Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Island Batik Sock Hop pattern ... and a giveaway!

 







Friendship Star is one of those super-simple blocks every quilter should know how to make. Here, we are making a set of four placemats from fat quarters of Island Batik's gorgeous "Full Bloom" line of fabrics. Placemats measure 12" x 18". You will want to keep two for yourself and give two to your BFF.  Here's how to make them. And at the end of the pattern I tell how you can win some fat quarters of your very own!

                                
                                                "BESTIES" Friendship Star Placemats

Materials and supplies

Four green fat quarters for background
One gold fat quarter for stars and contrasting strip
One red fat quarter for stars and contrasting strip
One yard of fabric for backing
Neutral color all-purpose thread
Pencil or water soluble fabric marker


Directions:

Please cut fabrics in order listed. You will have plenty of leftovers for coordinating mug mats or to save in your scrap stash. When I refer to WOF (width of fabric) you are cutting across the wider dimension (approx. 22") of your fat quarter.

Label your background fabrics B1, B2, B3 and B4. Label your star fabrics S1 and S2.

From EACH B fabric:

1. Cut one strip 5" x WOF. Cut two 5" squares from this strip
2. Cut one strip 4 ½" x WOF. Cut four 4 ½" squares from this strip.
3. Cut two strips each 2 ½" x WOF. Trim each strip to 2 ½" x 12 ½".

From EACH S fabric:

1. Cut one strip 5" x WOF. Cut two 5" squares from this strip
2. Cut two strips 4 ½" x WOF. From the first strip cut one 4 ½" square and three 1 ½" x  
    12 ½" strips.  From the second strip cut one 4 ½" square and one 1 ½" x 12 ½" strip

Sort fabrics into piles for each placemat.

Pile 1: All B1 pieces, two S1 5" squares, one S2 4 ½" square, and two S2 1 ½" x 12 ½" strips.

Pile 2: All B2 pieces. All S pieces the same as Pile 1.

Pile 3: All B3 pieces, two S2 5" squares, one S1 4 ½" square, and two S1 1 ½" x 12 ½" strips.
 

Pile 4: All B4 pieces, all S pieces the same as Pile 3.

Starting with Pile 1, make placemats as follows:

Sewing:

1. Layer 5" B and S squares, right sides together. Draw a diagonal line as shown (solid line on illustration). Stitch ¼" from each side of the drawn line (dashed lines on illustration). Cut along drawn line. Press to set, press seams toward darker fabric. Square up to 4 ½" square.
 



 






2. Stitch pieces into rows as shown. Take care to position your star points so they "spin" in one direction. Press seams to set, then press seam allowances in top and bottom rows towards the center. Press seams in middle row out.






3. Sew rows together. Press seams to set, then press seams in one direction.

4. Sew a 2 ½" S strip to right and left side of block. Press seams to set, then press toward outside of placemat.

5. Sew a 1 ½" B strip to right and left side of placemat. Press seams to set, then sew toward outside of placemat.
 




Repeat for remaining three piles of fabric.

Place lining fabric right side up on table. Lay placemats, right side down, on top of lining fabric. Carefully rotary cut lining even with placemat. Pin layers together.

Stitch ¼" around edges of placemat, leaving a 4" opening. Trim corners and turn right side out. Press. Topstitch close to edge, enclosing open edges as you stitch.


 


How to win a packet of four Island Batik fat quarters- each will give you one chance, doing all three will give you three chances. 

Follow this blog, if you do not already do so.
Follow Six Gables Designs on Facebook, if you do not already do so.  
If you have a funny story about you and your BFF, share it in the comments below. 

 
 






45 comments:

  1. So pretty! What a perfect design for showing off that yummy Full Bloom collection. Thanks so much for sharing your pattern for the Friendship Star placemats!

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  2. Beautiful fabric and the friendship block makes great place-mats! Great tutorial also!

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  3. Your blocks are so pretty. Thank you for the tutorial. Now following on Bloglovin

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  4. well I would love to follow you on FB, but I don't see where I can do this. When I hit the link in the second way to follow it tells me that this page does not exist.

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  5. At the beginning of January my friend Sue and I get together and celebrate Christmas and our birthdays together. One year we both got each other some little goodies (chocolate-yum) a devotional calendar, socks and perfume (this was both different kinds but still, LOL)

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  6. My BFF is 25 years older than me. In our younger years we would xc ski every chance we'd get. She loved hills. I didn't. She'd fly down them & more often than not, fall, ending up head & shoulders buried in a pile of soft snow on the side of the trail, Butt & legs hanging out, I'd have to pull her out. What a site!! My BFF is 90 now & her skiing days are over., but we still enjoy a good laugh remembering.

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  7. Our husbands say that there's a time warp when we get together. We always say it won't be long, but a minute of our time is an hour of theirs.

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  8. Love that block! I haven't tried anything but squares and trapezoids so far. :)

    I liked ya, I'm following you here too. :)

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  9. About 20 years into our friendship, I found these two coffee mugs that clearly went together - one said "Troublemaker" and the other said "Innocent Bystander". It's always a toss-up as to which one of us is which at any given point in time, so I bought the mugs, wrapped them up as Christmas gifts without marking them in any way, & took them to my bestie for Christmas. I made her pick one to open, telling her that her decision was final and would reveal the REAL truth of who we were. She picked the "troublemaker" mug, leaving me with the "innocent bystander" version. As far as I'm concerned, that settles it. She would beg to differ but we both still love our mugs and still love out-pranking each other! Thanks for the great tutorial - you have a new follower here and on Facebook!

