Friday, November 18, 2016

Swirl a Twirl (Free Pattern/Tutorial)

Good News. I won!!!

Thanks to Molli Sparkles who hosted the fabulous international giveaway and Intrepid Thread who sponsored the fat quarter bundle.

There are not 6 or 12 but 24 fat quarters in the full spectrum colors!!! I am so lucky.


The package came very quickly and neatly wrapped.  I recommend you check out Intrepid Thread. Yes, they have fabric (some of it is on clearance), thread, buttons, ribbons, patterns and zippers too.

I impatiently opened the package to caress the beauties!


I know some of you are thinking - you won, that is great.  How is that good news for me?

Well, I have good news for you too.  I have a finish to share and a free tutorial.
Meet Swirl a Twirl.


A simple yet pretty pattern that you can put together in one day.  Let's get started.

Swirl a Twirl (Finished quilt 40.5” by 40.5”). All seams are ¼”
Fabric Requirements 
  • Main - 8 assorted fabrics, 6” by WOF
  • Background fabric – 30” (or 11 jelly roll strips)


Cutting Instructions
  • Main Fabrics - Subcut each 6” strip into 6” sections, four per fabric. We need 32 squares of 6” side. 
  • Background - Cut the background fabric into 2.5” strips. We need 11 strips. Jellyroll strips can be used.
  • Subcut each 2.5” strip into three 6” sections (need 32) and three 8” sections (need 32).


Block Assembly
  1. Stitch the background strips to the main fabric squares, (6” strip first, followed by the 8” strip) making an L-shape. See picture below.

  2. Once you have constructed all four L-shaped blocks from one fabric, square them to 8”.


  3. STARCH and iron.
  4. Cut on the diagonal (through the background corner) as shown in the picture. Repeat for the remaining three blocks.

  5. You will get two types of blocks – a left block and a right (mirror image) block. Separate left blocks into a stack and the right blocks into a second stack. See picture below.
  6.  Take one stack and arrange them as shown below.




  7. Sew in pairs. Iron towards the background fabric.


  8. To sew the final block together, pin the two halves together, to nest seams. Start sewing from near the center, just above the pin, to the end. Cut thread. 



  9. Turn the block over and finish the seam beginning from the middle (slight overlap with stitches) to the end of the block. Cut threads.

  10. Iron and trim to 10 ½”
  11. Repeat with the other stack.
  12. Make all the blocks, using one fabric at a time. You will have 16 blocks.

Quilt Assembly
  1. Arrange blocks into four rows by four columns.

  2. Piece into rows and then piece the rows together.
  3. Layer and quilt.  Square the quilted sandwich.
  4. Bind and enjoy.

And if you make this pattern, please let me know. I'd love to see your interpretation of Swirl a Twirl.

Here are a few more pictures of Swirl a Twirl.
I chose this pretty paisley backing. The colors - pink and coral match the front beautifully.



Quilted it simply with a decorative stitch that looks like Cs. 

A green binding makes the quilt pop and matches the backing too. Yay!!!



No, I did not forget the label

The finished quilt is about 40 inches square - perfect for a baby. And if you brought this as a baby shower gift, you will be the instant favorite guest.


Do you like the pattern?  Do you have questions? Ask away and I'll respond in the comments.
I will be linking with all my favorite linky parties.

Have a great Thanksgiving and be safe.
Hugs,
Preeti.





33 comments:

  1. Very cute and easy design. Visiting from Whoop Whoop!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Preeti, thanks for the great tutorial I need to put it on my list of quilts to do. Congratulations on the beautiful bundle win.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I love it! I see a Swirl a Twirl in my future.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thank you for bringing this to us! I love the pink and orange! It amazes this "old lady" how the most unlikely combinations keep coming forward and surprising me:)) I love fabric and have a lifetime of it to use up. It's going well thanks to quick and cute patterns like this one... Happy Thanksgiving to you as well Pretti:)) GrammaBabs!! M*

    ReplyDelete
  5. Preeti, congrats on winning such beautiful fabrics! I love your tutorial for Swirl a Twirl. The instructions are so easy to follow and it makes a wonderful little quilt. Hope you and Paul have a wonderful holiday next week.

    ReplyDelete
  6. You are so good at simplifying blocks. Thanks for this great tutorial. Your quilt is darling as usual.

    ReplyDelete
  7. That's a great little quilt....love it!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Nice pattern, nice colors, but I don't understand why you are sewing the final seam of the block (putting the 2 halves together)as a 2-step process

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 1. There is a likelihood that the triangle corner ends get jammed/bunched under the needle. You can avoid that by using a leader.
      2. Sewing from the middle out is something I prefer whenever the block/seam is larger than 10 inches. It has the effect of smoothing a fabric from the center to the outside.

      Delete
  9. What a fun win! Congratulations!

    ReplyDelete
  10. cute quilt and thanks for the tutorial

    ReplyDelete
  11. A quick and easy pattern to follow. Congrats on the fabric win.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Thank you so much for this tutorial! I've saved it for future use :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. Great tutorial my dear friend, with lovely bright colours. I particularly adore the bright green binding! What a pleasing final touch. Lucky you to win such a fabulous bundle!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Congrats on the win. You deserve it and are generous to write a tutorial because you won. Your pictures add to the tutorial, making it easy to understand. I like your pattern very much. It looks fun and with your pretty color choices, perfect for a new little girl.

    ReplyDelete
  15. You are such a lucky girl.... And so are we! Thank you so much for sharing the tutorial! Your Swirl a Twirl pattern is so cute and your quilt turned out beautifully. Love the backing you chose and the quilting stitch, too. The little labels look so pro!

    ReplyDelete
  16. This is such a cool pattern. Thank you for taking the time to write up the tutorial. Pinning for someday down the road..... :-)

    ReplyDelete
  17. I've been using your design idea for a quilt of valor. Simple but very effective and FUN! Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  18. I LOVE the quilt! Thank you for the tutorial!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Congrats on the win. That's a great block you created. Thanks for sharing the tutorial.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Wow! Congrats on winning so many wonderful fat quarters! And thanks for sharing your pattern. You did a great job writing it - it's easy to read and understand. Thank you Preeti for sharing your quilt and pattern on Main Crush Monday!

    ReplyDelete
  21. What a pretty quilt and great tutorial.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Congrats for winning those beautiful fabrics! I was lucky to win low volumes. This is gorgeus quilt! Thank you for sharing the pattern. x Teje

    ReplyDelete
  23. Neat block. Thanks for the directions.

    ReplyDelete
  24. That is one lovely win Preeti, all those fat quarters. Thats a great tutorial, thank you for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Thank you for a wonderful tutorial. Your quilt is lovely and very eye catching!

    ReplyDelete
  26. Love the way the backing goes so beautifully with your quilt. Great and colorful finish!

    ReplyDelete
  27. Like your easy and clever pattern. Love the paisley fabric!

    ReplyDelete
  28. Very pretty with all those pinks! Congrats on the finish.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Congrats on the fabric win. Those colors and patterns seem so you! I really like your Swirl a Twirl pattern. It is constructed so differently from the way I expected when I first looked at the picture. And I love the paisley design on the back--my favorite motif. I think I see some paisley on the front, too! You have made us all winners for sure.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Thanks for your tutorial ...it makes it easier and more approachable.

    ReplyDelete