How to Make a Quilt That Has a Sky & Grass

Capturing sky and grass elements in a quilt can create a calming coverlet.

There are numerous methods for piecing fabrics to create quilt block patterns and free-hand textile designs. Incorporating sky and grass elements into a quilt can be approached from two very different techniques. Whichever strategy you choose for piecing a quilt with sky and grass, the result will undoubtedly be a beautiful, calming creation sporting soft blues, teals, creamy clouds and grasses in variegated green fabrics.

Things You'll Need

• Quilt block patterns with sky, cloud and grass elements
• Graph paper
• Pencil
• Cotton fabrics in colors appropriate for quilt blocks or landscape fabric features
• Scissors
• Rotary cutter
• Cutting board
• Slotted template
• Straight edge
• Sewing machine
• Pins
• Iron
• Ironing board
• Disappearing fabric pen
• Freezer paper
• Quilting needle and thread

Instructions

Block-Pieced Sky and Grass Quilt

1. Select block patterns with sky, cloud and grass elements. Draw a master design with a pencil on graph paper indicating the placement of each block. Determine the number of each block required for the quilt top.

2. Organize fabrics by color for the different blocks. Cut out block pieces with a rotary cutter, cutting board and either a slotted template or straight edge.

3. Piece the blocks by sewing machine. Pin the fabric pieces carefully, matching corners and seams. Iron the blocks.

4. Sew the blocks together in horizontal rows. Sew the horizontal rows together, referring to the graphed plan for row placement. Iron the pieced quilt top. Add batting and backing; quilt through all layers. Stitch binding around the quilt edges.

Landscape-Pieced Sky and Grass Quilt

1. Sketch a sky and grass design with a pencil on graph paper. Transfer the design with a disappearing fabric pen to a piece of fabric the width and length of the quilt top, enlarging all elements by the same scale. For instance, if the scale is 1/4 inch on the graph paper equals 1 inch on the quilt top, all pattern pieces should be drawn at a scale of 1/4 inch to 1 inch.

2. Trace each design element onto freezer paper. Cut along the pencil lines of each design pattern piece with scissors. Iron the shiny side of each freezer paper pattern piece to the back side of the fabric. Cut out each fabric design piece with scissors, adding a 1/4-inch seam allowance on all sides. Iron the seam allowance to the wrong side of each pattern piece, clipping curves and corners as needed.

3. Remove the freezer paper from each fabric piece by peeling it off carefully. Pin the pattern pieces to the full-fabric piece, referring to the disappearing fabric marker lines and the graph paper master design for placement.

4. Blind stitch by hand or satin stitch by sewing machine around the edges of each fabric piece. Iron the entire quilt top. Add batting and backing; quilt through all layers. Stitch binding around the quilt edges.

Tips & Warnings

• Fusible webbing is an alternative to freezer paper: Instead of adding 1/4-inch seams that are turned under on pattern piece edges, the pattern pieces are fused directly to the full fabric piece and satin stitched around all edges by sewing machine.

• Carefully enlarge landscape pattern dimensions from the master graph paper design to the full fabric piece; if all pieces are not enlarged by the same scale, the quilt design will be skewed.

References

• World Wide Quilting Page: How to Piece Quilt Blocks