Easter Basket - Free Tutorial

Last week I showed you a quilt I had drafted in Electric Quilt - Easter Baskets.  After a shopping trip to my local quilt shop, I decided to make some adjustments to the pattern.  Here are the fabrics I found.

Here is my updated design.

This week I want to provide some a tutorial on how I pieced this quilt.

Pinwheels

Cut:

• White 4-1/4" x 4-1/4" (cut 8)
  
• Pink 4-1/4" x 4-1/4" (cut 8) 
  

Put white and pink fabrics right sides together.  Draw a diagonal line down the center and stitched 1/4" on both sides of the diagonal line.

Cut on the drawn line and press toward the pink.

Trim the units to 3-1/2" x 3-1/2" using Tucker Trimmer 1. 

Trim two sides, rotate the unit and then trim the other two sides.

Combine the units for a four patch.   I then pressed using a split seam.  If you need more information on this, check out my video.

Make 4

Basket

Basket Bottom

Cut:
Background 4-1/4" x 4-1/4" (cut 4)
Basket 4-1/4" x 4-1/4" (cut 4)
Basket 6-1/2" x 3-1/2" (cut 4)


Place Background and Basket 4-1/4" x 4-1/4" pieces right sides together.  Draw a diagonal line down the center and stitch 1/4" on both sides of the diagonal line.  Cut on drawn line.  Press toward Basket. Trim the units to 3-1/2" x 3-1/2" using Tucker Trimmer 1.  Trim two sides, rotate the unit and then trim the other two sides.

Add half square triangles on lower right and lower left of Basket 6-1/2" x 3-1/2" as folded corners.  Trim bottom two layers.

Basket Top

Cut:
Background 4-1/4" x 4-1/4" (cut 1)
Basket  1-9/16 x 4-1/2" (cut 4)
Basket 1-9/16" x 5-1/2" (cut 4)
      (Hint - 9/16" is just a bit larger than 1-1/2".)
Background 4-1/2" x 4-1/2" (cut 4)


X-cut Background 4-1/4" x 4-1/4" for four triangle pieces. 

Add short Basket Handle to one side of X-cut Background triangle.  Add long triangle to the other side.

Cut Background 4-1/2" x 4-1/2" once on diagonal for two triangles.  Add one to left of handles and one to right.

Trim to 6-1/2" x 3-1/2".  

1. Trim bottom of handles even with bottom of X-cut triangle
2. Trim top 3-1/2" from bottom.
3. Use Tucker Trimmer 1 to line up and trim left and right sides to 6-1/2".

Add top and bottom sections together.  Basket section measures 6-1/2" x 6-1/2".

Make 4

Square within a Square

Cut:

• Green (i.e. center), 4-3/4" x 4-3/4" (cut 1)
• Blue (i.e corners), 4-1/4" x 4-1/2" (cut 2)

Cut Blue Corners once on diagonal for two triangles.

Add triangles to all four sides.  Use the Square 2 ruler from Studio 180 Design to trim unit to 6-1/2" x 6-1/2".  Align Center points with alignment marks on the ruler.  Trim right and top sides.  Rotate unit 180 degrees and trim other two sides.

Complete center section.  It will measure 18-1/2" x 18-1/2"

Pieced Border

Cut 1-1/2" strips of border fabrics (yellow, blue and pink).

Combine blue and yellow strips.  Cross-cut at 2-1/2".  
Cut 32.

Combine pink and yellow strips.  Cross-cut at 2-1/2".  Cut 4.

Cut blue and pink pieces 6-1/2" x 1-1/2" for top of pieced border sections.

Combine 2-1/2" cross cut units.  Add tops.

Each section measures 6-1/2" x 3-1/2".

Make 8.

Make 4.

Corners:

• Yellow 2-1/2" x 2-1/2"
• Pink 2-1/2" x 1-1/2"
• Pink 3-1/2" x 1-1/2"
  

Add Pink 2-1/2" x 1-1/2" to Yellow.  Add Pink 3-1/2".  Corner unit measures 3-1/2" x 3-1/2"

Make 4.

Combine pieced units.  Add corners to top and bottom.  Add pieced borders to quilt center.

Cut outer border strips

• 3" x 24-1/2" (cut 2)
  
• 3" x 29-1/2" (cut 2)

Add borders to quilt center.  Quilt finishes 29-1/2" x 29-1/2".

Final quilt.  

Now that I look at the quilt, I think it would also work nicely for May Day as well.

Happy Easter!

Kari

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