What do you think of when you think of summer?
I think of swimming, going on walks with the family, long hours outside, gardening, ice cream trips and cookouts!
If you have been following me on my blog or Instagram, you know very well my love of food. I tend to see food in simple shapes. That is exactly what happened when I was looking though the Crafters Edge die collection.
In a previous post, I saw donuts when looking at the circle and flower dies. You can find that delicious tutorial here. I also spotted more delicious food possibilities when I saw the Grandmother’s Fan die. Crafters Edge already had me covered with the Fruit Wedges die so with both of those I was able to create some spectacular mini quilts!
June’s mini quilt series contribution is a combination of several items.
This month I used my Crafters Edge Crossover II machine and two die sets to create placemats, a table runner and pot holder,
Watermelon Placemat and Table Runner Tutorial
Supplies:
- Crafter’s Edge Crossover II Machine
- Grandmother’s Fan Die
- Fruit Wedges Die
- Heat and Bond Light
- 3 Complimenting Green Fat Quarters
- 4 Complimenting Red Fat Quarters
- 1 Black Fat Quarter
- Approximately 1 1/2 Yards of Background Fabric*****
- Backing Fabric
- Binding Fabric
- Quilt Batting
- General Sewing Supplies (Sewing Machine, scissors, thread etc…)
*****This is only approximate. I have a bolt of white fabric and I may have used a little less or a little more.
Instructions:
- Start by cutting three 2 1/2″ strips of your green fat quarters. Make sure to cut along the LONG edge.
- Cut three 5 1/4″ strips of THREE of your red fat quarters. Make sure to cut along the LONG edge. Use the fabric you want for the fan portion on the watermelon-not the inner quarter circle. Leave your last red fat quarter alone at this time.
- You should have a total of 9 green strips and 9 red strips. Sew together using a 1/4″ along the long edge of one green and one red strip. Do this for all 9.
4. Next, using your Crafter’s Edge Grandmother’s Fan LARGE wedge, mark approximately 2 1/4″ from the wide end on both sides. This will ensure each of your fan blades are almost the same. Line up the marks you made along the seam of the red and green fabric.
5. Cut your fabric. Repeat this step all the way down your red and green strip and for the remaining 8 strips. You should have a total of 56 wedges (18 in each colorway).
6. Each fan uses 2 of each colorway. Arrange your wedges to your liking. Using a scant 1/4″ sew the wedges together.
7. Cut out the large quarter inner circle, using the Grandmother’s Fan die from your final red fat quarter. Cut 9.
8. This is the tricky part. Sewing curves takes time and a lot of pins. This was my first time sewing curves and I confess it took a couple times and a date or two with jack before I got the hang of it. I pressed my quarter circle in half to get a nice press line to show me the center. I lined it up with the center of my sewn fan and pinned the center first. I then pinned each side and finally pinned each seam of the fan for a total of 7 pins. Sew using a 1/4″ seam and press towards the quarter circle.
9. Using your background fabric cut nine 12 1/2″ squares. Align your watermelon fan into the corner and pin in place.
10. Applique your watermelon fan any way you choose. I did a simple blanket stitch on my sewing machine in a coordinating color. Trim away any little fabric frays.
11. Prepare you watermelon seeds by ironing your black fabric and heat and bond together. Follow the instructions provided by the manufacture for correct adhesion.
12. Using the large rounded wedge from the Crafter’s Edge Fruit Wedges die set, cut out 27 “seeds.”
13. Peel the backing off and place 3 on your watermelon block. Iron on according to the manufactures instructions and applique again using your machine. Since I am making placemats that will probably end up in the wash, I sew my pieces down. If this project is not intended for machine washing you may be ok with just the adhesive.
HOORAY! Your watermelon block is complete! Make a total of 9 blocks then continue below for the remaining instructions.
Pinwheel Instructions:
To make your pinwheels you will need to make a total of 48 half square triangles (HST). There are several methods to make these. You can create one at a time by cutting individual triangles but there are also ways to create 2, 4, and 8 at a time. My favorite is the 2 at a time method. I find these are the most accurate or at least can be trimmed easier. You can even use a die cutting machine. I did not use one for this project but Crafter’s Edge does make a HST die set.
Here in the near future I will have a blog tutorial showing how to make 2 at a time HST. However, till then there are 100’s of other blogs with amazing tutorials out there if you need help creating them.
To begin, you will need to construct the following HST’s:
- 16 HST with light green and background
- 16 HST with dark green and background
- 16 HST with red and background
- Arrange 4 HST’s in the classic pinwheel shape and sew together. Make 4 of each color.
- Sew the three pinwheels together and then attach to the side of one of your watermelon blocks. Make 4.
3. Cut your batting and backing slightly larger than the placemat front. Baste however you choose and quilt.
4. Trim your placemats and attach your binding. Do this to all 4.
Table Runner:
To make the table runner, attach the remaining 5 watermelon blocks together. Make your quilt sandwich with your batting and backing and quilt. Attach your binding and your are finished!
Pot Holder / Trivet:
For the pot holder I wanted to use up some of the scraps I had as well as use the smaller Grandmother’s Fan die. This die required 12 fans to fit the small quarter circle. I made my mini watermelon following the same steps above. I used the little seed die from the Fruit Wedges Die set for my mini seeds.
Using die sets can create some waste. Waste can also be created when cutting traditionally but occasionally with machines there is a little bit more. In the coming weeks I will be demonstrating how to use these scraps to create new fabric or other works of art. Check back soon or subscribe to my blog to receive updates when I post new content.
Till then, Happy sewing!
Starting to bloom by choosing JOY ~ Julia
