Hi all from Australia :)

I have only just discovered quilting and since I have no-one to learn from, pretty grateful for this site! Although it has been taking a bit of time away from my first quilt :lol:

Anyway I was a bit unsure of what to do next and thought I'd benefit from the wisdom of some more experienced quilters. I'm making a form of a nine patch quilt http://www.craftlovers.com/projects/4746-retro-girl there's the link for a picture but it doesn't have description.

Anyway, my problem is that I want to make a quilt for a queen size bed but am not sure how best to work out how many more squares I need, as this makes 57 inch by 74 inch and I would need102 by 112. It says to cut 384 sqaures of the coloured fabric and 35 of the 6 and half inch squares for the cream fabric. Would I be best to work it out before-hand (even though the maths gives me a headache!) or to join the middle squares as directed and then once I've joined them go back and see how many more I need to make it big enough for the queen size bed? I'm using a jelly roll also and should have more than enough of the coloured fabric, but haven't bought any other fabric yet.

Sorry if this is a bit complicated but I wasn't sure how best to work out how to work out how much larger or how many extra rows I should be adding.

Hi Adorabowe.

I just did some quick math so it's not perfect. You will need at least another jelly roll and double the other fabrics. You will need to make about 2 1/2 times everything. Is there a quilt shop within reasonable distance where you can get some help? Your cream squares and units will be 6 1/2 inches unfinished, or 6 inches when assembled. If you make it so you can use a king size flat sheet for the backing you will have a nice size for a "bedspread" on a king size bed.
If you have not purchased the pattern, please do so before you start. The price is minimal for the information you will learn from it.

Your squares finish at 6 inches. You need 15 across and 16 down to make a quilt 90 x96 before borders. Multiply 15x16=240. 120 solid is 3.33 yards, but you need buy a little more for cutting and some for the setting triangles, so at least 4 1/2 yards. 120x9=1080 printed squares, so you'll need another jelly roll or some coordinating fabric you can cut into 2 1/2" squares. Then you'll need some fabric for your borders.

Whoops, you need a few extra blocks to set a quilt on point, but you'll have enough prints with another jelly roll to increase the number blocks slightly.

Your math is off as these blocks are on point (if the OP is doing it the same way as the picture she provided).

You would need 12 down and 11 across - so 132 9Patch blocks.
This quilt is 102x110 including a 4" border. Blocks finish at 6"

That's a lot of blocks to make.

Another suggestion would be to investigate doing some strip piecing so you're not cutting a million squares. You can still get a very random feel with that method. And the sewing would go so much faster.

Also, perhaps doing a 16 patch instead of the 9 patch - that would cut down on the number of blocks, and wouldn't really change the look of the quilt.

Thanks so much! That definitely helped just to give me a starting spot to help me figure out what I should be doing with the maths and such.

I did buy the pattern, it was in a quilting magazine. Is setting a quilt on point having the diagonal effect? Is there a specific technique for this?

Welcome to the board from Southern California!

Hi adorabowe, welcome to the board. Looks like you have some great advice here already so can't wait to see pictures when you get it done. :thumbup:

Sorry posed that before seeing the last reply.

IrishRose, would the benefit of the 16 patch blocks just be the aesthetic appeal of not having so many small blocks? How many would that make it across and down? Sorry it's very late at night (or early in the morning) and my brain isn't working.
How did you create that picture as well? It's super helpful!

Thanks for the welcomes and suggestions!

Here's the quilt with16 patch blocks, each finishing at 7.5 inches.

Now you only need 90 of the pieced blocks (10 down/9across). This quilt is 103x114 incl the 4" border.

And, again, I'd really look into strip piecing this project.

Another thing is to NOT cut your plain squares until after you're completely done with your pieced blocks.

Why? In a perfect world, each block would finish at exactly what the directions say they should. So all your 9 patches, for instance, when you're done piecing each one, will be 6.5" square.

Well, we don't live in a perfect world. And, let's say for whatever reason (not the least being that you're a new sewer), all blocks come out looking fabulous....except they measure 6.25" or 6.75" square. It happens.;-)

You can pull your hair out, or, if they're all closer to ONE size, leave them be or trim them to a uniform size.

AND then you cut your plain blocks to that size. And your quilt will go together beautifully. It's so much easier than trying to deal with easing or stretching that difference into each seam each time you join two blocks.

And then after you're done with the quilt, and incredibly proud of yourself (as you should be), you can go back and try to figure out why the blocks weren't perfect.

There are certain quirks to putting blocks on point, but are well worth the effort.

