Mardi Gras Mini Quilt

The table stand needed something colorful for Mardi Gras, so time to bring out the scraps and make a new mini quilt.  The colors of purple, green and gold are gathered in this small quilt based on a single block.  The diamond shape created with the color placement is reminiscent of the harlequin designs used in the colorful and wild costumes of the Mardi Gras parades.  The pattern is based on the classic Corn and Beans block, just with some different coloration.

Here is what you need to make one for your table stand, or wall hanging.  Finished size 12 inches square.

2-1/2-inch squares
2 purple
6 background

3-inch squares for HSTs
6 purple
6 green
6 gold
10 background

Backing fabric for a 12-inch finished square, plus two pieces 4 inches x 1-1/2 inches for hangers.

Batting.

Pair up the following and make HST units.
4 purple with 4 background to make 8 HSTs
2 purple and 2 gold to make 4 HSTs
2 gold and 2 background to make 4 HSTs
4 green and 4 background to make 8 HSTs
2 green and 2 gold to make 4 HSTs

Choosing a thin thread like Aurifil 50 wt will make your piecing more precise.  Choose a color that matches, or a neutral that blends well with all the fabrics.  I find the light grey works well for most of the colors in this mini quilt.

Square up all the HST units to 2-1/2 inch squares.

Assemble the units into this block.

I start with laying out the individual units.

Then sew in twos. Lay out again.

Sew units together by row.

Press seams in opposite directions to nest rows. In other words, do all the even numbered rows to the left, and odd rows to the right.

Sew the rows together in units of two rows.

Then sew the final seams.

Quilt as you like.

I used a looping freehand to mimic the necklaces thrown by float riders in the parades.

Attach the hanger units to the back. These are 4 inches by 1-1/2 inches, sewn right sides together into a tube 2 inches x 1-1/2 inches.  turn right side out.  Fold the raw edges up to meet the raw edge of the quilt and stitch down.  The binding will go over them.  When they turn up, they fit the table stand hanger at about 3/4 inch circumference without showing over the top.

Bind using one of the colors in the quilt.

As a final embellishment, I added some seed beads in a necklace shape to the middle of the quilt to bring to mind the colorful bead necklaces that revelers often wear. The clear, green and gold seed beads will be alternated with the gold bugle beads and the pale purple beads.

I started with basting a dark purple thread to provide a guide for where to place the beads.

Then, I loaded the needle with white thread, and began placing seed beads.

Working around the thread pattern, I kept adding seed beads in a pattern.  Between each set of beads I took a stitch in the quilt to hold them in place.

I used 5 clear seed beads, then a grouping of gold-green-gold, followed by five more clear seed beads.

A gold bugle bead was next, then five more clear seed beads followed by the pale purple bead.

Then the entire pattern was repeated several times.

Amazingly, the end was exactly at the end of the pattern, so you cannot tell where it started and stopped.

Here’s another close up view.

All done!

Hanging on its stand for display until next week.

Do you like green, gold and purple?

See what’s on today’s Flash Sale at Fat Quarter Shop.

If you are visiting from Fave Quilts, Welcome! Please stay a bit and have a look around, my tutorials are gathered at the top in pages to make them easy to find.  Lots of fun is had here!  My third mystery quilt is in progress, click on Scrap Dance Two Step on the sidebar for the first post.  Click on the Home page to see the latest posts on the blog. My blog is a variety of subjects, quilting and sewing, tablescapes and recipes, book reviews and hand stitching, crafting and mountain living. I love to have new followers, too!  See the buttons on the sidebar to follow by your favorite method.