Happy FRIDAY!!
You made it! SO let's celebrate with the second installment of my new-[ish] Simply Series:
Friday Freebie.
Quick recap on what is a Friday Freebie?
Every few months, on a Friday, I release a new quilt pattern tutorial. These patterns are a mix of a tutorial that will be shared on my blog, along with a pdf pattern. So, if you just want to skip straight to the pattern - you can! If you want a little more explanation, tips and tricks (great for beginners) - you can do that too!
Oh, did I mention - it's FREE! The pattern, the tutorial - ALL of it! BUT, if you are signed up for my newsletter - you get access to another freebie with each release, so if you want in on that, sign up below.
So lets get started with Friday Freebie #2 - Coastal Breeze.
I wrote this pattern when I was living in Charleston, South Carolina. The reeds along the sandy beaches next to a blue sky and green blue water were my inspiration for the colors. I quilted this quilt in Good Vibrations to mimic the waves coming in from the Atlantic.
This pattern will help you brush up on Half Square Triangles + give practice on getting those points to match, all with out being overwhelming. The negative space gives a modern feel to a classic quilting block.
This quilt finishes up as a nice throw at 49" x 63".
Let's start with gathering the fabric.
I used Kona Cotton solids for this project and you can find the exact colors used in the table below. *For Fabric B, C and D you can use a layer cake (10" squares).*
Tools Needed:
A sewing machine, rotary cutter and a ruler. I highly recommend a BlocLoc ruler. They have a groove down the ruler that "grabs" your seam line and helps keep your ruler from slipping when trimming up your blocks. It's in my top 5 of must have tools! + a seam ripper - they are always a good idea, cause if you are like me, mistakes happen!
Step One: Half- Square Triangles.
Half - Square Triangles, known as HSTs in the quilting world, are one of my favorite blocks. They are a reoccurring theme in many of my quilts. In fact they made up all of my first Friday Freebie.
So many different ways to make them 1, 2, 4 or even 8 at a time! This pattern is written with for making HSTs, 2-at-a-time, this is for no spare HSTs.
Here is a quick visual "How-To":
My favorite is 4-at-a-time, and for this pattern, 4 works great - if you don't mind having 2 left over HSTs! Fabric requirements would be the same, you just need to start with 6" squares. Here's a quick infographic on how to make HSTs 4-at-a-time.
Easy Peasy! Beginner or advanced quilter - a fit for everyone!
One more tip. When adding the smaller HSTs to the large squares it may be a little strange or weird to be working with those "flaps" from the white squares. But don't stress - take the smaller HST unit and just align both sides with the bottom and right side of the large square. Then draw your diagonal line from corner to corner and sew, trim, iron and voilà!
Have some prints that you want to show off? This quilt is great for showcasing them! Make them pop in the large HSTs and add a coordinating pop for the smaller HSTs!
Go grab your copy of Coastal Breeze and let's see those HSTs shine!
Finish off that quilt with a fun quilt tag from Ever Emblem. Choose from so many great options. I am partial to the cotton sew in tags! Use code: SIMPLY10 for 10% off your order!
Tag #simplymackbethpatterns and #coastalbreezequilt to show everyone what fun combos you come up with!
Coastal Breeze was originally featured in Make Modern Magazine issue 25.
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