The Winner is...and Dinner Plates Free Modern Quilt Pattern, Quilt Along, Sew Along Cutting Instructions

The winner is.....  Bijoux Baby!  We'll be in contact with you to ship your fabric and patterns.  I do sort of have egg on my face as we really didn't have 100 comments but I'm telling you, it was just so good to hear from you!!  Thank you so much.  Your comments were so helpful and thoughtful.  Next week I'll give a full report as to what we discovered (not that you can't read it for yourselves).  Again, THANK YOU, we love having you comment!  Now, on to Dinner Plates!

Marny here...hope you all had fun choosing your fabrics!  New or old, playing with fabric choices is always fun.  I went with all "fresh" fabric.   My choices are described in the previous Dinner Plates post.

It is best to make a little chart assigning numbers to your six fabrics.  If you have chosen a scrappier look with half yard cuts or fat quarters you'll just need to pay attention that you come out with the right number of each of the cutting categories.  You'll see what I mean in a moment.

It is advisable to take the time to label your fabrics 1 thru 6.

There are three cutting categories.
1.  Plain blocks.
2.  The backgrounds you will insert your circles into.
3.  Squares of fabric you then cut your circle from. (Cutting the circles from these squares will be described in Step 3, on August 30th.)

Dinner Plates has 15" finished blocks.  Therefore the plain blocks are cut 15 1/2".  It is useful to cut the squares for background larger than 15 1/2" so that you can make them nice and square once the circle is inserted.  I advise 16 1/2" - 18" for this.  The squares for circles are 14 1/2" - 16".

This being said, you could now make the decision to make a slightly larger quilt with the fabric you already have.  You could make your blocks finish at 16".  Your Queen would then finish 96" x 96" and your throw would finish 64" x 80".  You would need to enlarge all the cuts by one inch to do this safely and easily.

Here are the cutting charts for Dinner Plates.  Be sure to follow the one for the size you are making!

So for this Step 2 of Dinner Plates all you have to do is cut numerous large squares. Large square rulers of just the right size are nice, but who has one for every size?

If you haven't cut large squares let me assure you it is easy.  I am going to show you how using two long rulers and then show how to do it if you don't have two long rulers but do have a variety of squares or smaller rulers.

The fabric is folded in half , with the selvages away from me.  Trim a clean, perpendicular edge.

Using two long rulers, align one with the required measurement on the freshly cut edge.
Lay the second ruler perpendicular to this, with the one of its straight markings aligned with
the folded edge of the fabric.  Remove the first ruler (the horizontal ruler above) and cut
along the right edge of the remaining ruler.  You will have a strip the required measurement.
I will show the next step in a bit.  For more on working with two rulers for general cutting go here.

Here I show using two square rulers and a long ruler.  I am cutting a 15 1/2" strip.
The first ruler I put down was the 12 1/2" square one.  Then I placed the yellow smaller
square ruler right against it and carefully aligned the clean edge of the fabric under
the 3" mark on the ruler.  (Yes, 12 1/2 + 3 = 15 1/2)  Then I put the long ruler along the left side
of the squares, making sure a line followed the fold of the fabric,
 removed the two square rulers, and made the cut.   

Here the resulting 15 1/2" strip has been turned on  its side.  The fold of the fabric is to the left.
Clean up the right edge.  (This will be the selvage edge.  Be sure to cut in far enough to
remove them both completely.)

Repeat with the two rulers or the multiple rulers.

And there you have it!  Beautiful squares.  Sorry that the angle of the camera causes my
squares to look deceptively like rectangles.  

Here are my three completed piles.  I've labeled them plain blocks,
 backgrounds, and circles.

This is the Cut A Round ruler by Cheryl Phillips that I use.  It makes cutting circles easy.  

Don't you just love the little piles the trimming pieces and scraps
form at the end of a cutting session?  See you August 30th for the great circle
cutting and inserting day!