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  10. My dear friend emailed asking if I had any books by a particular author, which I did not. I assumed she was looking for a pattern for a quilt she was planning as a gift. So I emailed, no, and then picked up one of the books at our local guild lending library. At our next get together - she presented me with a new book as a gift from the authors queried! So I laughed and laughed about what I had done. I now follow on FB as well.

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  11. My friend and I used to wear Spock ears when we went out...just to see if anyone noticed.

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  12. Farm Quilting likes you on facebook.

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  13. I went to England for 3 weeks with some quilting buddies a year ago and one of the ladies just could not remember to look left then right when we were crossing the street...she almost got run down by a guy on a bike...he stopped in time and she did the classic jump with arms flailing! Scared us then but it's good for a chuckle now.

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  14. My BFF's husband always worries that we won't have enough to talk about(?) especially when we go on a retreat for a few days. He just doesn't understand! I'm sure you understand!

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  15. I now follow your blog via Bloglovin

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  16. Thanks for the great tutorial. I now follow Six Gables Designs on Facebook.

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  17. I follow your blog, and on Facebook! My QBFF and I always have fun and lots of laughs whenever we get together. We're currently challenging each other to use our stash, and not buy, but if one of us is tempted, we have to "gift" something to the other. So we keep sharing tempting sales and projects, so the other has to give us a gift. It's been fun!

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  18. Great idea for place mats and the batik fabrics really pop!! I am now following you via Bloglovin' - thanks!!

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  19. My friend, co-worker, and quilting chum use our 15 minute breaks to quilt at work... it is amazing what we can accomplish!! We also have some funny moments together when one of us (usually me!) has a Doh! moment!! Like the time I was "teaching" her to make a block and didn't know what I was doing... we had a good laugh that day!!

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  20. I am following you via Facebook. Thanks!!

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  21. I love my sewing dates with my BFF. She always says she gets so much done,I think we do more talking than sewing. Lol! We always have a good time.

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  22. Yah it works now. Thank you I liked you on FB

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  23. My best friend is my loving husband. He supports and encourages me with my hobby and has on occasion even picked out and bought fabric for me. He also is my critic. He gives me his honest opinion and makes suggestions when I ask (I don't always follow the suggestions) but it is nice to get a second opinion.

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  24. My best friend and I love to make recycled crafty projects. Some of the best gifts we give each other are hand-made.

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  25. I'm a new follower via Bloglovin. Thanks for the tutorial and giveaway.

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  26. I liked your Facebook page, too.

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  27. A few years ago my best quilting friend went to a quilt retreat. It was held at a Baptist Convention center and the rooms were old. The first morning we went to take our showers, but neither of us could figure out how it worked. So we both had to take quick baths. We were too embarrassed to ask how it worked, but there were others who had the same problem and someone told them how it worked. :-). We had a good laugh over it.

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  28. Some years ago My friend Kim and I were ridding horses. Her horse decided to start running, because they were back a ways. She starts calling for me to stop him. He did stop when they caught up to us. I did go to follow via Bloglovin. Thanks for the tutorial and giveaway.

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  29. My BFF and I were talking one day at her house, and lamenting about a lady we both knew. We never could quite figure this lady out, and ended up saying that she must not be very friendly. A moment later my BFF's doorbell rang and who was at the door........ but this lady's son! Whoops! He was making a visit on behalf of his mother! Yep, was our face red.

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  30. I'm a new Follower thru Bloglovin.... I Found you thru this fun Hop! :)

    (I don't do FB..)

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  31. My best friend is my sister. She "bested" me this year when I turned 70 by taking a picture I've always hated and making it into a poster that's 3 feet by 4 feet. Then she brought it to the family reunion. Drat! At least she's younger than me so I can get back at her!

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  32. I follow through Bloglovin (dawn743). dawnm1993(at)gmail(dot)com

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  33. I liked you on Facebook. dawnm1993(at)gmail(dot)com

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  34. I need a new pattern to make some Charity Placemats. This is perfect because it is so bright and cheery!

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  35. I follow on FB. Love the place mats!

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  36. Thank you for the great tutorial! Your blocks are gorgeous! I'm now following you on Bloglovin!

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  37. I liked your Facebook page. Thanks again!

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  38. My BFF and I have the same tastes in quilting. One Christmas we laughed as we opened our gifts. We had both given each other the same quilting book.

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  39. I follow you by bloglovin! Thanks

    tdkcarpenoctem@hotmail.com

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  40. I follow you on Facebook! Thanks

    tdkcarpenoctem@hotmail.com

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  41. My BFF and I seem to buy the same clothes and show up with them on the same day. Just such a wonderful friend to do this. Thanks for the chance to win and your tutorial is wonderful. Thanks

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  42. One of my quilting BFFs and I went on a road trip to visit some quilt shops in a city a few hours away. She drove since her car had GPS. We were having trouble finding one of the shops and I commented that the GPS seemed to be taking us in the wrong direction. We kept following the directions even though I suggested we turn around. My friend thought we were lost too, but decided to just follow the GPS instructions. When we turned into somebody's driveway and GPS lady said we had reached our destination we both had a good laugh. And headed out of there right away!

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