Charmed Snowballs Tutorial

CHARMED SNOWBALLS

Free tutorial. The snowball block is in the public domain but this tutorial is copyright 2013 by The Colorful Fabriholic, for personal use only.  

Charmed Showballs

40 x 49"

Fabric Requirements:

50 assorted 5” charm squares of colorful prints

1-5/8 yard white Kona cotton

5/8 yard accent color (Wordplay by Michele D’Amore for Benartex used here)

1-1/2 yards for backing (or pieced backing to measure at least 43” by 52”)

3/8 yard for binding

Cutting:

If not using charms, cut fifty 5” squares from assorted prints.

 White:

-        Cut six 5” width-of-fabric (WOF) strips, then sub-cut 49  5” squares *

-        Cut nine 2” WOF strips, then sub-cut  200  2” squares *  **

Accent Color:

-        Cut nine 2” WOF strips, then sub-cut 196  2” squares *

*Yardage and number of strips based on 40” cuttable width of fabric. Wider fabric (42” cuttable print or 45” cuttable Kona) may yield more pieces per strip. Cut one fewer strips than number listed, cut squares, count yield, and determine whether you need to cut that last strip or not.

**If you cut your 5” white squares first and have a partial strip left over, you can use it for some of your white 2” squares.

Assembly:

1. Mark the 200 white 2" squares on the diagonal on the wrong side of the fabric

2. Place white squares at the corners of each charm and stitch on the marked lines. You can chain-piece all one corner, then all the next corner, etc. 

3.   Press seam allowances toward the charm:

4.     Open the pressed corners back out and trim away the excess fabric, 1/4" away from the stitching.  Pressing first and trimming afterward results in more accurate squares and minimizes stretching (rather than trimming first then pressing).

5.     Make 50 of these little snowball blocks.

6.  Repeat steps 1-4 to attach the Accent Color corners to the white squares. In step 4, press the seam allowances toward the corners (toward the accent color), then trim.  Make 49 blocks.

7.   Alternating color and white, lay out blocks on design wall, 9 across by 11 down, with colored charm blocks at the corners.

8.     Assemble rows, locking and matching seams, using ¼” seam allowance. Seams will lock together nicely but pinning is highly recommended to prevent slippage.  Press all seam allowances toward the charm blocks.

9.    Join the rows, locking and matching all seams.

10.     Layer, baste, and quilt as desired. Sample is quilted using a walking foot, as follows: 

•       Quilt in the ditch vertically and horizontally.

•       Mark with a Hera marker or other marker of your choice, across the snowball from point to point.  Be sure to start and end ¼” over to allow seam allowance for the binding. If using a Hera marker, mark and stitch one pass at a time.

•       Complete all vertical quilting, then repeat going horizontally.  Quilting forms a kaleidoscope pattern.

First pass marked with Hera marker

 Note 1/4" at start of marking

Note 1/4" at end of marking

Second pass marked with Hera marker
 

Kaleidoscope pattern of quilting

11.     Attach and sew down binding.

12.     Add label or sign and date your quilt.

Linking up with WIP Wednesday over at Freshly Pieced. Check out all the other creativity over there!