Tips to making the Cosmic Poppies Quilt

The Cosmic Poppies Quilt is a fun improvisation curved pieced quilt. It is so much fun to do and easier than it looks. The secret is to slowly piece the curves to make a smooth curve, and then you square up the block after it is pieced to the perfect size.

Choosing the fabrics:

I use batiks because they are tightly woven to minimize stretch, and you are able to use both side of the fabric depending on which way you want the flower to move. If you use printed fabric, you will need to reverse the pattern for some flowers to get the movement you want. You will need a nice variety of value in your colors to make the blocks. I have found the couple of times I have made it I need more fabric than is listed on the pattern to get the variety I want and make sure it is on the straight of grain the best I can.

Fabric Requirements and Cutting:

I used 12" strips or 1/3 yards of 11 - 14 different fabrics for each section. This includes the binding, which I do half blue and half green.

1/4 yard for centers of the flowers. ( 5 different fabrics, 9" x 9")
2 1/3 yards of blue sky (5 fabrics 12"X WOF and 6 fabrics 12'" x 14")
2 1/3 yards for green leaves/grass (5 fabrics 12"X WOF and 6 fabrics 12'" x 14")
2 2/3 for the flower petals (5 fabrics 12"X WOF and 9 fabrics 12'" x 14")

If you have less variety, then you will need more of each fabric. 12" is the right size that you need to make the pieces work on the fabric.

Make your cutting templates out of Freezer Paper. Trace the shapes on the non shinny side of the freezer paper. Then cut around them. I iron them shinny down on the fabric. I use only one set to cut the whole quilt. You just reuse them over and over again.

I layer about 3 fabric on top of each other and iron the paper template on top. I use scissors to cut it out.

List for Cutting

Pick out One 12 inch strip WOF of blue and one green for binding - Set aside

Best to Plan E first for your fabrics That is the hardest to place on the fabric, then fill in with other pieces to cut.

You have a little extra fabric after cutting, but not much

Piece	Blue Sky	Green Leaves	Centers	Flowers
A	5	9	22	0
B	5	9	0	20
C	7	9	0	20
D	7	9	0	20
E	15	17	0	2

Sewing - Tips and Tricks

These are very gentle curves and do not require pining. You can move the fabric as needed when you are sewing if you go slow. You want a more art feel to this quilt, so it will not be precise in all the blocks being pieced until you square up the block.

Here is what the block will look like after sewing.

Back of the block pressed - I press the first seam toward the dark, so I do not get any bleed through of the brown on the yellow. Then I press all the other seams away from the center of the block. You will not be matching any of the seams.

Here is what the front of the block looks like

After you get all your blocks made, you will decide how big to trim the blocks down to. I did mine 9 1/2 inches, but you can easily do 10 or even 10 1/2. It will just make the quilt bigger. You have to find the smallest block that you have sewn to determine how big your blocks can be. Square them up all to the same size

At 9 1/2 inch blocks the quilt finishes to be 45" x 63"

At 10" blocks the quilt finishes 47.5" x 66.5"

At 10 1/2 inch blocks the quilt finishes to be 50" x 70"

I use a design wall to put the quilt together and to decide what fabrics to put into each block. I do cut one extra of all the blocks, so I have an extra block to use in case I do not like the placement of one of the blocks.

Quilt as desired

Squaring up prior to binding:

Squaring up a quilt is a fundamental step in the final finishing touches, ensuring your quilt is neat and its edges are straight. This process is crucial to achieve a professional and polished appearance for your quilt. Assuming your quilting is already completed, follow these steps to square up your quilt:

Prepare Your Workspace: Begin by setting up a clean and spacious work area. Lay out your quilt on a flat surface, such as a large table or the floor, ensuring there's enough room to work around it.

Trim One Edge: Begin by aligning a long quilting ruler with one edge of your quilt, ensuring it's perfectly straight. The ruler should extend beyond the quilt tops edge. Use a rotary cutter to trim the excess fabric along this edge.

Measure and Trim Remaining Edges: With the first edge squared up, use it as a reference to square up the remaining sides. Place your quilting ruler along the trimmed edge and cut the other three sides to match. Make sure they are straight and even.

Check for Squareness: To confirm your quilt is square, measure the diagonals. Both diagonals should be equal in length. If they are not, make slight adjustments by trimming the longer side until they match.

Press the Edges: Once your quilt is squared up, remove any loose threads, and press the trimmed edges with an iron to set the seams. This will give your quilt a clean and polished look.

Final Touches: Now that your quilt is squared up, it's ready for the final finishing touches. You can add binding, label your quilt, and give it any additional embellishments or details you desire.

By following these steps, you'll ensure that your quilt has straight, even edges, providing a professional finish that showcases your quilting skills and attention to detail.

Binding the quilt:

(Video Coming Soon!)

I make a blue binding and a green binding and make the binding half and half. I will have a video on how I do this on the quilt. Stay Tuned!