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My sample came out 52" x 43"
Fabric Requirements:
Step One: cutting the focus fabric
 From the 3 FQ's of Focus Fabric,
cut ten 8 ½" x 8 ½" blocks. Cut the extra fabric into
strips, any width, it doesn't matter. Put these in your extra strips
pile.
Step Two: Cutting the lights
 Cut your light FQ into 2" x 22" long strips. (If you
forget and cut them 2" x 18", that's okay, they will still
work.) You will need 5 of these strips. Put the extra in your
extra strips pile.
Step Three: cutting the darks
 Cut your dark FQ into 3" x 22" long strips. If you
forget and cut them
3" x 18", that's okay, they will still work. You will need
5 of these strips. Put the extra in your extra strips
pile.
Step Four: cutting the inner border
 Cut the 9" x 44" quarter yard into four 2" strips. Put the extra in your
extra strips pile.
Step Five: cutting the setting blocks
 Lay
out the two FQ's that co-ordinate with the dark and light fabrics the long
way (as you did above) and cut four 4 ½" X 22" strips from each.
Cross cut five strips into 4 ½" squares. You should have
twenty squares. Put the extra in your extra strips pile.
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Time to stop and smell the coffee! You
should have
- ten 8 ½" x 8 ½" blocks from the focus
fabrics
- twenty 4 ½" blocks from the co-ordinating fabrics
- five 2" x 22" strips from the light fabrics
- five 3" x 22" strips from the dark fabrics
- four 2" x 44" strips for the inner border
- a bunch of extra strips in different widths in your extra
strips pile.
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Step Six: Sewing the light and dark strips together
Sew your five light and dark strips together the long way. Here is an old dressmaker tip:
before opening up the two strips you have just sewn together, lay them on
the ironing board with the dark strip on top and press along the
seam. Don't move your iron when you are pressing, you could
distort the fabric. This is
called "setting the seam". Press. Now open the strips by just
running your finger between the two and folding the darker one back.
Because you placed the dark on top, the seam will automatically fold to
the dark as you press it open.
Step Seven: using the extra strips.
 Sew
all your extra strips together the long way
randomly. Keep sewing until all your strips are used up. Don't worry if
you have two strips of the same width next to
each other. It doesn't matter. Click on the thumbnail to the right.
Pretty, isn't it?
Once you have them all into one piece of
fabric, press it so all the seams go in one direction. Cross cut them into
4" wide strips. This will become the "piano keys" outer
border. You will need a pieced strip 172" long and 4"
wide.
Step Eight: cutting the two part strip from step six 
Cross cut
each of the the five light/dark strips into eight 2 ½" wide X 4 ½" tall light/dark blocks. You
will need 40 two-part blocks. (click on the thumbnail for a closeup)
Step Nine: Making the blocks
 Take your two-piece light/dark blocks and sew them together with the
light up on one side and the light down on the other to make a 4 1/2"
square
block, like the thumbnail to the left. Press from the back so you
can make sure the seams are nice and flat. (click on the thumbnail
for a closeup)
Step Ten: Making a four patch using your blocks
 Set the
two-piece blocks you just made with the 4 1/2" squares you made in step
five in a four patch arrangement. (click on the thumbnail for a
closeup) Don't worry about the direction of the
two-piece block. Having them be inconsistent gives the quilt a
feeling of movement. Press from the back, again making sure the
seams lay flat. It will measure 8 1/2" unfinished.
Step Eleven: Setting
 Using
the blocks you just made and the 8 1/2" square blocks you made in step one, sew five
rows of four blocks each, alternating the setting block, like the diagram
to the left. Pay attention to the
seams. Whenever you come to an intersection, you always want to have one
seam going in one direction and one going in the other. If it makes it
easier for you, press the seams open like you do in dressmaking.
(click on the thumbnail for a closeup)
Step Twelve: Finishing
Press your new top and measure through the center vertically. Use this measurement to cut the inner border. Cut
two strips the
exact length, then pin them to your top, matching the center. Sew,
using a walking foot if you have one. You may need
to ease the strip on one side - that's okay! By using the same size strip
on both sides, which is cut to the center measurement, you are forcing
your top to be square. Here's a tip: when easing in two pieces of fabric,
put the longer one down. The feed dogs will help ease the extra fabric.
Do
the same to the other side. Press and measure through the center again,
only this time horizontally. Your measurement will include the inner
border you just added. Cut two strips the
exact length, then pin them to your top, matching the center and sew.
Now do the same thing with the piano keys border. Since it is all
in one long piece, you may need to cut through a block to get it the right
length. That's okay!
Press, bat, quilt as desired and bind. You may have enough backing
fabric to bring the back to front to bind, or you may wish to cut bias
binding. Whatever you do, be sure to label your quilt! The label should
include your name and address, the person you made this quilt for, the
date, the pattern used and any other pertinent information. You would be
surprised how important that information may be some time in the future.
Here are some that were made in class. (Click on the thumbnail to
see this up close.) You are welcome to send me your picture and I
will post it here.
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