Monkey Buttons

Sea Urchin Workshop – 1st April 2022 – 10-4pm

To make the most of time, please arrive and set up your work space ready to start at 10am

Wonderful spiny foundation pieced blocks

I love traditional blocks with a twist – This is a Variation of a New York Beauty. The play of colour between the arcs makes these interlocking spines. This is one of my organised scrap quilts, where I have carefully selected taupe’s in medium & dark fabrics for the spines, lights for the outer backgrounds and darker ones for backgrounds of the centre arcs. The blocks are 12” finished. This sashed quilt measures 44” square but could easily be made into a bed quilt or a cushion.

For the workshop I would suggest that we work on just one block for a cushion.

  • In order to make the workshop more productive I suggest you limit the variety of fabrics used in the spines to a selection of closely shaded – but different prints/textures of one colour – i.e.  8  blue fabrics.
  • If purchasing  buy 8 x fat 1/8ths (packs available)
  • For the background try using just one light fabric (or whatever contrast you wish)  1/2m should be sufficient.
  • Fat 1/4m for backing & same of wadding.
  • On the day we will discuss my approach to how I graded my fabrics – which was very time consuming but enjoyable.
  • Neutral thread – I prefer to use pale grey, light taupe colours but not white or cream. Cotton thread. Aurifil 50wt is by far the best quality and value for piecing, in my opinion
  • Sewing machine with clear foot.
  • General sewing equipment sharp scissors
  • Rotary set – for roughly cutting strips once colours are chosen.
  • Small bright lamp is useful or a Light box if you have one – otherwise we use the sun!

If collecting for the quilt you will need –

  • A wide assortment of lights for outer backgrounds
  • A wide assortment of medium lights for inner backgrounds
  • A wide assortment of dark & mediums taupe’s for the spines.
  • Thin 1/4m for sashing
  • 1/2m outer border
  • 1/2m binding
  • 50” square of wadding
  • 50” x  50” backing