Happy Valentine's Day month!

This is a good project to practice accurate 1/4" seams and half square triangles (HST) and the result is perfect for some V Day cuddling.  Make a few blocks for a wall hanging, like I did above, or make a lot of blocks for a quilt to snuggle under!

Fat quarter bundle with 7 or more pink and red fat quarters

3 yds background, sashing & border fabric - Moda Bella Solids in Snow

5 yds backing fabric

1 yd binding fabric, cut into (8) 2.50" strips

Note: All seam allowances are 1/4"

1)  You'll need a healthy assortment of pink and red fat quarters for this project.  Sort all the pinks and reds from your fat quarter bundle.  To make the large quilt,  you'll need a total of (192) 4.5" x 2.5" rectangles, and (48) 5.25" x 5.25" squares for the half square triangles (HST).   Each block has (16) 4.5" x 2.5" rectangles and (8) 4.5" x 4.5" HST.

2) From the background fabric, cut 6 strips of 5.25" x width of fabric (WOF).  Sub-cut each strip into (8) 5.25" x 5.25" squares, for a total of 48.  Using a pencil or fabric pen, draw a diagonal line on one side of each square.

3) Sew your HST.  Pair one 5.25" square of white on top of a 5.25" square of pink or red.  Sew 1/4" away from the pencil line on both sides.  Cut along the pencil line so you have 2 HST blocks.  Press towards the dark side.  Repeat until you have 96 HST units.  Trim down to 4.5" x 4.5".

4) Now it's time to arrange your fabrics into blocks.  Both blocks are basically the same 4 units, but arranged in different order for the X and for the O.  Lay out your pieces as shown for the blocks and start sewing them together!  When pressing, make sure you are able to nestle your seams to decrease bulk when quilting.

5) Once all your blocks are sewn together, you can arrange and sew them together in a grid of 3 across and 4 down.

6) From the background fabric, cut 7 strips 4.5" x WOF for the borders.  You will need to piece them into long strips and trim down to fit the center of your quilt, which should measure about 51.5" x 69".  Sew the borders to the center and press.

7) Time to baste,quilt, label, and bind!

I put together a sweet wall quilt with 4 blocks in lovely pink solids with a splash of print.  I used my domestic Bernina 440 to free motion hearts using Aurifil.  This cutie is going to be sent to my grandma soon!

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial.  Please let me know if you have any questions, and be sure to post your photos on Flickr, Instagram, Facebook, etc and tag me, Emily at Sew E.T.!  @drkornea

60" x 77" Lap Quilt

Emily Thompson
{Emily at Sew E.T.! }