Tutorial: Chenille-backed patchwork blanket. Part 2: Sewing a patchwork top

Time to sew!  First up, sew the four patches together.  For each four patch repeat the following:

Lay the top right square face down on the top left square and the bottom right square face down on the bottom left square. 

Sew them together along the right side using a 1/4" seam allowance.  Be as accurate as you can.  (If you have never done it, use a ruler to measure 1/4" from where your needle enters the fabric.  That is where the edge of your fabric should be.  Mark that on your presser foot or your sewing machine.  I used some blue painters tape.) 

You can see that I often "chain piece" - that is, sew one right after the other without cutting threads in between (just take a few stitches to separate.)  This is optional but saves time and thread. 

Now, lay out the squares as you want them in your four patch then flip them upside down on your ironing surface.  Press the top seam allowance to the left and press the bottom seam allowance to the right, as shown.  (Or vice versa - they just need to be opposite)  Take care not to pull on the fabrics as you iron so they don't get stretched crooked.

Now, put these two pieces of the four patch right sides together.  Since you pressed the seam allowances in opposite directions, they will "butt up" against each other tightly when the middle seam is lined up.  Check and see.  Now put a pin in the seam allowance just forward of the middle seam.  (Some people pin right in the seam but I was taught that the pin will slip around in the "holes" and not hold as tight.) You can put more pins in before sewing if you want but I think the fabric grips well enough.  Just adjust as you sew.  So - go ahead and sew this seam along the right side with 1/4" allowance again.

Press this seam it up or down - for this it doesn't matter.  Usually it will "want" to go one way - just let it.   Now you should have a completed and pressed four patch as shown in the first picture.

Repeat for all the four patches and you will have what is shown above.  Note that the size of the plain blocks and the four patches are now the same.  It is the magic of 1/4" seams!

Now, join the blocks together in rows from left to right using the same technique.

Now, press the seams allowances you have just sewed on your rows.  (Don't mess with the four patch seams that you have already pressed.) Press the seam allowances on the first row all to the left and the seam allowances on the second row all to the right, alternating like this for all the rows.

Now, pin two of the rows together.  As before, since you have pressed the seam allowances in opposite directions you will butt these up together and pin in front of them.  If these are lined up first, your quilt will go together well.  Once these are pinned you can gently stretch or ease your blocks together, using pins as necessary to get the rows to line up on the outside edges. 

Sew the rows all together in this manner.  Then iron these new seam allowances down from the back, taking care not to mess with the old seam allowances that have already been pressed.   I like to gently press again from the top to make sure everything is smooth.

Done!  A completed patchwork.  Oh, there are tons of tips and shortcuts that I've left out - but you don't care because you've just made your first patchwork.  Isn't it lovely?!

Tomorrow:  Adding the chenille back.

Comments

[Angela]

Huh. How 'bout that. I did not know a lot of that stuff. I've done lots of patchwork things lately and I didn't know about all those little tips. Thanks! I'll know next time. ;-)

[Mom]

Sweet quilt and sweeter little girl! You are on a roll. I have a new collection of 30's fabrics for a new baby quilt for Jenny...yellow, green, orange, blue and pink...3 prints each color. I will combine with white. Sweet.

[mijk]

oh amy I have been wanting to try this for so long and just was too scared. I am sop going to do this., Have to think about the backing because the last chenille i have ssen in this country was a bedspead when i was 7. The fabric market and shops dont carry it.. I searched today since I saw the tutorial..

[joanna]

Yes, yes! It is soooo lovely. I'm loving your tutorial.

[jennifer w.]

This is so what I needed to see right now to get over my fear of patchwork. Thank you for providing the hints and photos. Great tutorial!

[Susanna]

Thanks so much for posting this tutorial! Its funny because just this weekend I wanted to make another little "quiltlet" as I call them. I made my first one and kind of wung it without really reading up on how to do it. It came out nice but its great to know how to do it this way so all my squares don't look uneven! Thanks again!

[Jeanine]

What an awesome tutorial. I can't wait for part 3.

BTW, where do you purchase your fabrics?

Thanks for sharing.

[Sarah]

Really wonderful tutorial, Amy. You've inspired me to put a chenille backed patchwork blanket is on my to-do list for sometime in the future. I just need to tick off several hundred other things first, but when I get to it, I'll be good to go. Thanks.

And Jeanine, I'm not Amy but I'm certain I've seen all of those fabrics at Hancocks.

[mo]

What a great tutorial. I love the part about chain stitching- I will be using that!

[mimulus]

ok amy, i am thinking you deserve a craft book contract from this turorial of yours....and the photos are so perfect! who takes the pics...is that you both holding the fabric and clicking the shutter?

those fabrics are adorable...perfect companions for chenille.

[Mariah]

Thank you so much for this! I'm a (very) beginning quilter, and this looks like something I can do, for sure. I loved these when I first saw them in your pictures! I want to start one right this second, but I have a lot of unfinished projects and I need to clear the decks first.

~Mariah~

[LauraJ]

wonderful tutorial, the pics are great!!

[Miri]

Thanks a lot for the tutorial!
I do have a small question - when you sew "chain piece", do you cut the thread between the pieces when you finish sewing? Thank you!

[Learning2sew]

Thanks for this tutorial! I am a newbie in sewing and really wanted to make my first quilt blanket for my 2nd baby.. I have a month and a half to go.. I might be able to do it with your help... but I guess I need to get buying fabrics now! hehe