Polka Dot Quilt Tutorial

I posted about the baby quilt I made some time ago and had so many people interested in how I made this polka dot quilt, I decided to share my pattern with you all. There are so many ways you could ad-lib with this basic pattern... I'm excited for you all to make your own. It's a little time consuming(those curves)but for those who aren't too fussy about it being perfect, it's an enjoyable quilt to work on. Each Square/Circle feels like a little accomplishment and before you know it, you have enough for a a whole quilt. Enjoy!

Below you'll find all the directions...
*please note... this is the way I made it and I'm no pro quilter- so if you can think of a better way to make your quilt, do so! I don't doubt there are countless ways this could be made "better"... but I'm just smitten with my version!

My 36" x 44" Quilt
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Background color approximately 1 yard
31 6"x6" scraps of different fabrics
Backing Fabric 1.5 yard
Binding 1/3 yard

Click on the image above to pull up the full sized file, then just drag it to your desktop and print it at 100% on a piece on card stock.

For each circle/square you'll need four of each piece: "background" and "circle". I wanted a fairly simple quilt which would be calming but visually dynamic, so I choose the same "background" for all the pieces of my quilt.


When cutting, depending on the size of the fabric I'm using, I'll either draw out the pattern directly on the fabric (making sure to cut off most all the marks) or I just pin the pattern on layered fabric and cut around. This second method is obviously much faster but creates more wasted fabric and doesn't work if you only have a little bit to work with.



Once you have all 8 pieces for one circle/square cut, iron or finger press each piece in half.

To sew the pieces together, I find it easier to pin the "background" piece on top:

1. Begin by lining up the press lines, and pin.
2. line up edges and pin each side
3. work the pieces together pinning until it seems to lay nicely
4. sew with about 1/4" seam allowance (I use the width of my presser foot as my guide)
   

Iron flat with the "background" folding towards the "circle" piece.


I'm not much of a perfectionist as you can see, so my pieces aren't perfect squares nor are they free from puckering... This might drive some people absolutely crazy. If you'd be one of those people, you might want to work on the pattern a little to get it just right, or cut down each square to be perfectly "square" before you move onto the next step.


Pin the seams together first. I don't worry too much if one end is longer then the other. If it is slightly to big on one side, I just cut it down once it's stitched. The most important thing is to line up the arching seams so you have a nice continuous circle once all the pieces are sewn together- fudge the rest.


Press both of the pieces in the same direction. Once you put right sides together the seams will lay in opposite directions.

Sew the last two pieces together and press... Viola, you have your first circle! Now, only a few more to go.

My finished Quilt had 31 circles.
7 rows-
4 rows of 4 circles
3 rows of 5 circles

I finished the edges with about 4-5" of the background fabric... I choose another polka dot for the backing fabric and used a organic cotton batting. Once the 3 layers were pinned together, I tied the quilt in the middle of each of the circle and quilted a few by hand for good measure. I liked the combo of the little yard balls and hand quilting for a baby- I remember loving those little yard balls as a kid.

Best of Luck on your project...
Fin