Hawaiian Rainbow Baskets by Lisa Boyer 2004

Class Supplies

1. Sewing machine in working order. Machine must be able to do a zig-zag stitch and accommodate fine nylon thread on top.
2. Open toe appliqué foot for your machine (or clear plastic zig-zag foot is second best—just be sure you can see where you’re appliquéing!)
3. Seam guide for 1/4 seams or 1/4 inch foot for your machine
4. ½” Bias tape maker
5. Glue stick
6. Can of spray starch and an old towel or t-shirt (for overspray)
7. Clear fine nylon thread (YLI or Sew Art). No clear polyester thread, please!
8. General sewing supplies: thread to match your background fabric, good quality machine needles (i.e. Schmetz size 80 are wonderful!), fabric scissors, paper scissors, seam ripper, and fine, sharp straight pins
9. Fine mechanical pencil or other fine marker that will make a light mark, but still show up on your background fabric. Regular pencil is good for light backgrounds. For dark backgrounds, try a Berol Verithin silver pencil or a silver pencil made for quilting. Colored pencils with wax bases are not good. Chalk markers are okay, but make sure that it can be sharpened to make a fine line.
10. Rotary cutter, ruler and mat. Rulers and mats with 1/8” markings are preferable. Bring a variety of square rulers, if you have.
11. If desired, you may bring your own small ironing surface and iron. I will be bringing 3 irons to share, but if you bring your own, you won’t have to wait.
12. Fabric--100% cotton only please. See yardage chart for amounts.

Finished quilt measures approximately 55 X 65”. The quilt at the top of the first page is the actual layout of the finished quilt. There are 50 baskets set on the diagonal, some border setting triangles, and a 3-inch border all around.

If you wish to use fat quarters, figure that each fat quarter of basket fabric will make approximately 8 baskets. Each fat quarter of background fabric will make 6-8 baskets. (Some fat quarters do not measure a full 18 X 22 due to crooked cutting or shrinkage. Skimpy fat quarters will yield only six baskets.)

NO DIRECTIONAL FABRICS PLEEEEZE! They just won’t work at all, no matter how much you like the fabric! Both the background and baskets fabrics are cut in a multitude of directions, including on the bias. The same fabric will lie in three different directions…so please remember this when you pick out your fabrics.

Yardage for quilt as shown is as follows:

Basket fabric(s) These can be all the same…or different! Choose as many as you like. If you’re bringing scraps, they must measure at least 8” square. Fabrics to total 1 ¾ yardsOR 7 fat quarters
Background fabric—these can be all the same or different. My quilt is made from 7 different pastel backgrounds. Fabrics to total 2 ¼ yardsOR 7-9 fat quarters
Border fabric and binding -2 yards (for seamless borders—nice on those big Hawaiian prints, eh? Remember to cut your borders FIRST!!!)
Backing- 60 X 70” pieced
Batting -60 X 70”