Fiesta Quilt by Laura Murray

Supplies

Fabrics: For my Fiesta quilt, I used 1/4 yd each of 20 different solid colors of Silk/Cotton Radiance. However, solid colors of silk, cotton or subtle batiks are suitable. OK to reduce the number of colors, just be sure to have a balance of light, medium, and dark fabrics.

3/4 yard for the border/bindings

Stamps: Circuits (or Caboodles), and Spirals from Laura Murray Designs. Or, substitute any set of square stamps in three different sizes (small, medium, large) which can be “stacked” on top of one another. link to stamp page

Iridescent Paintstiks: A good assortment in light, medium, dark values, such as gold, light gold, turquoise, green, purple. red, copper, etc. (link to paintstik page)

Fusible Web: 4 yds Steam-a-Seam2 Lite

Miscellaneous: Scissors for cutting both paper and fabric, rotary cutter, steam iron

25” x 30”

Apply fusibleUse a hot, steam iron to apply the fusible to the back of the painted fabric.

Cut around the squaresCut around the squares, leaving a thin edge of solid color fabric all around the perimeter (not included in measurements below): Base layer - set of four Circuits ( 3.75” x 3.75” sq) Second layer - one Spiral (2.5” sq) Third layer - one single Circuit (1.75” sq)

You will need a minimum of 20 shapes per layer; but itʼs good to have extras for best selection of contrasts.

Paint fabricsDo not cut the stamps apart for this process. Paint each color fabric with all the designs on each stamp set. If you want to learn more about Paintstiks, click here for general paintstik instructions (link to paintstk_instruc), and tips for successful rubbings (link to rubbingtips).

You will need a minimum of 10 sets of Circuits, and 10 Spirals-- choosing colors which give you lights, mediums and darks. I like to do a set on each color, to expand my color choices.

If laundering project, heat set fabric; if not, let dry overnight prior to applying fusible web.

Stacking the squares This is the fun part --- lay out the fused squares in stacks of lights, mediums and dark and look for the color combinations which provide clear contrast. Do not remove the release paper from the back of the squares until ready to fuse. The final result can be either a 2- layer “Stacker” or a 3-layer Stacker.

Base layer - set of 4 Circuits Add a Spiral stamp for a 2-layer stacker

Add a single Circuit stamp for a 3-layer stacker. Fuse all layers together.

Fuse each 3-layer Stacker unit to the center of a square of solid colored fabric, which contrasts with the base layer. I cut 1” past the edges of the base layer after fusing, but you could precut the squares (5.75” x 5.75”)

Finishing the quilt

The blocks were arranged on a design board, trying to always make sure of a good contrast between all adjacent colors before sewing them together with a 1/4” seam allowance. You could choose to make this design as small as four blocks for a “mini-quilt”, or expand it to a bed sized quilt.

Select whatever width border looks good to you . The Fiesta border is about 3”, and features a deep purple solid fabric, embellished with paintstik rubbing, using the Circuits stamp in an “overlapping grids” fashion for the texture. Binding can be either the same as the border or a contrasting color.

The Fiesta quilt was quilted with monofilament thread using a zig zag stitch around all the fused edges, and stitching in the ditch along all the seam lines.