Kiss in the Corner!

My love of antique quilts drives me! Especially on-point-ones in Pennsylvania Dutch colors like this:

And soft pastel deliciousness like this one!

I just LOVED the large chunky cornerstones in this pink/white version and that is what inspired me to play with this setting.

Because I work with scraps, it is ALWAYS difficult for me to tell you how many yards of this-or-that you might need, because I just dig. And I cut. And I sew, and if I run out of something, I grab another piece. Often times yardage is hard to calculate because I might only use a 2 1/2” square of something…and just ONE of that is in my quilt, and to tell you to buy yardage for one 2 1/2” square is just silly. SO….work with what you have, if you run short, buy some more!

If you have approximately 2 yards of neutrals, 2 yards of scrappy colors, and 2 yards (8 FQs) of yellows, you should be good to go!

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Kiss In The Corner!

Block size: 4.5"

Quilt size: Approx. 60" X 67"

Shoo Fly Blocks! What is not to like about them?

This quilt starts with bonus half square triangles! You know, the kind you get when you are doing that snowball-techique where you put a smaller square in the corner of a larger square and sew on the diagonal? I save those, double sewing them with a scant 3/8” seam between the two seam lines and square them to the best measurement I can get out of them, always aiming for something that gives me a usable measurement to work with. I have BOXES that have been square-able to 2” and that is what I used here!

You will need 288 half square triangles that measure 2”, and they will finish into the quilt at 1-1/2”. They are the same size as the triangles in Roll Roll Cotton Boll! If you don’t have a stash of half square triangles of this size, you can use your Easy Angle Ruler and 2” strips to make them:

Match the strips with right sides together, and use the 2” marking on the ruler to cut 288 matched pairs. Stitch up into 288 half square triangle units. Feel free to use ANY method that will give you the number of half square triangles required!

Next Step! Sew a bunch of 2” scrap fabrics ((Mine are all recycled from clothing!)) between two 2” strips of chrome yellow. Press seams toward the yellow. We will be cutting “three-sie” units from these, as if we were sewing 9 patches:

Slice the strip panels into 2” sub-sections. You will need 72 of these three-sies! And while you are at it, cut 144 2” yellow squares to go with them!

Add a triangle unit to the end of each yellow square as shown! Press seams toward the yellow! Make 144.

Combine the triangle units and the three-sie units to make 72 adorable Shoo-Fly blocks as shown! These should measure 5” and finish at 4.5” when sewn into the quilt.

Pieced Sashings:

It’s the pieced sashings that add those cute wonky friendship star units to the quilt layout!

Piece a bunch more strip sets from 2” strips, with colors in the center, flanked by two neutral strips on either side. You need 168 2" sub-cuts for the sashings. Press seams toward the neutral strips.

I really loved using these fabrics together! Using recycled fabrics along with the regular quilt stash just adds such a softness, giving you an instantly vintage looking quilt!

Let’s put the “Kiss” in the “Corner!”

For this step I grabbed my trusty box of 1.5” scrap squares. This is the smallest size of scrap that I cut to any specific size, and I use these quite a bit! If you are cutting from 1.5” strips, or cutting individual 1.5” squares, you will need TWO squares for each sashing, or 336 1.5” squares.

I started out just pulling the recycled fabric ones, but as I went I found that there were other colors and fabrics that I wanted to throw in to make these little stars sing.

What I really LIKE about using these small squares, is that we won’t have any corners to match when we sew the quilt together. They will float a bit, surrounding the star within the neutral areas!

Start by laying a 1.5” square in the upper right corner of the three-sie unit as shown. Stitch across the red square, from corner to corner on the diagonal. Fold the red square back against the corner to check that it matches the edges of the neutral square. Trim excess approximately 1/4” beyond the stitching and press. Repeat for the opposite corner at the bottom left of the unit.

Make 168 pieced sashing units. *Note* all of your units must be identical to each other in placement of the two corner triangle “Kisses”!

Setting Triangles & Cornerstones:

From yellow prints cut:

Cut (59) 2” squares of various yellows for cornerstones.

(6) 7 5/8” Squares. Cut each square from corner to corner twice with an X to yield 24 setting triangles. 22 will be used in the quilt, 2 will be extra.

(2) 4 1/8” Squares. Cut each square from corner to corner once to yield 4 corner triangles.

(7) 3 1/4” Squares. Cut each square from corner to corner twice with an X to yield 28 small setting triangles. 26 will be used in the quilt, 2 will be extra.

*Note* If you have the companion angle ruler, these small setting triangles, which go on the end of the sashing rows at the edges of the quilt, can be cut from 1.5” strips as shown:

I like using my specialty rulers when I can!

Layout:

This part becomes a design wall/floor process! I want to make sure that the colors fall where I want them to, so I lay out the WHOLE QUILT so I can rearrange blocks and sashings as needed:

Lay out the Shoofly blocks, leaving room for the sashings and cornerstones in between. Layout the yellow cornerstones where the triangles in the sashing meet to form the friendship star design. Finally, place the setting triangles, Large and small where they go, and then the corners.

Diagonal quilts are sewn in rows, starting in one corner, and working toward the center of the quilt with each row increasing in length. Stitch the quilt center into rows, and join the rows to complete quilt center. I like to piece the top in two halves, and then join the two halves together. This helps distribute much of the bulk as the quilt halves grow! Press well.

Using a large ruler with a good 1/4” marking, trim up the edges of the quilt with the edge falling 1/4” past all block corners. This helps get rid of dog ears, etc. Stay stitch around the edge of quilt if desired, about 1/8” from the edge.

Borders:

Inner border:

From random 1.5” wide red strips—Join lengths together on the diagonal to reach a border length of approximately 260” Trim excess 1/4” beyond the stitching and press seams open.

Outer Border:

From random 3.5” wide blue strips and rectangles –join lengths together on the “straight” by butting the ends and stitching to reach a border length of approximately 260”. Press seams open.

Stitch narrow red inner border to outer blue border with right sides together. Press seam toward the red inner border.

Lay the quilt center out on the floor, smoothing it gently. Do not tug or pull. Measure the quilt through the center from top to bottom. Cut two side borders this length. Measure the quilt from side to side across the center. Cut two side borders this length.

Stitch side borders to quilt, pinning center and ends and easing where necessary to fit. Press seams toward inner border.

Cut (4) 4.5” Squares from blue for border corners. Add a border corner square to each end of both top and bottom borders. Press seam toward the borders. Attach top and bottom borders to quilt, pinning to match centers and ends and easing where necessary to fit. Press seams toward inner border.

QUILTING!!

I quilted Kiss in The Corner with an edge to edge design by Hermione Agee of Lorien Quilting called Country Garden! I love the leaves and swirls and circles in this design! I used a sandy tan colored thread, and bound the quilt with lengths of 2.5” blue strips joined on the diagonal. That red fabric with the circles? It was a pair of capris! The blue corner square was one of my own blouses. Loved that print!

This light blue fabric was also a blouse of mine…next to it the dark blue paisley? That was one of those jumpers I had years ago…the ones that made us all look like school teachers? LOL! And next to it..that red leafy paisley? Another pair of capris! I’ve loved working with these recycled bits, every one!

Is there such a thing as too much yellow? I don’t think so!