Please read all instructions before beginning.  Try to be as accurate as possible.  All dimensions given include 1/4” seam allowances, unless otherwise noted.  Drawings are not to scale.

 FABRICS

Avoid obvious directional prints, unless you don’t care which way they end up pointing.  Pre-wash and iron all fabrics.  Good-quality 100% cotton is recommended. The yardages given are in case you wish to use all new fabric.  Please feel free to substitute scraps, “Orphan Blocks*,” and/or UFOs** as you go along, though (see? we told you it’s an unusual project!!).  The results will still be delightful, and your scrap box(es) will thank us for it!!!

 *An Orphan Block is one that you might find at a quilt show, garage sale, or one of many other such places which is not one of a group of blocks whose destiny was to be made into a quilt (or any other project, for that matter!).  They may be “castaways” which someone decided not to use in another project, unsuccessful “experiments,” or whatever.  They’re just lonely little quilt blocks waiting for some kind person to come along and “adopt” them! 

**In case you’re not familiar with this term, it stands for UnFinished Object.  Got it? 

SUPPLIES:  Just your usual quiltmaking stuff, for the most part:  sewing machine with an accurate 1/4” seam capability; iron & ironing board or heat-proof mat; rotary cutting equipment (cutter, self-healing mat, and 1/8”-thick gridded plastic ruler); hand-sewing needle for appliqueing (yes, that’s a clue!); thread (a neutral color usually works well); pins; thread snips or embroidery scissors; seam ripper, etc., etc. 

FABRICS

Fabric A:  regular 1/2 yard (NO “fat quarters!”); this should be your lightest fabric.  A “sky” print or subtle tone-on-tone would do well here.

Fabric B:  3/4 yard; same color family as Fabric A.  For example, if you chose a blue sky print for Light #1, choose another light blue, only a little bit darker than Light #1.  A light, airy floral  would do well.  HINT:  This will be the main fabric for the project, so be sure to choose something you like!

Fabric C:   1/3 yard; we suggest choosing a medium-dark plaid.

Fabric D:   2/3 yard; a solid, medium shade of green, such as a “lettuce” color would be good.

Fabric E:   Fat Quarter (measures 18” x 22”); Fabrics E and F should be from the same color family (for example, you could choose a lighter and darker shade of the “bubblegum pink” prints which are available.  Fabric F should be darker than Fabric E.  Fabric E can be almost as light as Fabric A.

Fabric F:   Fat Quarter (see Fabric E description above)

OTHER NOTIONS:

SEVEN plastic storage bags; six should be the quart size; the other one should be the 1-gallon size.  (Don’t worry; we’ll explain as we go along!)

ONE 3” x 5” piece of paper

Freezer Paper

Water-soluble glue stick

Utility scissors for cutting paper

 PART 1:  CUTTING 

Remember the seven plastic storage bags we just mentioned?  Well, you’ll now need to go find them, because you’ll be sorting your fabrics into separate bags as you cut them.  Mark your 1-gallon size bag as Bag #5.  Mark your remaining bags as Bag #s 1 through 4, and Bag #s 6 & 7.  HINT:  We just used sticky-notes inside each bag to identify them. 

 DEFINITION:  WOF means “width of fabric” 

Now - one more note before we begin:  TAKE YOUR TIME as you go through the cutting process.  The sorting part is pretty important here, although there’s no need to panic if you end up missing a piece later on - this is why you have extra fabric!  We’ll lead you through the piecing process step by step, so you’ll be able to easily tell if any pieces are missing from each bag. 

Fabric A: 

•  Cut THREE strips, each 1 1/2” wide by WOF (see Definition above); snip one of them in half to make 2 shorter lengths; then place all of these pieces inside Bag #5.

•  Cut ONE rectangle, 6 1/2” x 12 1/2”, and put it in Bag #7.

•  Cut ONE 4 1/4”square and bisect it once on the diagonal to make two triangles.  Place one triangle in your scrap box, and the other in Bag #4.

