Blue and white.  For a time, it was the most sought-after two-color quilt color combination.

Blue Droplets was pieced by Debbie Outlaw, and quilted by Michelle Parker of Sew Many Quilts.

Some appraisers think blue and white is still the most collectible, but the Infinite Variety show certainly raised the popularity of red and white quilts.  (We admit that we love every color combination we see, from the classic to the modern.)

This is - Bella Classics 2 - Droplets

This quilt finishes at 72" x 72".  The yardage required is 4½ yards of Blue (9900 396 - Lapis) and 3¾ yards of Off-White (9900 200).  The binding is included in the yardage for the Blue.  Backing - 4¾ yards.  

For a couple of reasons, we chose to piece this quilt using connector corners, also known as flip-and-sew and folded corners.  The stitching line can be drawn on the wrong side of the small square, or a product like Cluck Cluck Sew's Diagonal Seam Tape.

Printed on washi tape - a paper tape with an easy-release adhesive - the tape is easy to position, remove, put back on, and so on.  Using the instructions on the package, position the tape on the bed of your sewing machine, and off you go.

Align the corner of the small square with the center line and stitch.  It's that simple.  This is also a great tool to find, and maintain, a perfect seam allowance.  Diagonal Seam Tape by Cluck Cluck Sew is CCS 192.  (Ask about it at your favorite quilt shop.) 

We also use the Simple Folded Corner Ruler by Antler Quilt Designs for these corners.  The Original size works on squares and rectangles up to 8½", the Mini size is for squares and rectangles up to 4½".  

• Simple Folded Corner Ruler - Original (AQDR1)
• Simple Folded Corner Ruler - Mini (AQDR2)

There are two ways to use this ruler and it's good to know them both.  

Trimming the corner.

Instead of stitching across the square, the corner can be trimmed first, then stitched with a ¼" seam allowance.

Layer the two squares - this works for both the flying geese units, and the square-in-a-square units.  Place the Simple Folded Corners ruler in the corner with the line ¼" away from the edge going across the square at the points.  That is the seam allowance.

Trim the corner, then stitch.

(I'm sorry about only having the reverse units to show here.)

After trimming, stitch the seam.  

Bonus half-triangle squares!  Whether you trim the corner, draw the line, or use the seam tape, after stitching the first seam across the square, stitch a second seam ½" away.

When the corner is trimmed, there is an already-stitched half-triangle square ready to be pressed, trimmed, and used for another project.

These can be trimmed to 2½" x 2½" to finish at 2" x 2".  

There are 324 of these corners in the quilt... so that's 81 Pinwheel blocks that finish at 4" x 4".  Or Broken Dishes blocks.  Stars?  Those would finish at 8", and there are enough HTSs to make 20 of those.  Or just sew them together in rows for a pillow, table-runner or wall-hanging.  Eighteen rows of 18 HTSs would measure 36" x 36".  Just saying...

Over-sizing the corner.  The ruler includes instructions on trimming the corner of the base fabric, and over-sizing the "small square".  It is then cut in half, and joined to the trimmed corner with a ¼" seam.

The instructions include the sizes for the over-sized squares - these are cut at 4¼" x 4¼".

(Oops... stitching with white thread on a white Bella Solid.)

After stitching with the ¼" seam, press the seam to the triangle.

Then trim the corner so the finished piece is the size of the original square - 6½" x 6½".  This works for both the square-in-a-square units and flying geese.

The triangles trimmed from the base square or rectangle can be stitched to other scraps for half-triangle-squares, if desired.

Red Droplets was pieced by Judy Adams and quilted by Carrie Straka of Red Velvet Quilts.

This is Droplets made with Christmas Red (9900 16) and Off-White (9900 200).

So are you making two-color quilts for 2022?  Are you using the same color for all six quilts, or mixing it up?

So many choices, right?

If you missed the pattern link earlier - Bella Classics 2 - Droplets.

For now, we're in love with this one.

We'll be back in May with Timepiece, aka Bella Classics 3.

(And if you missed it... Bella Classics 1 - Quintet.)