This makes a 24 in piece – it would be a great centre medallion for a larger quilt or a big cushion or a side of a tote bag, or add some borders to make a wall quilt…
There are 6 fabrics in this mystery. Apart from fabric 1, which is a square that doesn’t get cut up any more, it is not really suited to directional fabrics. Checks or fabrics that can be rotated are fine. Fabric 4 sets the tone for this mystery – a strong colour is good here, can be print, batik, solid colour.
| Fabric | Cutting needed (all in inches) | colour suggestions |
| Background | 4 of [6 ½” x 3 ½”] 4 of [9 ½” x 3 ½”] 1 of [8” square] 1 of [9” square] if you have yardage (42” wide) you’ll need just less than 12” to cut all this. It’s more than a single fat quarter, unless your fat quarters are generous. |
can be dark or light,
good contrast with fabrics 4 and 5 not suitable for very directional prints |
| fabric 1 | 1 of [6 ½” square] | great for a fussy cut (will not be chopped up any more), any colour |
| fabric 2 | 1 of [7 ½” square] | good contrast with 1 and 3, can be dark or light |
| fabric 3 | 4 of [3 ½” square] 1 of [9” square] |
good contrast with 2 and 4 |
| fabric 4 | 4 of [6 ½” x 3 ½”] 1 of [8” square] 2 of [4” square] this is easy from a fat quarter’s worth of fabric. |
a strong colour – apart from the background, this is the fabric that appears the most in this mystery. |
| fabric 5 | 1 of [7 ½” square] 2 of [4” square] |
a fabric that zings against 4 |
I used yardage and had everything cut out in 30 minutes. You can cut ahead of the workshop if you want, but my total sewing time was 1h 40 min (including one bit of un-sewing!) – so there will be plenty of time to cut at the workshop.
- Rulers: there will be some cutting and trimming on the day, so bring your favourite rulers. You will need to have a ruler that can square up and trim units. Marsha McCloskey’s Precision Trimmer is great – if you don’t have it, don’t worry – just bring your usual ruler(s). Bring at least one ruler that has a 45 degree line on it and can be used to trim a unit.
- Rotary cutter and mat.
- Bring a pencil or white chalk pen for marking.
- There will be pressing as we go along – bring an iron and mat, or plan to share with someone.
- Pins if you are a stickler for accuracy
- Sewing machine and extension lead.
- thread, scissors … your usual sewing kit.
Any queries – send an email to corkips@gmail.com – Frances
Southern Branch of the Irish Patchwork Society 