The In-Between Quilt Pattern for Modish Quilter Magazine
Do you have 2.5″ strip scraps? I designed The In-Between Quilt just for you! The pattern is available now in the Spring 2021 Modern Scrappy issue of Modish Quilter Magazine. This is a quick, fun quilt that you can make with your scrap bin or make a few blocks for with the leftovers after each of your quilts and end up with another beautiful quilt.
The “In-Between” name references how you can sew up a few blocks in between your other projects, the small strips of patterned fabric between strips of a coordinating solid in the design, and the phase of life in which I currently find myself. How about that for some triple-entendre action?
Modish Quilter Magazine
Modish Quilter is a new quilting magazine for the modern quilter. I love that it’s digital, so it’s good for the environment and I can access it anywhere. I download it on my iPad and flip through it when I’m in bed or print out the pages I need for a pattern I’m using. The magazine is released quarterly and packed with patterns, tutorials, and quilty inspiration.
The Spring 2021 issue is the Modern Scrappy issue, and it has tons of great ideas to use up your scraps in a modern way. You’re going to love it!
Design
When the Modish Team asked me to write a pattern for the Modern Scrappy issue, I challenged myself to create a fresh half-square triangle design using 2.5″ scraps. So many of us have lots of 2.5″ scraps from making binding or other small scraps that can be hard to know what to do with. This pattern uses scraps as small as 1.25″ by 2.5″.
(Soapbox moment interlude: I really want to normalize citing patterns that inspire designers in their design process. All art is derivative and acknowledging where you got your inspiration does not mean that you’re admitting to “copying” someone. My educational background is as an academic, where citing and building on prior work is both essential and mandatory, and I think implementing this practice in the crafting world could have real benefits. There are lots of tricky politics when similar patterns pop up, and being transparent about your design inspiration from the get-go will simultaneously acknowledge that design does not occur in a vacuum and honor and support the work of those who came before you. Thank you for coming to my TED talk. Getting off my soapbox and resuming quilty content now.)
I have been drooling over traditional half-square triangle quilts like the Scrappy Triangle Quilt in the Heritage Series by Penelope Handmade. And I absolutely LOVE the attic window blocks that one of my design idols, Southern Charm Quilts, used in her Anthologie Quilt. Both of these quilts were definitely on my mind when I was dreaming up ways to use 2.5″ scraps.
When I think of modern quilts, I often think of solid fabrics. But I have to say, making a quilt with only solid fabrics isn’t typically my style. Like many quilters, I also have a fabric-buying addiction, and my fickle heart falls in love with texture after texture and print after print. So, I specifically wrote this pattern to incorporate solids and prints! Sandwiching a little peak of print between pieces of a coordinating solid still packs a modern punch but adds that extra interest my print-loving heart desires.
Skill Level & Construction
This pattern a quick and easy make that is appropriate for confident beginners and up. You should be comfortable with or willing to learn to use a scant quarter-inch seam allowance. Experience making half-square triangles is also preferred. This pattern is intended to use your 2.5″ scraps with little waste, so there is less wiggle room for trimming than in some other situations.
There are only 2 block types in the construction of The In-Between Quilt, and it comes together in no time!
Choosing Fabrics
Making a scrappy quilt look cohesive can be a huge challenge. My strategy for choosing fabrics for this quilt was to start with a backing fabric that had a wide range of colors. I had been eyeing Sharon Holland’s gorgeous Painted Prairie Cornucopia for a while, and it fit the bill perfectly!
I then used scraps that worked well with the backing fabric. This was easy because Painted Prairie Cornucopia has such a delicious, wide-ranging palette. I am still pretty new to quilting, so I didn’t have enough solids in my stash to make the quilt. My friend Charla, from Tree House Quilting Co put together the perfect bundle of solids for me, and she has these ‘Alexa’ bundles available in her shop.
Fabric Requirements & Sizes
There are 3 size options for this pattern: Small Throw (45.5″ by 54.5″), Square Throw (54.5″ by 54.5″), & Large Throw (54.5″ by 63.5″). Finished squares are 9″, so you can easily customize the size by adding or subtracting multiples of 9. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions about how to size the quilt for your needs!
Here are the fabric requirements:
Photos & Sharing
Megan at @the_quilt_tographer took all of the gorgeous photos of my quilt that you see in this post. She did an amazing job, and it was so wonderful to not have to worry about finding a location, staging my quilt, and editing my photos. She lives in a beautiful historic town, and I absolutely love the backdrops she used. I will definitely be sending her many more of my quilts.
I’d love to see your In-Between Quilt photos! Be sure to tag me on social media at @TheWannabeGrandma and use the hashtags #inbetweenquilt, #thewannabegrandma, and #modishquilter.
