CREAM SCALLOP PATCHWORK TUTORIAL

I am so excited to share that my latest collection, DENIM & DAISIES, is shipping to stores as we speak! Its been a long time coming and I am so excited for it to start getting into your hands. I cannot wait to see what you create with all of these amazing denim blues, oranges, caramels and creams.

Included in this collection is a specially created CHEATER CLOTH PATCHWORK fabric. I worked really hard to create a patchwork fabric that appears vintage and scrappy and pieced together from a variety of fabrics and I do think that it worked. I promise you that most people will never be able to tell that it is not actually a patchwork but a single piece of fabric. Sometimes I even forget when I look at the quilts and bags I have made with it… true story!

Today I wanted to share with you the simple steps I took to create the second in the series of simple patchwork throws made with these “cheater cloths”. CLICK HERE for the previous post to see our SIMPLE DENIM PATCHWORK THROW -OR- continue here for the CREAM SCALLOP PATCHWORK THROW.

If you want to read more about the PATCHWORK FABRIC itself, CLICK HERE for our previous post that describes the fabric itself in detail.

MATERIALS LIST: CREAM SCALLOP PATCHWORK THROW

• 1 ¾ yds. CREAM CHEATER CLOTH PATCHWORK
• 3 ¾ yds. coordinating fabric for backing [we chose a small cream print]
• ¾ yd. binding [ we chose the lighter blue “dobby woven” from our coordinating WOVENS COLLECTION]
• Twin batting

A sister to the DENIM version, this cream patchwork has a mix of blues, caramels and oranges in its patches, and is even more scrappy than the first one. I love how it twinkles and sparkles!

HOW TO MAKE THE PATCHWORK THROW

Size: app. 58″ x 59″

The beginning steps for this patchwork are exactly the same as the denim one. Basically it starts off as a standard lap throw.

1. I recommend using 1 ¾ yards of the PATCHWORK fabric for this version. It gives you a lap throw that is a bit smaller and still totally snuggable. You could ofcourse make this the same size as the denim one or even longer if you like. Given that it is 60″ wide, if you use 1 ¾ yards, you will end up with a patchwork app. 58″ x 60″ when all is said and done.
2. Choose another cream fabric from the DENIM & DAISIES collection for the back for a perfectly blended reversible quilt. Since all of the other fabrics in the collection are standard 45″ wide fabrics, you will need 3 ¾ yds for the backing of your throw.
3. Make a regular quilt sandwich and either quilt it yourself with a small geometric stitch [straight lines, cross hatching, zigzag lines or even small meandering] or have it long arm quilted with something simple and repetetive. Susan did her magic and we chose a small allover pumpkin seed for mine and I absolutely LOVE the result.
4. Once the patchwork is quilted, trim it up so that it is even and squared off, trim off the selvedges and line up the ends so that it is straight across the patchwork. Note that it doesn’t have to be at the points of the patches to look “real”. It can just as easily be in the middle of the patches for a “setting triangle” look. Take a look at what ours look like in the photos.
5. You could of course scallop two opposite sides or all four sides [although this does involve a bit more work and planning since you have to figure out how the scallops will come together in the corners], but we chose to do a single accent scallop side for the perfectly classic finish. And it really could not be more simple… really.

SCALLOPS

1. SCALLOP CALCULATIONS: I wanted a scallop on the smaller/shallower side [so it would be easier to bind and feel light & delicate] so I chose a small salad plate as my template. CLICK HERE for the download of my scallop template if you want to use that but honestly you could use any small plate from your kitchen and adjust your scallops to match your length. For reference, in case you are making your own, my scallop is app. 1 ¼” deep by 5 ⅞” wide. If downloading, make sure your are not shrinking your template during printing!
2. Next, I folded the quilt in half crosswise to mark the center point and then measured the length of each side. After quilting, mine measured 29″ on each side [note that yours might be slightly different based on quilting and trimming].
3. Since my quilt half was 29″ and I knew I wouldn’t be able to get another full scallop in, I decided on 4 scallops for each half of the quilt and then a partial corner [in the end this will give you 8 scallops across the bottom, plus 2 partials, one on each end].
4. Next, I cut a piece of freezer paper 2″ x 23 ½” [this would be for my 4 scallops for one half]. I folded my freezer paper into quarters [so your folded piece should be app. 5 ⅞” once folded up]. I then traced my scallop onto the bottom of the top piece of the folded accordian and cut it out.
5. Unfold the freezer paper and press the scalloped paper to one half of your quilt [from the center mark toward one side] lining it up with the bottom of your quilt. Trace. Peel off the freezer paper and line up the paper on the end for your partial scallop. Trace the corner partial scallop. Repeat for the other half.
6. Cut out the scallop on the line all the way from one end to the other.

BINDING YOUR QUILT

1. Next, BIAS BIND your quilt with the light blue “dobby dot” fabric from the matching WOVEN COLLECTION or a favorite print from the collection. Your binding will have to be bias so that it easily curves around your scallop. You will need approximately 270″ of bias binding. So if cutting strips from a ¾ yd. of fabric, you will fold your fabric into a giant triangle to find the bias and keep cutting pieces [starting with the longest center pieces] until you have reached that total. You will have some waste on the smaller sides of your triangle, but I prefer to do that than to have to piece lots of little pieces.
2. If you have never made bias binding, my friend Julie at Jaybird Quilts has a great tutorial on how to do it. CLICK HERE to see Julie’s info.
3. Join the pieces together like regular/straight binding. Start on one of the side straight sides, 12″-18″ from the beginning of one of the scallop ends. Bind that first straight piece normally, miter the first corner and begin your first scallop. The trick with bias binding and scallops is to sew slowly around each scallop and BE SURE to let the fabric ease in slowly as you stitch – don’t pull too much- so that your scallops don’t cup. That is the beauty of bias binding… it should stretch and give to where you want it to go. When you get to an inner point, slow down, stitch into the center of the inner point, needle down, pivot your sewing and your fabric to the next side, turn the fabric along the pivot [you will have excess fabric there in the corner and that is okay] and begin your next scallop.
4. Finish the scallop side, full miter the other corner and move up the remaining sides of the quilt as you would a normal binding.
5. If you were doing deep scallops you would need to miter each of those inner curves but with a softer, shallow scallop such as thing one, simply turning your bias fabric at the pivot point will work. Once you are done with the full binding and it is time to hand bind the other side of the scallop, you will turn each scallop fabric to the back, tuck a partial miter of your fabric [this will make sense when you are doing it- there is not quite enough fabric for a full mitered corner but just enough to create a little tuck on the back side and to stitch down each point and then to move to the next scallop.
6. Finish binding the rest of your quilt on the regular sides. Press the scallops flat if at all needed. Your bias binding should also make that easy to do.
7. Lastly, wash on warm and dry on warm for that gorgeous crinkly, worn, lived in look.

Lastly enjoy your scallop patchwork. And if you feel like scallops are beyond your ability… give this one a try. Its only a single side so its a great way to experiment and try something new and if you really mess it up… you can just cut it off and go on your merry way!

Happy Stitching,

Joanna