A few months back I posted a quilt top I made using one of the Fat Quarter Shop's wonderful free Shortcut Quilt patterns. Shortcut Quilts are quick and easy patterns designed by Kimberly and the fabulous team at the Fat Quarter Shop to use and showcase pre-cuts. I'm back today to show off my version of the newest Shortcut Quilt, the Fat Quarter Fizz! (The free pattern is launching on the Fat Quarter Shop's blog today.)
The Fat Quarter Fizz uses -- you guessed it! -- fat quarters. For my version, I chose the Mormor line by Lotta Jansdotter. The pattern calls for 20 fat quarters to make a large-sized lap quilt, but I wanted mine bigger so I doubled the recipe and used 40. My quilt finished at 90" x 120" -- a large queen-sized quilt. (The pattern provides supply lists for a variety of quilt sizes. I've pasted it to the bottom of this post for your reference.)
As promised, the Fat Quarter Fizz is extremely easy to construct and comes together quickly -- despite the larger size, I still cut and pieced mine in a single day! What I'd really like to point out, though, is the great versatility offered by this pattern. In addition to the size flexibility I've already mentioned, I decided to orient my quilt with the blocks stacked horizontally instead of vertically.
You see, some of the prints in the Mormor line are directional and I wanted them all facing the same way. I decided to do some simple quilt math and lay the blocks out 5 wide by 10 tall, with the blocks oriented horizontally. It was a simple adjustment and maintains the visual effect of the quilt's layout.
My only tip if / when you decide to make your own version of the Fat Quarter Fizz is to ensure that your fabric selection includes a selection of contrasting dark and light prints. The Mormor line was a bit difficult to divide into light and dark stacks which resulted in a more subtle effect than might result with some other fabric choices. (I still love it, though!)
Fat Quarter Fizz - free pattern from the Fat Quarter Shop
Link to free pattern
Companion video:
Giveaway time!
To celebrate the launch of the Fat Quarter Fizz pattern, I'm hosting a giveaway. One lucky winner will win a full fat quarter bundle of Mormor as well as my scraps from this project (which are large and many -- certainly enough for another project!) Simply head over to the Fat Quarter Shop's blog post, take a look at the other bloggers who are showing off their Fat Quarter Fizz quilts today, and come back and tell me whose blog you'll be checking out next. I'll select one winner randomly from the comments below.
--
Size variations for the Fat Quarter Fizz pattern:
Crib Quilt - 36" square
6 Fat Quarters (3 Dark and 3 Light)
1/2 yard binding
1 1/4 yards backing
Make 3 Dark Blocks and 3 Light Blocks. Following instructions on Quilt Row assembly, layout in 2 rows of 3 blocks.
Small Lap Quilt - 48" x 54"
12 Fat Quarters (6 Dark and 6 Light)
5/8 yard binding
3 1/4 yards backing
Make 6 Dark Blocks and 6 Light Blocks. Following instructions on Quilt Row assembly, layout in 3 rows of 4 blocks.
Large Lap Quilt - 60" x 72"
Refer to pattern for these requirements and instructions.
Twin Bed Quilt - 72" x 90"
30 Fat Quarters (15 Dark and 15 Light)
7/8 yard binding
5 5/8 yards backing
Make 15 Dark Blocks and 15 Light Blocks. Following instructions on Quilt Row assembly, layout in 5 rows of 6 blocks.
Queen Bed Quilt - 84" x 90"
36 Fat Quarters (18 Dark and 18 Light)
7/8 yard binding
7 7/8 yards backing
Make 18 Dark Blocks and 17 Light Blocks. Following instructions on Quilt Row Assembly, layout in 5 rows of 7 blocks.
King Bed Quilt - 108" x 108"
54 Fat Quarters (27 Dark and 27 Light)
1 yard binding
9 7/8 yards backing
Make 27 Dark Blocks and 27 Light Blocks. Following instructions on Quilt Row Assembly, layout in 6 rows of 9 blocks.