Nickel In A Box quilt

Here's the third quilt pattern of my Double Nickel Quilt Challenge.  I call it Nickel In A Box and is offered as another FREE pattrn.  Contrast is the main design element in this quilt.  You need contrast between the center of the block and it's outer border and you need contrast between the blocks to get this graphic look to work.  I have contrasted the colors of the fabrics as well as the scale of the patterns in the fabrics though simply contrasting the colors of the fabrics can be enough.   

This quilt uses a variation of the same block pattern as the quilt shown in the first and second posts. These three quilts are a good example of how color placement within a block can totally change the look of a quilt.  See comparison below.

Nickel In A Box

                    

                  Bright Shiny Nickels 

Just A Nickel

 Nickel In A Box 

The first 2 quilts do not have any added sashing or borders as it appears they do.  They are constructed using the same block as the third quilt.  All three are super fast and easy. They are a great way to use scraps or pre-cut charm packs.

This quilt is small enough that I quilted it myself on my home sewing machine.  I stitched horizontally and vertically following the outline of the block and then stitched in both directions again lining up with the center of the block to create a nine patch grid.  Here's a close-up-

I made the binding for this quilt out of coordinating scraps also.  I used scraps that were the full width of fabric long and just pieced them end to end until the strip was long enough. Here's a closeup-
                                 
                                                     


Here is a quick tutorial on how to construct the block used in this quilt-

For each block you need-
 1-5" square of fabric for center
 2-5" squares of contrasting border fabric 
 2-5"x14" strips of contrasting border fabric (or use 3-5" squares sewn together for each strip)




Sew contrasting fabric squares to each side of the center square and press your seams away from the center square.

Sew your 3 strips together and your block is complete.  Press seams to outer strips.

This quilt is a variation of my FREE quilt pattern posted HERE. 

Just A Nickel

Here is the second quilt pattern of my Double Nickel Quilt Challenge.  This quilt uses the same block patterns as the quilt shown in the first post.  However, the blocks are rearranged to create the look of borders and sashing.  No trying to get a border to fit in this one!

This quilt was made by Linda of L&R Designs from my pattern called Just A Nickel.  She calls her version Leftover Blues because she used leftover blue squares from another project. Instead of using a solid white fabric for the background she used scraps of white on white fabrics.  I love the effect of the scrappy background. 

For the quilting design, she stitched the length of the quilt and spaced the quilting lines at random widths as you can see in this photo of the back of the quilt. Notice how the back is pieced with even more leftover squares!  Can you see the blue squares shadowing through to the back?  Keep this in mind if you are using a white backing fabric if you don't like the look. 

For more quilting design ideas, visit Linda's web site lrdesignsquilting


Here is a quick tutorial on how to construct the main block used in this quilt-

For each block you need-
 2-5" squares of assorted fabrics
 1-5" square of background fabric 
 2-5"x14" strips of background fabric (or use 3-5" squares sewn together for each strip)



Sew print squares to each side of the background square and press your seams to the print squares.

Sew your 3 strips together and your block is complete.  Press seams to center strip.

Two more variations of this block are needed to construct the quilt as shown.  This quilt is a variation of my FREE quilt pattern posted HERE.  You need to rearrange the blocks to get this look or you can get a free download of the pattern simply by posting a comment on this post by 1/5/11 and sending me your e-mail address so I can send you the pattern.  You can contact me at candace@fabricstashclub.com