Making this quilt was like playing connect the dots, outlining each hexagon of this lively vintage fabric.   Quarter Quilts can be any fabric, any style, as long as they excite your creativity and challenge your brain.  I think of them as sketchbook pages.

--Isabelle 

I recommend using fat quarters or half-yards for a wholecloth quilt like this one  (A quilt in which there is no piecing is called a wholecloth quilt). I chose half-yards of three beautiful japanese fabrics.

Fabric - Lecien's Arizona Rabbit Patchwork for the top and Red for the binding; Lecien's Le Petite Jardin for the quilt back

Batting - I chose a thin cotton batting that would give some definition but not too much fluffiness. 

Thread - This project calls for machine and hand sewing thread.  Both are made from cotton, but the hand sewing thread is coated to keep it from tangling as you sew the quilt binding.  I found this to be a miraculous development, personally! You can see in the photo that the peach colored thread has a little shine to it -- that's the one for hand sewing.

Basting Pins - For bigger projects I like to hand baste with needle and thread, but for this little guy all I needed was a few basting pins to get the job done.  Note their handy curves that set them apart from regular safety pins.  Subtle, but important!

Patchwork Pins - Pam told us that she refers to these dainty glass-head pins as "Life-Changing Pins".  I couldn't agree more!  There is such a thing as the right tool for the job.

You might also want a clear acrylic ruler for cutting, and some hem clips for binding. 

Cut one 10 x 12 inch rectangle of the top fabric.

Cut one 11 x 13 inch rectangle of the backing fabric and batting. 

Cut two 2-inch strips of the binding fabric.

Sew these two strips together on the bias to create one long strip.  To do this, line up two ends of the strips at a 90 degree angle.  Sew the strips, right sides together, at a 45 degree seam from the corner. 

Trim the excess and press the seam to one side.

Prepare your fabric for basting by layering them:  quilt back, right side down, on the bottom; batting in the middle; and quilt top right side up.  The batting should be centered so that it overlaps the quilt back evenly on all sides.  Center the quilt top on the batting.

Begin basting in the center, and work your way out.  Space your pins about four fingers apart from each other (on bigger projects, they should be further apart; about one hand away).

I begin by quilting the zigzag lines between each hexagon.  You could begin with the straight lines, or quilt each individual hexagon one at a time. 

Here I have sewn to the corner of the first hexagon. Next I will lift the presser foot, rotate the quilt, and sew along the border of the yellow and plaid hexagons.  This way I can zig and zag along the entire width of the quilt without cutting my thread.

Next, I tackle the straight lines that make up the flat ends of the hexagons.  After sewing the length closest to the edge of the quilt, I lift the presser foot, gently slide the quilt away from myself, under the foot, until I reach the next straight line. Then I lower the presser foot and continue sewing without cutting the thread.  I continue til I reach the other end of the quilt, then snip all the excess thread at the same time.   

Not only is this a bit faster, but it keeps my sewn line nice and neat looking, without too many interruptions.

I love to take a step back and look at my quilt.  I do this about a million times as I quilt; that's why I take forever! Machine quilting goes so fast, though. I have to slow down and enjoy each stitch as if I'm hand quilting.

Fold the 2-inch binding strip in half widthwise and press it.

Begin in the center of one side on the back, rather than at a corner. 

Line up the folded raw edges of the binding with the edge of the quilt, leaving three or four inches of binding fabric extra. Stitch the binding to the quilt along this edge with less than a 1/4-inch seam allowance. Stop about 3/8-inch before the corner.

At the corner, fold the binding fabric up so that it makes a 45-degree angle at the corner.  Then fold the fabric back down so that its' raw edge is aligned with the second edge of the quilt. It helps to pin each side of the 45-degree angle closely to keep it in place.  

Sew a seam along the second edge, beginning at the pin so that you don't sew the angle.  Stop approximately 3/8-inch before the second corner, and repeat folding.  This prepares a neat mitered edge on the front of the quilt.

Once you have sewn around three sides and returned to the first side, it is time to stitch the ends of the binding together.  Unfold both ends and lay them open on the quilt with their edges aligned with the edge of the quilt.  In this photo, the edge I began with is on the right.  It lays on top. 

Using the beginning edge as a guide, mark the 45-degree angle where it lays on the other end of the strip.  With a clear ruler, draw a second diagonal line about 1/2-inch beyond the 45-degree mark.  This will be your seam allowance.  Trim the bottom strip to this line and sew a 1/2-inch seam, right sides together.  Press the seam open to make it less bulky; snip off excess points.  If you need to, repress the fold of the binding strip.

Sew this edge as you did the first three sides.  

Now you can turn the quilt over and begin to sew the binding over the edge of the quilt.  I always like this part!  It helps to pin the binding in place along the edge you are working on, or you could use binding clips.

The tidiest stitch for sewing a finished edge is Blindstitch. Hide your knot by beginning at the raw edge of the quilt that will be covered by the binding.  Come up from the bottom and snag one or two threads from binding fabric, just beneath the fold.  Return to the bottom fabric, as close to 1/8-inch away from your first stitch as you can.  This can be tough at first, but it only takes a few stitches to get the hang of it.   

Here's how it turned out!  This project has a vintage look that reminds me of pajamas I had as a little girl.  Next, I want to try hand quilting a quarter quilt as a gift for my friend whose birthday is this month.