Quilts In The Barn Raffle Quilt.

Its that time of the year, when my thoughts turn to planning this years
 Quilts In The Barn Exhibit.
This year we are very fortunate to have Jo Morton, from America, as our guest exhibitor.
Jo not only designs, and makes quilts, she designs fabrics, for Andover,
that l love to sew with.
This year, l have decided to make a signature quilt, using fabrics that Jo has designed.

Of course, there is no point making a signature quilt, with just my signature.
This is where you can help.
l am asking for signature blocks, like those below , to make this years raffle quilt.
If you would like to make a block to be added to this years quilt, that would be fantastic.
l need at least 140 blocks.
The block is 5" finished. You will find the cutting directions below,
and a tutorial on how to make the block.

The only rule is the fabric must be designed by Jo Morton.
All funds raised from the raffle are donated to Breast Cancer Research.

These are the cutting directions for the block.
Using Jo Morton  fabrics only,

cut  l  x 5 1/2" square from main focus fabric.
Cut this on the diagonal to give you 2 triangles.
cut  1  x 1 1/2 " square from main focus fabric.

 cut 1 x 8"  x 1 1/2"  Strip from a light Jo fabric ( l used the ladies fabric)
cut 2 x 4"  x 1 1/2" strips from a light Jo fabric.


Here is a tutorial on how to make the signature raffle block.
These are your cut pieces. Of course, all seams are 1/4"

Take the 8" strip and sew it to the long  side of a triangle. Press to the dark fabric.

Now sew the other triangle to the light centre strip.

When placing the top triangle on, centre it by eyeballing with the triangle below.

Press to the dark fabric.

With your rotary cutter and ruler, cut the sewn pieces on the diagonal.

 Now take your 2 short strips and the 1 1/2" centre square,

which you have sewn together in a long strip,

Pin and sew, again pressing to the dark fabric.

Repeat for the other side. Your block is finished. That didn't take long.

Now comes the tricky part.  With your ruler, you need to trim the block to 5 1/2" 

Place ruler, with 2 3/4" marks on the centre square, as shown in the photo.
 You can see l have put  black marks to show what l mean.
Make sure that the diagonal line on your ruler is also straight. Trim top 2 sides.

Turn block and repeat for remaining 2 sides. Its easier this time,
as you can also line up the 

5 1/2" mark on the outer 2 edges of the block.
If you don't feel comfortable trimming the blocks, that OK!!
Send me the untrimmed block, and l will do the trimming.

Block is complete now, except for your signature.

Sign  your name, state and country on the light pieces when block is completed, 

as shown in the photo below. Use a permanent ink pen. These pens can be found at most quilt shops.

Post your completed block here to me, by the 18th May.
Get together with a friend or 2, and send them together.
Anyone, anywhere, in the world, are welcome to send blocks.

As you can see, l have started collecting blocks from my friends.
Please join in, and make this a wonderful signature raffle quilt from around the world.

 23 Hartley Road
Wonga Park
Victoria 3115
Australia.

Many thanks,
Linda.

P.S. For those of you who want to put the dates in your diary,
 or are thinking of making the trip for a visit,
 Quilts In The Barn will be held on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th September 2011.
Hope to see many of you there. Don't forget to say hello.