Hi ,

I've been piecing supersized half square triangles this week and having a fun adventure with gradient batik fabrics. Gradient refers to a fabric that changes color, usually from light to dark, from one selvage to the other.

Cutting and piecing with these fabrics is interesting because you never really know what you're going to get! Here is my version of the Echo Triangle half square triangle quilt made with gradient batik fabrics:

This quilt top was definitely a lesson in surrender. This is a gift quilt to a woman who loves lime green, bright orange and yellow. When she mentioned her favorite colors, I immediately thought of my collection of gradient fabrics and figured this would be a fun way to use a few yards.

But... it's not perfect! Because of the way the triangles slice up, some of them ended up with the gradient going the right way and some did not. There is a piece of me that still wants to go in and piece new HSTs to make the color transitions perfect.

So the lesson I have to share from piecing with gradient fabrics is - get ready for an adventure! You really never know what you're going to get and it may just end up a little different from what you expect.

Just in case you'd like to make this quilt and missed the free pattern last week, here it is again for you to follow along and make one yourself:

I haven't had a chance to add this to my website yet, so this newsletter is the only place you'll find this free pattern.

To make this 59 1/2-inch throw sized quilt top you will need:

1 ¼-yards Light Green

1-yard Dark Green

1 ¼-yards Yellow

1-yard Orange

This fabric requirement is calculated based on 42-inch wide 100% cotton fabric.

Fabric Cutting for Echo Triangle Quilt

For best results wash and dry all fabric before cutting. Apply starch and press to increase fabric stability. You can find an excellent tutorial and multiple videos on preparing fabric right here. This fabric prep step makes piecing and matching seams easier.

Cut the following number of squares from each fabric:

Cut 13 – 9 ½-inch squares Light Green

Cut 12 – 9 ½-inch squares Dark Green

Cut 14 – 9 ½-inch squares Yellow

Cut 11 – 9 ½-inch squares Orange

Once you get your squares cut, you're ready to stack them and begin piecing half square triangles. Click Here to find my tutorial on piecing HSTs.

These are very large half square triangles so you may way to pin the two pieces of fabric together before piecing. You might also have to fold the right corner of the block over a bit to sew the seams if the block is too big for the harp of your machine. For my machine, this isn't a problem!

Stack the following fabric squares right sides together.

7 Light Green + 7 Yellow

6 Light Green + 6 Orange 

7 Dark Green + 7 Yellow

5 Dark Green + 5 Orange

Once you piece and cut them apart, you'll have all the pieces you need to make the 59 1/2-inch Echo Triangle Quilt:

Are we ready to piece the quilt top? Nope, not yet. I always calculate, cut, and piece my half square triangles slightly bigger than they need to be so I can cut to the correct size before piecing into the quilt top. This ensures accurate units, every single time.

Trim all HSTs to measure 9-inches square, then arrange 49 using the image of the quilt above as a guide. Piece 7 rows of 7 HSTs each, then piece the rows together matching seams.

I hope you'll give this quilt a try and send me a picture of your quilt top. Will you try it using gradient fabrics? It certainly was a patchwork adventure!

Hoop Frame Accessory Sale

We have only a few more days of May and 20% off Hoop Quilting Frame accessories. This includes bungee clamps, hoop frame leader cloth, mini quilt clips and more.

If you have an Evolution Hoop Frame and have been wanting to upgrade your frame to an Evolution Elite - now is the time!

We offer Evolution Hoop Upgrade Kits to transform your 5 foot Evolution Hoop Frame into an 8 foot, 10 foot, or 12 foot Evolution Elite, and the current prices are the lowest I've ever seen them.

Just make sure you understand two key elements about the Evolution Hoop Upgrade:

1 - No More Hooping - Once you upgrade, the frame becomes an Evolution Elite Frame, which is rolling rail only. This means the length of your frame determines the maximum width of your quilt. We can load up to a 79-inch wide quilt on an 8-foot frame and up to a 103-inch wide quilt on a 10-foot frame.

2 - Make Sure You Have Space. When you upgrade this frame it takes up a LOT more room. Double check you have room for the frame and room to walk around one narrow edge and to stand to both the front and back of the frame as well.

Click Here to find Evolution Hoop Frame Upgrades on sale through 

That's it for this week. I'm finishing up the last edits on the Pantograph Guidebook and the new edition will be coming out next week! If you'd like to learn everything you need to know about pantograph quilting - especially how to tackle this on a hoop frame, this new edition is for you!

Sign up for an update when this new guidebook is available by clicking the red button on this page and popping in your email address. The best sale price for this new edition will be the first week of June, so make sure to check it out when you get notified that it's back in stock.

Let’s go quilt,

Leah Day