I love a simple yet powerful quilt design, and these Granny Square Quilts deliver in spades! Or squares! This is the second set of three that I have made with this design, and I think there will be more in my future.
The pattern
My beginning point for this pattern was the “Large Granny Square Pattern” by Trish Poolson. It’s a well-written pattern that uses one layer cake and one charm pack to create a nice throw-size quilt. Baby quilts are more my jam (so fast and satisfying), and so I used the same amount of fabric to create three separate quilts. I love that they are all similar, but not exact replicas of each other.
Two years ago when I first made this pattern, I had family visiting – my brother and nieces helped me pair up fabrics so that the “petals” and the “centers” looked good together and that there was an even distribution of light and dark fabrics across all three quilts. We had a great time deciding which colours should go into which pile, and much editing was done. It was lovely to spend that time together petting the fabric and admiring all of the pretty prints!
Brother’s great idea
When I started sewing my first block together, my brother (who I call “Brother”) looked at me as if he was very confused. I asked him what was wrong, and he said “I think I see a faster way that you could put this together”.
He’s a non-quilter but has a logical, analytical brain, so I asked him what he would suggest instead. I didn’t have much expectation that he would know how to make a quilt better than I did, so I was ready to voice my concerns over whatever plan he came up with. But to my surprise, Brother said “It’s basically a bunch of small squares, right? Why are you making them into bigger squares rather than sewing all the little squares together in rows?” Huh. I hadn’t thought of that. Why WASN’T I doing that?? So I changed my game plan and simply sewed it together in rows!
These aren’t my first Granny Square Quilts
When Brother shared this hot tip with me, it was way back in 2016. I will forever remember that because of all the Olympics we watched during that visit! In any case, the first three that I made were using Bonnie & Camille’s Vintage Picnic for Moda Fabrics. I whipped them up, put them in my Etsy shop, and to my surprise, they sold! They were the first quilts anyone ever bought from me, and they all went to one lovely lady who wanted them for her three granddaughters. Awwww!
Fabric & techniques
I was so in love with the pattern and how quickly they came together that I knew I wanted to make some more! This time I used two different fabric lines (Desert Bloom and Valley by Sherri and Chelsea for Moda Fabrics). The two lines pair together very well, and they allow for a broader colour spectrum.
For the backing, I used two different prints from the Desert Bloom line, and one completely random backing fabric that I found on a trip to Ottawa last year. If anyone has any clue what it’s called, please let me know!
They have all been machine quilted on my home sewing machine using straight line quilting. I know I should be “over it” by now, but I still am in awe of how well my Janome 6700P does straight lines. Not a pucker or a tuck in sight! I legitimately feel like I’m cheating when I used this beast – it’s so easy!
I bound all three with Desert Bloom prints, and have attached them with my machine. I’ve really hit my stride with this technique, and it feels great to know that I can attach a binding so that it’s secure and looks good, too!
Where can I find these beauties?
All three finish at 37.5″ x 49.5″, which is great for cuddling, tummy time, or draping over a chair.
If you would like to see more pictures, you can check out my Etsy shop. If you would like to gift them to a loved one (or keep them for yourself!) you can find their complete listing details by clicking here, here, and here.
Thanks for stopping by!