Maple Sugar Table Topper Tutorial

Suitable for a beginner! You can make this easy Table Topper. Change up the fabrics and it can serve for any holiday or occasion you wish. The topper measures 18.5" x 18.5" square

For the center of this table topper, I used a piece of Kona Cotton Black which I had fun experimenting with.  Dying fabric using Tsukineko Ink which I picked up at the Pacific International Quilt Festival in Santa Clara, CA a few weeks ago. 

Below is a demo video I shot at the show which gives you an idea of the application process. You can use any focus fabric for your center, it does not have to be hand dyed. If you want to pick up these inks, you can get them at www.teacherstamp.com. This demo was given by Thomas Teng. He and his lovely wife Joyce are the owners of TSC Designs which has been a family owned business since 1985. They are able to answer all your questions about Tsukineko Inks.

For the Maple Sugar Table Topper you will need:

1.)  A square of focus fabric for your center - cut (1) 6.5" x 6.5"

2.)  Two coordinating and contrasting fabrics cut as follows:

Gold Batik  cut (4) 3.5" x 6.5" rectangles
                    cut (1) 7.5" square
                    cut (1) 2" x 9" strip

Burnt Orange Batik cut (1) 9" square
                                 cut (4) 3.5" x 3.5" squares
                                 cut (4) 3.5" x 6.5" squares
                                 cut (1) 2 x 9" strip
                                 cut (1) 2 x 16" strip
Batting (1) measure 20 x 20 (you will trim to fit after quilting)
Backing fabric (1) measure 20 x 20 
Binding Fabric cut (2) 2" or 2.5" x WOF strips, depending on how thick a binding you wish.

I have used the 3 x 6" Quilt-In-A-Day Flying Geese Ruler to make four flying geese as illustrated below.

Place the 7.5" square on top of the 9" square, centering them with right sides facing each other. Draw a diagonal line from one corner to the other. Pin the squares together.

Stitch 1/4" on both sides of the drawn line as shown. Remove your pins and then press to set your seams, cut apart on the drawn line as shown below.

Open each half and press flat, make sure there are no tucks and that you have pressed the seam toward the large triangle. You should have two pieces that look like the photo below.

Place your pieces right sides together so that opposite fabrics touch and your seams are parallel with each other...DO NOT TRY TO MATCH YOUR SEAMS. Your pieces should look like the photo below with a "swallow tail" on each side. 

Again you will draw a diagonal line from corner to corner, pin and stitch on both sides of your drawn line as shown in the photo below.

When you have stitched on both sides of your drawn line, then you will remove your pins, press to set your seam and cut apart on the drawn line as shown below.

Now before you press these two halves open, you will make a little clip in the middle of your seam as shown below. Fold your fabric in half to find your middle and then make a little clip to the seam. I have made a wedge to show you the clip.

From the right side, press INTO one triangle. turn and press INTO the second triangle. Turn over and press on the wrong side. At the clipped seam, fabric is pressed AWAY from triangles as shown below.

Now don't freak out! You didn't sew it wrong! You should have two squares that look exactly like the photo below. And now the magic begins...

Place your ruler on your square and line up the solid teal lines with the peak of your triangle as shown below and trim away the excess.

Repeat this process for the remaining half of your square and also the the second square.  You will have four perfect flying geese!

There are lots of methods for making your flying geese, if you like another method, use that...you want your geese to measure 3.5" x 6.5" (they will finish in the quilt at 3" x 6")

Now take your flying geese unit and matching up a 3.5" x 6.5" rectangle of your gold batik stitch them together on the long side that does not have the point of the geese as shown below. Press to the rectangle. Create four of these and set them aside.

Take your  (2) 2" x 9" strips...one of the gold batik and one of the burnt orange batik and match them together. Stitch a 1/4" seam down one side to create a strip set as shown below. I have made this larger than needed to allow you some wiggle room when cutting.

From your strip set, cut (4) pieces that measure 2" x Width of your Strip set which should be 3.5". They should look like the photo below.

Now take your 2" x 16" strip of burnt orange and placing that under your needle...lay your strip set pieces that you just cut on top of that strip, right sides together and making sure that you have the golden batik piece at the bottom closest to you, stitch them as shown below...leave yourself a little room between each piece...about 1/2 an inch should be plenty.  Press open to the long strip and then trim apart. Each little block you just constructed should measure 3.5" Square. This is a good time to square them up.

To the squares above we will be adding a 3.5" square of the burnt orange and a 3.5" x 6.5" rectangle of the burnt orange.

You will be creating (4) of these units.  First we will attach the 3.5" square to the units shown above using a 1/4" seam. As you lay them out to stitch, make sure that your gold batik square is under your needle first and place the burnt orange 3.5" square on top as shown below. 

