Macarons Lap Quilt

Hello! I'm Casey from Casey York Design and I blog at Studioloblog.wordpress.com. I'm delighted to be publishing my first pattern with Moda Bakeshop. This charm-pack friendly pattern features colorful French macarons, which seem to fit well with the title of this blog. For the quilt pictured, I used Kate Spain's recently released Honey Honey collection, and I am in love with this line. The colors are so cheerful and springlike and work perfectly for the candy-colored macarons. I hope you enjoy this pattern and that you'll share your finished quilts with me through the Casey York Quilts flickr group.

If you'd like to see some of my other quilts, many of which I will be releasing patterns for this spring, please stop by my blog and say hi!

(Unless otherwise noted, these requirements refer to 40” 100% cotton quilting fabric)

Macarons appliques: (1) Honey Honey charm pack

Cake Stand applique: ½  yd. fabric for cake stand appliqué (sample shows Bella Solids Aqua)

Background: 1 ½ yds. solid fabric (1 ¼  yds. if fabric is extra wide)

Binding: 1 yd. contrasting fabric for binding (based on 3”wide bias-cut strips; sample shows Lace in Sunset)
Backing: 3 yds. (or multiple fabrics to measure 44" X 54" for pieced backing)
Batting: 42" X 52" (1 3/4 yds 45+" batting, or one baby-sized package of pre-cut batting)

Lightweight, double-sided, paper backed fusible web : 1 ½ yds. 12” wide web or (6) 9” X 12” sheets

Step 1: Make the Appliqués:

Print the Appliqué Template page, which can be downloaded as a PDF here. Enlarge the Cake Stand template 300% using the settings in the print dialog box that appears when you print the PDF. (The cake stand will print over multiple sheets of paper, which you will then tape together.) The Cookie and Filling templates do not need to be enlarged.

Following manufacturer’s instructions, trace templates onto double-sided paper-backed fusible web. You will need to trace and cut (20) Cookies and Fillings and (1) Cake Stand. The cake stand may need to be traced in multiple sections, as shown below; these will be easy to reassemble when you fuse the web to the fabric in the next steps. As you will be applying these to the wrong side of your fabrics, the templates have already been reversed for you.

Tip: make sure to trace onto the correct side of the fusible web to avoid having to retrace your templates.

Decide which fabrics you want to use for cookies and fillings; I used large scale prints for the cookies and smaller scale or darker value complements for the fillings.

Cut out your traced templates and, following the manufacturer’s instructions, fuse the shapes to the wrong sides of your charm squares and cake stand fabric. Make sure to use a pressing cloth between your iron and fabric in order to avoid getting sticky residue on your sole plate.

Tip: Leaving a small margin around the templates when you cut them from the web is often helpful, but for this type of simple geometric shape I find this unnecessary. For this pattern, I cut the templates out along my tracing lines before fusing to the fabric. This saves my fabric scissors from cutting through extra layers of paper and adhesive, which can dull and gum up the blades. Use whichever method works best for you.

Match up each filling with its corresponding cookie. Although it may be tempting to fuse them together at this point, hold off on this until the next step, otherwise the overhanging portion of the fillings will fuse permanently to your ironing surface. 

 

Step 2: Assemble the quilt top:

Cut and/or piece your background fabric to measure 40” X 50.”  

Following the placement diagram below (click here for a PDF), arrange you appliqué shapes on the background.  

Position the cookies about one inch apart, and finalize your layout before fusing.  

Make sure to position the cake stand ¼ inch above the bottom edge of the background fabric, so that it is not covered by the binding when the quilt is finished. One cookie will be cut off at the left edge of the quilt—make sure to cut this to fit before you fuse it, to avoid fusing the edge of the cookie to your fusing surface.

Tip: Try to complete this step on the same surface you will be ironing on. Although the unfused web is tacky, it will not necessarily hold the appliqués in place if you move the quilt top.

Appliqué around each shape by hand or with your machine. For this example, I used invisible thread and a zig-zag stitch.

Step 3: Finish the quilt:

Layer your quilt top, batting, and backing; baste and quilt as desired. For the sample, I quilted an allover scroll pattern.

Trim batting and backing even with quilt top. Place a large bowl or plate adjacent to the edges at each corner and trace along its outer curve to mark curved corners. Trim the quilt according to your markings.

Use your contrasting binding fabric to make bias binding and bind using your preferred method.

Tip: bias binding will be easier to sew around the curved corners of the quilt than will straight grain binding.

Have a macaron and admire your finished quilt!

 

 

This pattern will yield one 40” X 50” lap quilt, which is my favorite size for brisk late winter days.

Casey York
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