Patriotic Quilt Project

Here's a great way to show your patriotic side!  

The Patriotic 3-D Banner

The stars are actually made with 3-D bowtie blocks.  
I'll show you how...

First, cut 5 squares of the same size -- I cut 2 1/2" squares.  If you were making a bowtie, you'd cut 3 squares for the bowtie and 2 squares for the background.  To make diamond stars, you'd cut 4 blue squares for the background, and one white square.  I'll show you how to make the star.

Lay a blue square down with its right side up.  Fold a white square in half, with wrong sides together.  Lay this on top of the background square, with the raw edges at the top and sides even.  Then lay another blue square on top of it with the right side down.  Sew one side (either side will work).

Fold the 2 blue squares out of the way.  Repeat the layering process, sandwiching the same folded white square between two more blue squares, with right sides together.  Sew the other side.  

 
When you open the blue squares, you should have what looks like a bridge.

Open the white piece and bring the two seams together at the center, nesting the seams with the seam allowances going in opposite directions.  Pin together.

Bring the white raw edges even with the blue raw edges, and pin in place.  Be sure there is at least 1/4” of white in the seam allowance, that is not folded, or you will get puckers.  Sew all the way across, pivoting at the center seam if needed.  Open it up to reveal a diamond star in the middle.

As you can see, it's pretty easy!  Get the Patriotic 3-D Banner pattern as a pdf download from Craftsy or Etsy. 

Patriotic 3-D Banner

Here's a picture of 3 of my students in the upstairs classroom at the store.  We have 6 sturdy, metal tables that don't vibrate when you're sewing.  If the class isn't too difficult, I can have up to 12 students.  We also have 3 other tables (for cutting stations or displays), 3 ironing boards with irons, one white board wall (for Power Point presentations), a small refrigerator for water bottles, and you can see the Handi Quilter Fusion in the back.

In this class, I'm teaching my Patriotic 3-D Banner.  If the students pre-cut their fabric, they can usually get their blue "field" finished and some of the red stripes, before the class is finished.

The quilting is very minimal, so with a bit of instruction, they are ready to finish the project on their own.  

The stripes are very much like an accordion, so special instruction is needed here.  To help you get a nice squared-up banner when you're finished, it's a good idea to draw the outline of your finished banner directly on the batting.  Then as you pin baste, you have a guide to keep the banner in its proper parameters.

The Patriotic 3-D Banner is a little tricky, but a fun project to make.

Get the pattern at Craftsy or Etsy.