Construct (4) of these and press the seam to the 3.5" square. Now we will add the 3.5" x 6.5" rectangle to our unit. Lay them all out as shown below so you are stitching them all the same.  Use a 1/4" seam allowance and stitch the long strip to the pieced unit as shown.

Create (4) of the units shown below.

You are ready to lay out your table topper. There are many possibilities at this point depending on which way you turn your geese unit. Below are some possibilities.

Once you have decided on your layout. Stitch your topper together in rows as shown below. Then finish by stitching your rows together. Press your top and bottom rows to the outside, away from the geese unit.  Press your center row toward your center block away from your geese units. This will let you nest your seams when you stitch them for perfect matching.

Make your quilt sandwich with batting and backing and quilt as desired. When you are finished quilting, trim your batting and backing to your topper and then bind for a finished topper.

I hope you enjoyed this little tutorial. Experiment with different fabrics and be sure to share a photo with me when you have finished your Maple Sugar Table Topper! I always love to see what you create. Happy Quilting! Special Thanks to Brittany Kay for her sweet suggestion of Maple Sugar for the name!

Star Block Tutorial

Christmas is coming and I wanted a pretty little quilt made from some Moda Juniper Berry fabric. My 25 year old Bernina is in the shop getting a new motor, so I am stitching this quilt on one of my Singer Featherweights. This block is so easy and so much fun to make, you can easily put this quilt together in a weekend! 

The quilt requires 3 Charm packs. I elected to purchase 1 Layer Cake and cut it into fourths.  This way I get my 3 Charm packs and a bonus 4th to use on another project.

Set your layer cake out on your cutting mat and cut in half. A layer cake is 10" so when you cut it in half you will have two 5" by 10" strips.  Now cut those in half and you will have four 5"x 5" Charm squares. I cut 4-6 layers if fabric at a time, I would not recommend that you cut through more layers than that, you start to lose accuracy. Make sure your blade is sharp.

For this project you only need 3 so you will have a bonus Charm Pack to use another time.

I like to use the wrapping that came with the Layer Cake to rewrap the little left over Charm Pack and that way I will know what it is when I go to quilt with it.

For the background fabric you will need 1 3/4 yards. I used Kona Cotton White. Kona Cotton has a wonderful feel and stitches up so nicely. It really is my favorite for solids.

I fell in love with Reindeer Games and will be using that for my backing fabric and possibly my border as well.

So here we go.  First thing to do is sort your charm packs into like fabrics...we have 3 charm packs so we should have 3 of each fabric.

Once you have done that take one stack of 3 like charms and remove one of those to your cutting mat.  Cut 1 charm into four squares that will measure 2.5 x 2.5 each.  You do this by cutting your Charm in half (2.5") and without moving your fabric, turn your cutting mat and cut the Charm in half again (2.5").  You will need two of those small squares for this block and one of the charms...the others will create a second block set for you.  

From your background fabric (I have used Kona Cotton White) you will need to cut 24 strips that measure 2.5" x WOF (width of fabric)

From your strips you will need to cut a piece 7" x 2.5 and a piece 5" for each block.

Take the small 2.5" squares and fold them in half on the diagonal as shown below, you can press them to get a clear crease or if you want to, you can mark them with a marker that will not bleed into your fabric.  This crease is our stitching line.

TIP: if you have directional fabric...lay your block out on your cutting mat next to your sewing machine and make sure you have your 2.5" pieces folded so that you are lining up the direction of the fabric...see below.  Place the 5"x 2.5" strip at the top and the 7" x 2.5" strip at the right of your charm.  Lay your folded 2.5" squares as shown to create the block and check your direction.

Make your fold and check again.

Keep your folded squares where they are and open them up. You can pin them in place if you wish.  Take them to your machine and stitch on the crease. TIP: it will help if you start your stitching from the long edge and stitch out to the point, rather than starting from the point.  If you start at the point, you risk jamming up your sewing machine by having that fabric tip get jammed down into the needle hole.

Take your strip to your mat and cut away the excess fabric leaving a 1/4" seam allowance as shown below.

Open out your piece and press toward your darker fabric. Place the 5" strip at the top of your charm and stitch in place, again, check your alignment to make sure you have your piece laid out correctly.  Press toward your charm.

Lay the 7" strip along the right side of your charm and stitch into place. Press toward your charm.

You should now have a block that looks like this...

Place four blocks as shown below...

Stitch the top two and the bottom two blocks together just as you would a four patch, as shown below...TIP:  start your stitching at the star point. Press your seams to the left.  Press both star halves in the same direction, when you turn them to place them together, they will nest giving you a perfectly matched center.

Stitch the top and the bottom together and you have your final star block as shown below...

Hope you enjoyed this quick tutorial for this star block.  Check back and I will post the quilt when finished.

BONUS: save all of your little triangle cuttings and you can run them through your machine as leaders and enders to be used in your border or your quilt.