Step-by-step detailed instructions for quilting this beautiful, cozy red quilt that stands out because of its lovely shaded look that makes it 'glow' towards the center. Printable templates for making blocks are included.

Materials Required:

• 25 cm each of approximately 30 different printed cotton fabrics in varying shades of red. You may want to go through your scrap basket before deciding to purchase any.
• 2 m dark maroon color printed fabric for border. You will require less fabric if your fabric has a multi-directional print
• 3.5m x 115cm cotton fabric for backing
• 180 cm cotton batting
• 60 cm maroon homespun for binding
• Basic Quilting and Sewing supplies like binding, quilting and sewing threads in matching colors, safety pins, hand-sewing needle or sewing machine, tracing paper etc.

Templates:

Download Templates for making the Quilt Blocks (PDF File 42 KB - Right Click - Save Target)

Note: The templates do not include seam allowances.

Size of Block: 15 cm (6 inches)

Finished Size of Quilt: 155 cm (61 inches)

Directions:

1. Pre-wash quilt, border and backing fabrics and pre-shrink cotton batting according to manufacturer's instructions.

Making the Blocks:

2. Download the templates and print them out. Cut fabric pieces using the templates given (add seam allowance according to your sewing machine) and sew them together to form each block. Join fabric pieces as shown to make each block. You need to make a total of 81 blocks.

Note: The templates contain measurements of the block fabrics. You can cut them out yourself if you do not wish to print out the templates. See the PDF templates file for the measurements.

3. Make all blocks using varying combinations of fabrics of different shades. Make some using light color combinations, some in medium and some stronger ones. These are required to give the quilt its shaded look. Two examples, one dark and the other light, are shown below:

Tip: Use wrong side of some fabrics to create color variations.

3. To make the blocks, start by laying the cut square fabric right side down on the square fabric, so that the right sides of both the pieces of fabric are facing each other. Secure with safety pins and sew the right-angled edges together.

Color Placement and Assembling:

4. Lay out all the individual blocks to ascertain how the colors will blend laying out the blocks randomly, making the final quilt look darker at the edges and lighter and brighter towards the center. View the enlarged finished quilt image above to see how we have placed the shaded blocks. Use that a placement guide for your own quilt.

Tip: Our quilt has stronger and lesser contrasting colors along the edges and brighter and and contrasting colors towards the center. This gives the quilt of 'glowing' towards the center. You can also choose to make the shaded quilt brighter towards the upper or lower ends or either of the sides.

5. Once you have decided upon the color placement, sew the blocks together in rows (9 in each row).

6. Press the seam allowances of each row in one direction, alternating the direction for every second row to avoid bulk.

7. Once complete, sew the rows together with right sides facing, then press the seam allowances.

Making the Borders

8. Cut fabric for the quilt borders 11.5 cm or 4 1/2 inch wide. Length of the side border pieces should be approx. 160 cm (63 in) and that of the upper and lower borders should be approx. 145 cm (57 in). Check these sizes against your semi-finished quilt to ensure accuracy.

9. Join upper and lower borders first with right sides together and then attach the side borders similarly. You have completed the quilt top. Now all that remains is to assemble the quilt top, batting and backing.

Assembling the Quilt

10. Place cotton batting between the quilt top and the backing fabric. The backing and batting should extend at least 5 cm (2 in) from all edges of the quilt top. Fasten the three layers together using safety pins every 10 cm (4 in). You can also baste.

11. Hand or Machine Quilt as per your desire. Stipple quilt the right-angled edge of the cut-squares in each block.

12. Cut the homespun into 20 cm x 6 cm (8 in x 2 1/4 in) strips on the diagonal and join them together with a 1/4 in seam.

13. Press the joined strip in half lengthways and align the raw edges with the edge of the quilted top and sew through all layers of the fabric and batting with a 1/4 in seam.

14. Trim the excess batting and backing and fold the binding to the back. Fold the seam allowance under and slip-stitch the binding in place, covering the machine stitching line.

And you are done!

Color Suggestions: This quilt looks lovely using shades of one single bold color. Green, Blue, Yellow and Purple colors are suggested to make this quilt.