Tutorial | Nurture Quilt | by Plum and June

We are excited to once again feature a free tutorial from Beth of Plum and June!  Today, we have an improv quilt featuring Charley Harper Nurture from Birch Organic Fabrics.  Read on for the tutorial!

I was so excited to hear about the second Charley Harper line from Birch. And is it okay to admit that I think I like this one even better the first? The elephants, the penguins, the koalas - just too much cuteness for one fabric line! As soon as I saw the fabrics, I knew that I wanted to make a quilt that included all (or at least almost all) the adorable fabrics so I started piecing together fussy cuts of each print combined with the gorgeous blender fabrics to create this improv baby quilt.

A few notes: - This quilt is put together improv-style. It is comprised of 7 sections/blocks - each section is a different size -and the sections are then put together like a puzzle. - If you are fussy cutting your fabric as I did, sometimes the section of the print that you want to include is too big or small for the size stated in the pattern. If your fussy cut is too small, just cut a small strip of a blender fabric to sew to one side of the fussy cut until it is the size needed. If your fussy cut is larger than the size needed, just trim a little away from one or more of the blender fabrics surrounding that print. - This is a personal preference but I always cut my pieces larger than needed and then trim after they are sewn together. The sizes listed below are exact with no wiggle room. Decide what works best for you. - For this pattern, all measurements are listed width x height. - All seams are 1/4" and you can press either open or to the side depending on your preference. If you follow the pattern exactly, all your blocks will be square or rectangle with straight lines. However, when I sew improv-style, I like to not have everything so exact - if you feel the same, just trim a little here and there throughout the pattern.

Charley Harper Nurture Baby Quilt finished size: 38" square Materials I used for this quilt: FQ bundle of Charley Harper Nurture (you'll have plenty leftover; you could also use large scraps) 1 yard of mod basics in cream 1/2 yard of feathers in mineral for binding 1 1/2 yards of backing fabric

Constructing the Blocks:

Block 1

Cut the following pieces: 5" x 4" (a), 8" x 4" (b), 2.5" x 7.5"(c), 3.5" x 7.5" (d) , 7.5." x 7.5" (e), 12.5" x 1.5" (f) Sew a to b. Sew c to d to e. Sew a/b to the top of c/d/e and sew f to the bottom of c/d/e. Trim to 12.5" x 12"

Block 2

Cut the following pieces: 8" x 2" (g), 8" x 4.5" (h), and 8" x 6.5" (i) Sew g to the top of h and i to the bottom of h. Trim to 8" x 12"

Block 3

Cut the following pieces: 5" x 7.5" (j), 7" x 7.5" (k), 9"x 2.5" (l), 2" x 5.5" (m), 7.5" x 5.5" (n)

Sew m to n and then m/n to l. Sew j to one side of k and l/m/n to the other side of k. Trim to 20" x 7.5"

Block 4

Cut the following pieces: 9.5" x 4.5" (o), 9.5" x 3.5" (p), 3" x 6.5" (q), 7" x 6.5" (r), 2.5" x 6" (s), 7.5" x 4.5" (t), 7.5" x 2" (u) Sew t to u and then sew t/u to s. Sew q to r. Sew o to p. Sew o/p to the top of q/r and sew s/t/u to the bottom of q/r. Trim to 9.5" x 19"

Block 5

Cut the following pieces: 5" x 7" (v), 6" x 7" (w), 9.5" x 7" (x), 8" x 4.5" (y), 8" x 3" (z), 2.4" x 7" (aa).

Sew y to z. Sew y/z to aa. Sew v to w and x to y/z/aa. Sew vw to x/y/z/aa. Trim to 29" x 7". 

Blocks 6 and 7

Cut the following pieces: 5" x 2.5" (bb), 16" x 2.5" (cc), 9" x 2.5" (dd).

Sew bb to one side of cc and dd to the other side of cc. Trim to 29" x 2.5".

Cut to following pieces: 15" x 2" (ee) and 14.5" x 2" (ff).

Sew the two pieces together and trim to 29" x 2".

Constructing the Quilt Top:

Sew the blocks together by numerical order as shown in the illustration. Sew Block 1 to Block 2. Sew Block 3 to the top of Block 1/2.  Sew Block 4 to the side of Block 1/2/3. Sew Block 5 to the top of Block 6 and sew Block 7 to the bottom of Block 1/2/3/4. Sew the two halves together. Trim to 29" square.

Add the Borders

Cut the following from your border fabric:

Right Border: 3" x 29" 

Left Border:  7" x 29" 

Top Border:  8.5" x 38"

Bottom Border: 1.5" x 38"

Sew the side borders on first. Trim to 38" x 29" and finish the top by sewing on the top and bottom borders. Trim to 38"square and finish the quilt using your preferred methods.

Thank you so much for sharing, Beth!