You don't have to worry about that now. When you get all the blocks pieced and plain blocks cut (see above), you can find a ton of information about setting triangles - those are the pieces you need at the end of each row to make the quilt square again.

I colored them blue in the picture below so you can see them more clearly.

There are some basic important rules/guidelines as far as size and orientation but you they have no impact on making the blocks so you can wait on that. And there are a ton of tutorials and charts on the cutting measurements.

Here's a pretty basic straightforward instruction page on strip-piecing.
http://www.sewaquilt.com/strip-piecing.html

You can see how you'd sew 3 (or 4) strips together, and then cross-cut to get a multi-patch piece.

So if you make different combinations of those strips sets and do the cross-cuts. Then you can mix and match (we can talk about pressing seam allowances later) without sewing one patch to one patch to another and so on. Way, way quicker.

As for the advantage of the 16 patch - yeah, it's quicker. And that quilt size is so freaking large, those 6 inch blocks are sort of going to get lost on the bed. Try it. Cut a 6 patch of floral fabric and put it on the bed? Does it make any kind of impact.

Since you're working with 2" jelly rolls, you're sort of limited as you can't just change the size of your strips. The only thing you can do is add strips. A 7.5" block is still not huge. Maybe you can do 25 patch blocks (9" finished). Cut up some scraps in those different sizes and see what you like best on the bed.

OK, I really, really have to get back to work. ;-)

Ah ok I think 16 sqaures might be the way to go, but I'll test out the different sizes tomorrow. I'll definitely leave my larger blocks to the end then! Considering my accuracy I might end up with completely different sizes lol.

I just tried looking into the setting triangles but as long as it doesn't effect what I'm doing, I'll take it one thing at a time and for now just focus on making my patch squares.

I think when I wake up tomorrow a bit more sprightly I'll look into the strip piecing, for now it's going right over my head.

Thanks again so much for your help! It would have taken me days to figure all this out and I probably would have just gotten it wrong anyway.

I don't doubt I'll be back with a bunch more questions once my patches are done and I have to get to the assembly of the top though.

Feel free to PM with any questions.

That is a great pattern to start out with. Just nine patches and and a block to match the 9 patch size. Others are a lot better with math than myself but I would buy that pattern as you would have it in front of you to guide you step by step. You would also have it to refer to on any other quilts you make and you will become good at changing things around. All you really have to do is make that pattern and put it on your bed when finished and decide how many more blocks on each side of the quilt you need for your queen size bed. This is a simple approach but since you're learning it is a valuable approach. You might want it wider than a normal queen depending on what look you are wanting. Also remember you can always add another border. Personally, setting a quilt on point when I started years ago would have frustrated me to no end. I'd stick with this one and become comfortable with my piecing and adding rows before I went on to something a bit more challenging. A few of the other ladies gave you the number of squares you would need so refer back to them. I would have to sit at my calculator to work it out for you but I believe they already did. Always buy a bit more fabric for error factor and ask how long they might have the fabrics you're purchasing/ wanting. Sometimes it can sell out and they won't get anymore in so that is also a consideration in how much you should purchase.

Just take your time, enjoy the process and you'll have it figured out before you know it. :-D

Adorabowe, for future quilts you can also go to:

http://quilterscache.com

and find enough all sort of free patterns.

What a sweetheart you are MTS.

Looks like you're getting some great advice - good luck with your project.

Hi Adorabowe...I don't have anything to add to what's already been said as I haven't been quilting all that long myself. Just wanted to say hi from a fellow Aussie...and this is a great site :)
Where abouts are you? I'm in Queensland..Gold Coast.

Definitely great advice! I made my first patch tonight so at this rate it will only take me five years to finish haha

I'm from Sydney :)

So I must have been having a brain fart yesterday because I gave you some incorrect numbers for the 16 patch. And it was nibbling at my brain this morning so I went back and checked.

The finished block will obviously be 8" square. Duh.

In my head I was thinking the jelly roll made up of 2" strips. I've never bought one or really even looked at patterns because I have more than enough fabric cut my own strips :roll:.

Here's another picture of what the 16 patch would look like. The good news is you would only need 72 blocks, because it would be an 8x9 setting. The finished dimensions of this quilt, including the 4" border, are 99"x110", close to the size you wanted. But you can always add to the border or setting triangles when the time comes.

Sorry for the brain blip.

So glad you added that! I was trying to work out where the 7.5 came from and thought I was missing something (like usual) Also bit of a relief to cut down on the number of squares.

Thanks again :)