Color Block Postage Stamp Quilt

In my September 18 blog post I shared a picture of my finished postage stamp quilt top, pieced during early spring pandemic days. Each of the 72 blocks are 8” x 8” (finished) and made with 64-1½” square scraps (unfinished) from this never ending basketful. (Some of you who've been around for a while may recognize my Longaberger basket. It's the 1992 "Season's Greetings" basket.)

I also intentionally cut squares of solids for each block. Not that I'm counting - though I am! - this quilt has 4,608 1½” X 1½” pieces!

My 2019 plan was to take prepared patches with me to 2020 sew days and retreats for slow sewing. Coronavirus changed those plans  

Color Block Postage Stamp Quilt, 66" X 74"

When piecing blocks, I used the web method - the same method I use and shared in a web tutorial for piecing a quilt top. I made two blocks at a time so I could continuously chain piece from one block to another. Web seams are pressed one way, changing with each row, for nesting; and final seams are pressed open.

The first seams (columns) were finger-pressed to one side. Second seams (rows) were then nested in opposite directions. When piecing the quilt top, a lot of pinning happened, to get block-to-block seams to match as closely as possible.

Finally, I snipped all the chaining threads and pressed seams open with an iron. Both the individual blocks, and the quilt top were pieced according to this web method.

With all the seams, this is a pretty heavy quilt. Batting is lightweight Quilter’s Dream Cotton Request. 

I managed to quilt this while away from home last week. Quilting is an all over ruler work clamshell design done with a Fine Line 2" Half-Circle template by Accents in Design. 

I quilted the first clamshell on the diagonal, at a corner, building clamshells diagonally across the quilt to the opposite corner. 

Backing fabric is a wide-back from my friend's Etsy shop: Moda Grunge "Hits the Spot - Pool." She gives a 10 percent discount to MQG members.

As usual with a scrappy quilt, binding is a black and white stripe applied with the No Tails Binding: Mitered Corners by Machine method. This stripe is printed on the diagonal, so I only needed to cut it on the cross-grain to get binding with a spiral effect. I love that!

Here's the now-obligatory photo of my Color Block Postage Stamp quilt hanging in our front yard Bismarck palm. I adore this palm! #quiltinabismarckpalm

Linda