FINISHED BLOCK: 5˝ × 9˝Lake Shore Drive
FINISHED QUILT: 57˝ × 72˝ FINISHED BLOCK: 5˝ × 9˝
Designer: Amy Walsh
Anyone who knows me knows how much I love, love, love Chicago. One of my favorite drives to take in the city is down Lake Shore Drive, especially on a sunny day. Lake Michigan is on one side and the beautiful skyline is on the other. This particular color palette is my picture of Lake Shore Drive on a clear winter day. The different shades of blue suggest the sky and frozen water, as does the addition of white.
Materials
Assorted coordinating small-scale prints: 20 strips 3˝ × 42˝ (or 1¾ yards total) for pieced Four-Patch blocks
Large-scale print: 2¼ yards for alternate 8½˝ strips
Binding: ½ yard
Backing: 3¾ yards
Batting: 67˝ × 82˝
TIP This quilt is perfect for any of the larger prints you want to work with—especially those that you love too much to cut up. Choose prints for the pieced blocks that match the colors in your alternate print. And, as always, the more prints the better. We used about 30 for the pictured quilt.
Cutting
Assorted coordinating small-scale prints
• Cut 20 strips 3˝ × 42˝.
Subcut each 3˝ strip into 8 rectangles 3˝ × 5˝.
Large-scale print
• Cut 4 strips 8½˝ × length of fabric (parallel to the selvage).
Note: These strips will be trimmed to fit later.
Piecing and Pressing
Each Lake Shore Drive block is essentially a Four-Patch constructed with 2 rectangles from 2 different fabrics. You can change the way this quilt looks by piecing your rectangles from 4 different fabrics, giving the quilt a scrappier look.
1. Sew 2 sets of 2 rectangles together. Press the seams open as you sew.
2. Sew the resulting 2 units together. Press the seams open.
3. Make a total of 40 Four-Patch blocks to make the pictured quilt.
TIP We always make more blocks than we need so that we have options when we are putting the quilt together. For this particular quilt, an extra couple of blocks will be helpful when laying out your quilt.
Quilt Top Construction
When you have completed the blocks, arrange them in 5 rows alternating with the 8½˝ strips. Each row should have 8 Four-Patch blocks. Refer to the quilt assembly diagram as needed. When you find an arrangement you like, sew the Four-Patch blocks together in vertical rows and measure the length of the four-patch rows. Trim the 8½˝ strips to that length. Then sew all rows together, pressing the seams open as you sew.
Quilt assembly
Finishing
Layer, quilt, and bind your quilt.
