Growing your Meadow mini-quilt - a free pattern for you x

Dawn Snowgoose
Jun 21
2 min read

Updated: Jun 29

It's nearly Midsummer here, and if I were to bundle up it's essence, I'd have to include meadows full of ox eye daisy, their bright heads nodding in a gentle breeze.

So this month I'm sharing a free pattern, a bunch of Ox eye daisies for you. And for orders of £50 and over, a free kit to make fusible appliqué ox eye daisy and foliage

The kit also includes cloth to make an improv background, together with yarn to make the couched stems.

You can download Ox Eye Daisies Pattern here.

So let's sew (or sow) our field full of moon daisy...

Piecing an improv background

Improv piecing is perfect for using up odds and ends. It's relaxed approach, means there's no precise measurements or cuts, only that the complete block is the size you need it to be. For the meadow mini quilt in the picture, that's 12" x 18".

The steps below provide a few steps you might like to include. Though feel free to go with your own flow, be playful, improv and make it your own.

Preparing the strips:

Strips of the same width were matched, and sewn together along the shortest edge.

You might opt to sew them together either straight across, or if you prefer on a 45 degree angle, (just like you'd join pieces of binding).

For the 18" x 12" block, The strips were cut to measure at least 11" long, and have a combined width of at least 8.5"

Slices

For the taupe pieces, spray starch is used, to help keep the bias cut edges from stretching.

Seven slightly angled cuts were made along the length of the fabric.

(Though I found when sewn together the panel was a little short of the full 18", still the nice thing about improv, is that you just add another strip or two as needed.)

Putting the pieces together:

The strips and slices were alternated.

Then sewn together on the sewing machine.

As the taupe pieces are cut slightly angled, the edge is stretchy, so it helps to sew slowly, and using the lightest touch to guide the material, and not stretch it out of shape.

As each piece is sewn in turn, press the seam open, using a dry iron (no steam). Handle gently to avoid stretch or distortion.

Trim any surplus strip.