Friday, May 13, 2011

Calico Calvin

 My first Whirleygig quilt is finally complete, measuring at 38"x44",  it's my entry for Amy's blog festival:




  
There are lots of whirleygig tutorials in the blogging world.  Allie at "Stranz . . . Obsessive Quilting Disorder" has a tutorial which is very easy to follow.  You can find it here.  "crazy mom quilts" also has one here.  If you want a tutorial which instructs you to trim a bit off your square at the beginning, instead of having to trim the whole block at the end, visit Quilting on Turtle Hill's blog for a nice tutorial.

Finished quilt, baby size:  38" x 44".
56 (6") blocks, 7 across, 8 down.
My finished block size was 6 inches.
To make 1 block:
Cut 2 calico 4 inch squares
Cut 2 white 4 inch squares

 56 different fabrics is a lot to come up with.  On Calvin's quilt, I found 1/2 the amount, and made 2 blocks with each fabric.

Once I have my fabric cut into 4 inch squares, I like to match up 1 calico square and 1 white square, and cut the off-set line with them together.  That way I'm sure they'll sew up right, and it helps with the organization of this whole mess.

 Set them off by 1/8th".  If you want your finished squares to look wonkier, you should off-set them by 1/4 ", or more if your squares are larger.  Look at the link to Allie's tutorial I've given above.
Take into consideration when measuring, that you will loose some fabric when you trim your square down.  So before cutting and sewing, this square would have measured 8 inches.  After seam allowances and trimming, it's down to 6 inches.


 I stitched in the ditch through the center of all the squares, going both ways.  Then, I stippled in the white, which after washing, creates the "pop" effect.

It's backed with flannel since it's going to a cold climate. 


I love comments, otherwise I feel like I'm blogging to myself :) . . . then,
 go see the other quilts entered in the Blogger's Quilt Festival, click on this link.


LAP SIZE CONFIGURATIONS:
The next time I try this quilt, I want to make a lap size 60" x 80".
I will make the blocks bigger than Calvin's.


48 (10") blocks total (48 fabrics is hard to find) 
Use the same fabric for 2 blocks, only needing 24 fabrics. 


Finished block:  approx. 10 inches.
To make 1 block:
Cut 2 calico 6 inch squares
Cut 2 white 6 inch squares
(cut 4 of each if using the same fabric for 2 blocks as mentioned above)

Cutting the white separately?
Total of white,  96 - 6 inch squares, purchase 3 1/4 yds. of Kona white for 48 blocks.  (1/4 yrd. added for good measure :)

Make off-set cut between 1/4" and 1/2 ".
Experiment to determine amount of wonkiness.

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Scrappy Log Cabin


44 comments:

  1. I love this, congratulations:)

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  2. Wonderful colours. Although I'm not a fan of blue, in your colour combination it looks very nice. And the blue border fits perfectly :)

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  3. Love this! So bright and cheerful! And the plaid back is great!

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  4. I love your whirly gigs. You did a great job with your fabric selection and piecing.

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  5. I love that. A whirlygig quilt is on my to do list. :) Great job- such a happy quilt!

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  6. Lovely quilt and I especially love your backing fabric. I think I might have to add a whirligig to the list of quilts I must make one day.

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  7. What a beautiful quilt!
    Thanks for sharing how you made it.
    Your blog is wonderful!

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  8. I love whirlygigs, and the fabrics you have used are fantastic!

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  9. I love this quilt, Linda! I have this pattern but haven't tried it. I think it's time!

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  10. I love this pattern. Yours looks awesome!

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  11. Love whirligig quilts andthe colors in this are so lovely and bright! Thanks for sharing and have a great day

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  12. Super cute! Thanks for sharing

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  13. This is always a great pattern, i don't think I've seen a bad one yet!
    Great work!

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  14. Hello there! Found you through the Blloggers Quilt Festival and I love your quilt! I'm now following you!

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  15. Love the colours, this is on my to do list.

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  16. Your quilt looks great! I never tire of whirlygig quilts. Love the colours you have used and the stippling in the quilting. Lovely work!

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  17. I've been wanting to make this pattern too. Just lovely!

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  18. I love this quilt, Linda - the colours work really well together! I made a similar one in pink and yellow last year, but you've inspired me to have a go at another one - I'll add it to my list :o)

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  19. You did a fabulous job. It looks great. Love the plaid backing.

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  20. Love your whirlygigs - beautiful!

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  21. Very cute quilt. Great job.

    SewCalGal
    www.sewcalgal.blogspot.com

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  22. Cheerful quilt and warm! I enjoyed learning about it.

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  23. I love whirlygigs, and yours are just stunning. congrats!
    Kristina
    www.priscillacraft.blogspot.com

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  24. I really like this whirligig quilt. It's a pattern on my to do list but I always seem to put it off. Maybe I won't anymore after seeing how you acheived the wimpy look, I'm feeling pretty inspired.

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  25. Love it! and thanks for linking to the tutorial! I've been thinking of making one of these for a while...now I think I will!

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  26. Adorable! I love this pattern, and the American Jane fabric. Thanks for explaining how to do it!

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  27. Thanks for sharing ! your quilt looks really inspiring - maybe I should try one myself ...

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  28. Love this quilt! I love how the white makes those whirly gigs pop! Nice work and great pictures!

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  29. I love this pattern, the first time I made one I didn't realize that when cutting out the fabric it had to be right side up!! The pattern didn;t quite turn out like the original...quilting is a process.

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  30. Looks really nice. I love your choice of colors.

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  31. can't go wrong with a whirly gig or some american jane!

    You can see my submission to the Blogger's Quilt Festival here: http://blog.petitdesignco.com/2011/05/bloggers-quilt-festival.html

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  32. The colours are very crisp against the white. I like the design.

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  33. Wonderful quilt! You make the whirly gig thing look so easy!! I may just have to finally give that one a try. Thanks for sharing.

    Cheers!
    Rachel
    http://www.dewberrylane.com

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  34. Your whirleygig quilt is awesome! Great choice of fabrics.

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  35. This may very well be my next pattern to try. It is a cute quilt, and would be a good one for my grandson. Yours is very cute, and those squares do pop!

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  36. This is a super fun quilt! Thank you for sharing the tutorial link. I will have to keep it for reference. I think it is a great pattern for ayoung child! AWESOME!!

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  37. You are not blogging to yourself with 40 plus responses. Such a beautiful quilt and I love the way you did your backing. I have been eying these kind of quilts for a while.

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  38. This quilt is so fun! Love the bright colors! I will have to try this pattern some time! :)

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  39. I love this quilt. I featured it on my blog today.

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Thank you for your comments.