The QM Scrap Squad is a select group of seven QM readers. They take one pattern from each regular issue of Quiltmaker and create their own scrappy versions to inspire you.
Today we begin showing the Scrap Squad’s quilts made using the Bella Amore pattern from the Nov/Dec issue.
Below is the original Bella Amore, designed by Marianne Elizabeth, sewn by Pat Welch and quilted by Janet Lee Santeusanio. The fabric is Arabella Rose by Marianne Elizabeth for RJR Fabrics.
Today’s featured Scrap Squad quilt is by Donna Hanley from Cincinnatus, New York. You’ll hear from Donna in her own words below.
Donna Hanley
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I love star blocks and diagonal settings so I was eager to get started on this Ohio Star variation quilt. Like most people, finding enough time to do everything I want to do is always an issue, so the smaller size option was perfect for me.
I loved a black and white quilt that a friend of mine once made. She also added splashes of hot pink and turquoise with stunning results. That was my inspiration for the colors I chose for this quilt.
I wanted to use different fabrics for each block and after shopping in my stash, I was able to achieve that goal. The only new fabric I needed to buy was the purple in the border and binding. Here’s the collection of fabrics I used.
In my last post about Country Morning, I mentioned some of Deb Tucker’s rulers. Deb’s rulers involve making units bigger than needed, then trimming them down to the exact size. I love that technique since the units are perfect every time.
The Tucker Trimmer is great for making the half-square and quarter-square units that are used in this quilt.
Deb’s directions are easy to understand—even a novice quilter can achieve success. She has videos on her website that demonstrate how to use all of her tools.
Once these units were made, I completed the star blocks.
I was surprised to see the grid design that was developing with my light black and whites. It seemed to me that placing a plain setting triangle around the outside of the blocks would interrupt this secondary design. Thus I decided to piece the setting triangles to continue this design.
The thought of trying to cut and piece the trapezoid shape that I’d need for this was daunting—something I really didn’t want to do. After some thought, I realized I could easily piece the unit using the same size half-square triangles and squares used in the blocks. The square and half-square units were trimmed to
3 1/2″ and pieced as shown.
I completed the quilt center and left the tails on these units until I was ready to add the border.
A plain border didn’t seem right for this quilt. On the other hand, I didn’t want to create a border that would draw attention away from the center design. I chose to piece a subtle border with purple squares and black triangles. The border units were pieced like this:
The purple squares were cut at 2⅝” and the black triangles were cut from 4¼” squares, cut twice diagonally in order to keep a straight grain edge on the outside of the quilt.
Once the border was on I was ready to layer and quilt Bella Amore.
Izzy
We all need a little help sometime and as you can see, Izzy was eager to lend a helping paw with the quilting.
Here’s the final result.
Another nice job by this Scrap Squad member! The subtle border is just right, and the secondary grid design adds so much interest. Great work!