•  Cut ONE rectangle, 4 1/2” x 6 1/2”, and slide it into Bag #4 as well.

•  Cut TWO 3 7/8” squares and place them in Bag #5. 

Fabric B: 

•  Cut FOUR strips, each 2 1/2” by WOF, and put them in Bag #5.

•  Cut ONE strip, 7” by WOF; then trim it down to 7” by about 32” and put it in Bag #5.

•  Using the remainder of the above strip first and then moving on to your larger piece of Fabric B, cut SIX 4 1/2” squares.  FIVE of these squares need to go into Bag #2; the remaining square goes into Bag #3.

•  Cut TWO 2 7/8” squares and place them in Bag #3.

•  Cut EIGHT 2 1/2” squares and put them in Bag #2.

•  Cut ONE rectangle, 2” x 12” and put it in Bag #2.

•  Cut FOUR rectangles, each 2 1/2” x 4 1/2” and put them in Bag #3.

•  Cut ONE 3 1/4” square and put it in Bag #5.

Fabric C:

•  Cut ONE rectangle, 3 5/8” x 7 1/4”.  Fold it in half to find  the center along one of the 7 1/4” sides.  Crease it at the center point.  Open it up.  Cut from the center       point diagonally to each outside corner as shown in the diagram above.  Then place your large triangle inside Bag #4.  The other two triangles can go into your scrap box, or be used for cutting more pieces of Fabric C.

•  Cut ONE strip, 2 1/2” by WOF; then cut it into TWELVE 2 1/2” squares; place them all in Bag #1.

•  Cut ONE rectangle, 1 1/2” x 14 1/2”; place it in Bag #6.

•  Cut ONE 4 1/4” square, and bisect it once on the diagonal to make two triangles.  Place one triangle in your scrap box, and the other in Bag #4.

•  Cut ONE 4” square and place it in Bag #4.

•  Cut TWO  2 7/8” squares and put them in Bag #3.

Fabric D:

•  Cut ONE strip, 7” by WOF; then trim its length to about 32”.  It then goes into Bag #5.

•  Cut ONE strip, 4 1/2” by WOF and put it in Bag #7.

•  Cut ONE strip, 1 1/2” by WOF; then cut it into:  ONE piece, 1 1/2” x 6 1/2” (Bag #4);  and ONE piece 1 1/2” x 14 1/2” (Bag #6).

•  Cut SIX 2 1/2” squares, and slide them all into Bag #1.

•  Cut TWO  3 7/8” squares, and put them in Bag #5.

•  Cut ONE  3 1/4” square and put it in Bag #5.

•  Cut ONE strip on the bias, about 1 1/2” x about 11 1/2” and pop it into Bag #7.

Fabric E:

•  Cut FOUR strips, 2 1/2” by WOF (remember that you’re using a Fat Quarter).  Then cut them into a  total of THIRTEEN rectangles, each 2 1/2” x 4 1/2”.  Put FOUR of these rectangles in Bag #2,  and the remaining NINE into Bag #1.

•  Cut ONE rectangle  1 1/2” x 15” and put it inside Bag #6.

•  Cut ONE piece, about 6” x 12”, and put it in Bag #7.

Fabric F:

•  Cut ONE strip, 2 1/2” by WOF.  Then cut it into a total of EIGHT 2 1/2” squares.  Put them all in Bag #3.

•  Cut ONE piece, about 6” x 12”, and put it in Bag #7.

•  Cut TWO rectangles, each 1 3/4” x 12” and put them in Bag #2.

Freezer Paper:

•  Cut ONE 3 1/2” square and put it into Bag #4.

•  Cut ONE rectangle, 1” x 11” and put it into Bag #7.

Other:

•  Your 3” x 5” piece of paper goes into Bag #7.

 Phew!!  That was a lot of cutting and sorting, wasn’t it?  It will pay off later on, though, as you whiz through most of the piecing process in the remainder of this Case!