Squared Away Finishing Instructions

Hello quilters, and welcome to the end of the Squared Away quilt project!  All that's left to do is put the blocks together into finished tops.  Last week, Angela gave finishing instructions for straight settings, and today I'm giving instructions for on-point settings.  I made my quilt in an on point setting with sashing but no cornerstones. There are a couple of on-point options given here, so be sure to read all the way to the end before you cut anything. This is a loooong post, so I divided this into sections marked by bold type to make it a little bit easier to find what you want.

Let's make some quilts!

Bonus block

An on-point setting will require 32 blocks, and we have made 30 so far.   You could make a couple more of any of the blocks that we've done so far, but if you want more variety, or you didn't like one of the blocks or skipped it for any reason, here is a bonus block:

This is Rolling 9-Patch, a block from Aunt Kate's Quilting Bee magazine from the early 1960s.  Instead of a tutorial, all I'm giving today is a piecing diagram, but the block is really easy and I'm sure you can handle it:

All of the squares are cut 2-1/2 inches. If you're making the flying geese using the 4 at a time method, use a 5-1/4 inch square of the color fabric and 2-7/8 inch squares of the background fabric.  (Oversize if desired!)  You could also use two 2-1/2 inch hsts instead of making geese.

On point setting with no sashing

This is the easiest of the on-point settings, with no extra pieces to worry about, just blocks and setting triangles.  You will have to match every seam in every block, but that's not difficult, just tedious.  As a reference, this is the setting I used for the Falling Stars quilt, so you get an idea of how it looks when finished:

This quilt looks out of square, but it's just pinned to the design wall a little unevenly.  I swear that it's square!

The quilt shown above used a 1-1/2 inch cut for the inner border (1 inch finished) and a 3-1/2 inch cut for the outer border (3 inch finished), plus 32 10-inch blocks.  The top finished at 65-1/2 by 80-1/2 before quilting. 

To make this layout, take 32 10-inch blocks and lay them out with four blocks across the top and bottom and five blocks along the sides:

Fill in the center of the quilt, and fuss with the blocks until you like the arrangement.  At this point it might be helpful to you to take a picture just in case the blocks get messed up.  I know that I've started doing this for a little insurance. 

To cut the setting triangles, you'll need to begin by cutting larger squares.

For this size block:    Cut 4 squares this size:    And two squares this size:

      5 inch                              8-3/8                                       4-1/2
       7-1/2                               11-7/8                                      6-1/4
       10                                     15-1/2                                     8
       15                                     22-1/2                                     11-1/2


Important note: I always oversize these squares and triangles to give myself some wiggle room.  For my 10-inch blocks, I cut the squares 16 inches and 8-1/2 inches. 

Cut the 4 larger squares into four triangles by cutting them in half twice from corner to corner:

These are the triangles for the sides.  You will use 14 of them and have two left over.

Cut the smaller squares into two smaller triangles by cutting them in half from corner to corner once.  These are for the corners, and you'll need all four.

Fill in the sides to square up the quilt center, then add the corners. 

These are my blocks, but not my setting triangle fabric.  I chose this just for visibility!

Press well, then add whatever borders you would like and your quilt top will be finished!

Pro tip:  some people get confused by on-point layouts.  You can lay your quilt out in straight rows and add the setting triangles, then join the rows:

Make two halves, leaving off the corners.  Join the two halves at the longest seam, add the corners, and press well.  Done!

On point setting with sashing

If you don't want to match every seam, or you just like the look of sashing,  you can add sashing to your blocks.  The width of the sashing is up to you, and here I'm only giving the instructions for the one size that I used for my 10-inch blocks.  I cut the sashing at 2 inches to finish at 1-1/2 inches in the quilt. 

Sashing with cornerstones:

For this setting, layout all the blocks as above, and then add sashing to the sides of the blocks.  You will need 80 10-1/2 inch pieces of sashing and 49 cornerstones for this layout.

Sashing without cornerstones:

Cornerstones are not required! If you leave out the cornerstones, you'll simply need to make some of the sashing pieces longer to make up for the lost cornerstone pieces. For this setting, you'll need 40 pieces of sashing 2 by 10-1/2 inches and 40 pieces 2 by 12 inches. 

The sashing alters the size of the setting triangles, so here are the sizes you'll need if you're using the sashing size above (cut 2 inches wide):

For the setting triangles, cut 4 squares 19-3/4 inches square and cut from corner to corner twice, and cut two squares 10-1/8 and cut in half once for the corners.  As noted above, I always oversize these and trim down later!

Borders 

Borders are not required, but if you'd like to have some, add as many as you'd like in any width you think is pretty! To measure for borders, smooth out your quilt and measure the length with a  long tape.  Cut two pieces this length and mark the centers and quarters.  Mark the centers and quarters of the sides of the quilt as well, then pin the borders to the quilt, matching the centers and quarters.  Stitch and press, then repeat for the borders at the top and bottom.  Repeat for as many borders as you desire.

What if I didn't finish all the blocks?

This quilt is not an assignment, so you can make a quilt any size you want! You can also combine these blocks with 12 inch blocks that you might have left over from something else by using sashing on the 10-inch blocks.  Cut the sashing 1-1/2 inches wide for the 10-inch blocks and don't use any sashing on the 12-inch blocks and they'll fit together just fine.  You could also add wider sashing to smaller blocks and mix them in with your 10-inch blocks. Another option is to use 10-inch squares of any fabric or fabrics you like.  Leftovers from a layer cake would work well. 

And that winds up our Squared Away quilt project! I'm so looking forward to seeing your finished quilts!  I'll show you mine right back here on November 3, but in the meantime, be sure to link up any finishes over at Angela's on Saturdays.  And if you have any questions, ask away in the comments, or you can email me and I'll definitely get back to you!

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