Use Your Yardage!

Designer: Camille Roskelley

Pieced and quilted by Camille Roskelley

My great-grandma Ruby was quite a character. At a whopping 5´1˝ tall, she had bright red hair and drove a sporty orange Nova in her 70s. That sums her up pretty well. She was a fireball! We used one of her favorite aqua flower brooches, a vintage necklace I found at a flea market, and several classic prints from her fabric collection as the inspiration for the Ruby fabric line. It absolutely had to include red, aqua, and a bit of orange to commemorate the Nova. The same concepts apply to the quilt. Keep it simple and retro, aqua and white, with a little Ruby spunk thrown in. Just for fun.

* If you decide to skip the red block and make them all aqua, there is enough yardage to do so.

• Cut 11 strips 3½˝ × WOF; subcut squares 3½˝ × 3½˝ (11 per strip, for a total of 116).

• Cut 5 strips 6⅞˝ × WOF; subcut squares 6⅞˝ × 6⅞˝ (6 per strip, for a total of 29).

• Cut 11 strips 3½˝ × WOF; subcut squares 3½˝ × 3½˝ (11 per strip, for a total of 120).

• Cut 5 strips 6⅞˝ × WOF; subcut squares 6⅞˝ × 6⅞˝ (6 per strip, for a total of 30).

Easy HSTs

Several quilts in this book feature blocks made with half-square triangles (HSTs). These are super easy to make. Here’s the method.

An HST is made with 2 contrasting squares of the same size. Place 1 square on top of the other with right sides together (Fig. A). On the back of the lighter square, draw a pencil line from one corner to the opposite corner (Fig. B). Sew ¼˝ from the line on each side (Fig. C). Cut on the line to make 2 HSTs (Fig. D). Press toward the darker of the 2 fabrics. Presto!

1. For each four-patch, select 2 aqua squares 3½˝ × 3½˝ and 2 white squares 3½˝ × 3½˝. Following the four-patch unit assembly diagram, sew together 2 aqua/white pairs, and press the seams toward the aqua. Sew the rows together; press. Make a total of 58 aqua four-patches and 2 red ones.

2. To make the HSTs, refer to Easy HSTs (at left). Pair aqua and white or red and white squares 6⅞˝ × 6⅞˝. Make a total of 58 aqua HSTs and 2 red ones.

3. Sew 1 HST to 1 four-patch to make 1 unit as shown in the block assembly diagram. Make 2; press. Sew the 2 units together to make 1 block. Make a total of 30 blocks—29 aqua and 1 red.

1. Sew together the blocks in 6 rows of 5, with the red block in row 5, as shown in the quilt assembly diagram. Press.

1. Cut the backing fabric into 2 equal lengths (roughly 64˝), and sew them together for the backing.

2. Layer the quilt top, batting, and backing, and baste to make a quilt sandwich. Machine or hand quilt as desired. Bind your quilt.