Between the Lines QAL: Pattern 8/9 - Row 2 Roundabout

Hi everyone! Here we go again. A new row for the Between the Lines QAL: Roundabout.

How are your rows coming along? Did you finish the last row, or do you have some catching up to do? This week we’re making row 2, once again with quarter circles. After this row, there’s only one more to go!

When we reach the last row, the big prize draw will also take place, including THREE Bernina 475QE machines. A great incentive to complete your rows and show them at the end of the QAL.

Have fun making row 2, Roundabout!

Live video

In this blog post, you’ll find all the written instructions. This time the live is on a different day: December 23 at 4:00 PM, we’ll have another Between the Lines QAL live video on YouTube. We’ll dive into quarter circles. I’ll show you how I cut the fabric, pin the shapes, and sew the quarter circles together.

You can already ask your questions about this row, the previous row, or the quilt along in general in the comments of the video. I’ll answer them during the live session.

Are you reading this blog after December 23? No worries, you can watch the recording of the video at your own pace.

New here?

We started the Between the Lines QAL on June 6. It’s a quilt along where we make a row together every four weeks. We’re working with different techniques: Foundation Paper Piecing, quarter circles, traditional patchwork, and strip piecing (sewing and cutting strips).

Would you like to join? Read everything about the QAL in this blog post!

Want to order a kit with all the materials for this quilt? Order a Rainbow Kit or a Blue-Green Kit in the Sugaridoo webshop.

Supplies

In the patterns, I’m making two versions of the quilt: the rainbow quilt and the teal quilt. I’ll specify which fabrics to use for each version. Of course, you’re free to make the quilt with any fabric you like.

Rainbow quilt

Dark pink triangles
Light pink robots
Light gray
White background

Teal quilt

Teal squares
Dark teal
Light gray
White background

Before we start

Today, we’re working with curved shapes again. We already practiced this with row 7.

The quarter circles in this row are slightly smaller, making them a bit more challenging. Each block contains three quarter circles measuring 3 inches and one smaller one measuring 2 1/4 inches.

If you find the smaller one too tricky to sew, you can opt to make all four quarter circles the larger size.

Instructions

Let’s get started with row 2!

There are four different templates for this row. Templates A and C are the convex shapes, the quarter circles. Templates B and D are the concave shapes, the background around the quarter circles.

Download the templates here

Make sure to print your pattern at full scale. Double-check with the 1-inch square on the template to ensure the print size is correct.

Cutting

For this row, you’ll need the following:

Pink triangles (teal squares)

13 x A
3 x C

Light pink robots (dark teal)

12 x A
3 x C

Light gray

1 x C

Background fabric

25 x B
7 x D
7 strips measuring 1 x 3 inches
7 strips measuring 1 x 3 1/2 inches
8 strips measuring 1 1/4 x 6 1/2 inches

Cutting the fabric is done the same way as for row 7.

Sewing quarter circles

After cutting the fabric, you can start sewing. How did it go with row 7? Did you get the hang of it by the end?

For this row, I sat down and pinned everything at once (for both the teal and the rainbow quilt). This allowed me to have a stack of quarter circles ready by my sewing machine and sew them whenever I had a moment.

I used three pins per quarter circle, but of course do use as many as makes it comfortable for you to sew.

Did you know you can also glue baste your circles before sewing? Look up “glue basting for curved piecing” for tips.

With quarter circles, you can chain piece them, creating a long string of blocks. I like this technique, because the first block helps pull the next one under the presser foot.

Pressing

For these blocks, I found it best to press towards the background fabric. First, finger-press the fabric, then let the iron do its work.

It’s so satisfying to see a perfectly crisp block after pressing!

Trimming the blocks

Once all blocks are sewn and pressed, it’s time to trim them to size.

For this row, trim all large blocks to 3 1/2 inches and trim all small blocks to 3 inches (including seam allowance). Read the instructions below to learn how to trim the blocks.

Large quarter circles

Start with the large quarter circles. Align your ruler so the 3 1/4-inch markings are on the edge of the quarter circle, as shown in the image below.