How to Make the Seed Packets Quilt with Kaffe Fassett Floral Fabrics

When I saw the seed packets quilt, I loved it in red and I thought it would look great in other colors. So I decided to try it in blue/purple. I loved how it turned out. I wanted to make it so come sew along with me. I am going to take you through the steps to successfully make this quilt.

Here is how I have broken down the making of this quilt.

Fabric Selection + Prep + Tools
Cutting = Emphasis on Fussy cutting the quilt
Laying out the quilt for visual impact
Sewing of the block
Putting together the Rows
Completed quilt top
Quilting Ideas
Binding of the Quilt

Let's get started

Download the Free Pattern and read through it to get a general understanding.

Seed Packets Quilt Pattern - Free Digital Download

Fabric Selection + Prep + Tools

Fabric Selection-

You will need 15 -20 different fabrics for this project. They should be a variety of Styles, scales and hues to make this quilt interesting. You will need a larger piece of the large scale flowers and for the small florals around the outside border you need 1/4 yards and for the large prints you may need up to 5/8 of a yard. We have kits already pre-selected as pictured below for purchase. You need 5-6 large scale flower prints 6-7 Medium scale prints and at least 4 small scale floral prints.

Large, Medium, and Small Print Fabrics

Fabric Selection for the Blue Colorway

Seed Packets Quilt Kit for the Blue Colorway

Fabric Selection for the Red Colorway

Seed Packets Quilt Kit for the Red Colorway

Preparation of the Fabric-

I usually make sure they are pressed without any crease for easy of cutting. You may need to starch it a little to make it a little easier to work with if they feel like they need it.

To Wash Or Not to Wash. - Click here for information

I am not pre-washing any of these fabrics. One because they all have almost the same color value and second they are all from the same manufacturer, so they have the same grey goods fabric they are printed on. If I thought that bleeding was going to be a problem, then I might pre-wash. I use a color catcher the first time I wash a quilt. (What is a Color Catcher?)

Tools

Cutting Mat
Rotary Cutter
Chalk Marker (Optional)
Clear Ruler - I am using two an 8 inch square and a 5 inch square, both are clear rulers, so I can see the flower I am cutting around and how it will be centered in the block.
Sewing Machine with a straight stitch
Basic Sewing Supplies
Design wall - some place to lay it out and look at it.

Cutting the Fabric and Fussy Cutting for this Quilt

Open the fabric and lay it flat on the cutting table to be able to fussy cut the fabric. You only cut one block at a time to make sure you get the flower pictured in the block when you cut it out. You need 63 - 8 inch square blocks - you will need to cut 5-6 from each of the large and medium flower prints. Cut the 8-inch first to make sure that you get the flowers cut that you want. After, you can go back and cut the 4 1/4 inch blocks. You need 144 - 4 1/4 inch blocks. That will be about 9 from each fabric. If you do more from the smaller prints, you will need less from the large print fabrics. I made sure I cut extra 8-inch blocks to have in case some of them do not work in the overall look I want to achieve. I can always cut them down if needed.

Keep your ruler parallel to the selvege when you are cutting out the blocks to make sure they are straight of grain.

Make sure you cut the binding out of the fabric specified first. I started fussy cutting and then realized it was the binding too and stopped and cut the binding strips. You need (9) 2 1 ⁄2” x WOF for binding. Make sure you cut your 9 stripes first, so you have enough fabric for the binding. You have a 1 1/8 yards of fabric and the binding will take 22 1/2 inches.

Laying out the Quilt for Maximum Impact

I am using a design wall to lay out the quilt on. I always use it. We have a great YouTube on making one. (Click Here). You can also use a bed, the floor, or piece of flannel fabric taped to a wall. Just something where you can get back from the quilt to make sure it looks good. Once you get it laid out on the design wall, you will need to stand back and make sure that you have the light spread out over the quilt top. Check for same blocks next to each other. The tool I use for this is my cell phone. I stand back and take a picture of it to see if the light and dark fabrics are spread evenly over the quilt. The cell phone helps you see values. I can then make changed and take another picture to see if I like it. It will also serve as a visual reference too in case your blocks get mixed up, or they fall off the design wall. :)

Sewing the Blocks Together

I am starting with the 8" x 8" blocks in the center first to sew together. I am going to sew row one and press to the right, and then sew row two and press to the left. This way, when I sew the rows together, I can nest the seams. At this time, all I am doing is sewing the larger blocks into rows. I will then put them back on the design wall and layout the 4 1/4 inch blocks next. I will do the same steps as above, as I did with laying out the 8X8 blocks. I did not lay out the whole quilt at once because I know that it is hard to keep that many small pieces on the design board. I am going to sew the 4 1/4 inch blocks together as a four patch with a scant quarter inch seam and then square them up to make sure they are 8 inch square blocks. I think this will make the quilt come out square and will not be as many seams to match. The pattern has you adding the 4 1/4 patches as borders, and I think it will be easier to add them as blocks to a row.

Putting together the Rows

Making the Four-Patch

I completed the outside border making four patches because I thought it was easier to keep the quilt square, making them that way. After I sew them I make sure they are square with an 8x8 ruler before I sew the row.