Chasing the Sun - Clue 1

Are you ready?  Are you excited?  Rotary cutters in hand?  Fabric Pressed?  It's time to rock and roll.  

As I said in the introduction, I have been chasing the sun for months now.  If you have watched this blog, you have seen many of the pictures that have touched my heart and led to this wonderful quilt pattern.  I hope you have a great time as this mystery develops and please, please, please share your progress with everyone else.  

Okay, enough mumbo jumbo.  Let's go.  NOW REMEMBER ---- READ ALL THE WAY THROUGH TO THE BOTTOM BEFORE STARTING SO THAT YOU UNDERSTAND EVERYTHING.   Oh, and at the very bottom is where you will find the "print friendly" button.  Yes, it will still print a lot of pages, but far less than if you don't use it.

We are going to start out this clue with a ton of cutting.  Yep, let's get most of it out of the way now so that each week will entail minimal cutting.  If you did Ribbons of Love last year, you know I like it this way.

I am only giving one set of cutting directions.  If it says WOF and you are using fat quarters for a scrappy look, obviously double the amount of strips to cut.  If you are using up scraps, just cut, cut, cut until you think you have enough.  What more can I say?

Here are the MAIN cutting requirements and I say that because, of course, there will always be more to cut:

CONSTANT AND SCRAPPY:

Constant White (color 1):  Cut 1 - 1 1/2" WOF strip, 1 - 2" WOF strip, and 1 - 2 1/2" WOF strip.

Yellow (color 2):  Cut 20 - 1 1/2" WOF strips

Orange (color 3):  Cut 16 - 1 1/2" WOF strips

Red (color 4):  Cut 6 - 1 1/2" WOF strips

Pink (color 5):  Cut 21 - 1 1/2" WOF strips

Lavender (color 6):  Cut 28 - 1 1/2" WOF strips

Constant Black (color 8):  Cut 9 - 1 1/2" WOF strips, 8 - 2" strips

CONSTANT ONLY:  (Scrappy cutting will be given at a later date.)

Yellow (color 2):  Cut 1 - 2" WOF strip and 2 - 3 1/2" WOF strips

Orange (color 3):  Cut 2 - 3 1/2" WOF strips and 1 - 4"  WOF strip

Red (color 4):  Cut 1 - 2" WOF strip, 4 - 2 1/2" WOF strips, and 2 - 3 1/2" WOF strips

Pink (color 5):  Cut 1 - 2" WOF strip and 2 - 3 1/2" WOF strips

Lavender (color 6):  Cut 2 - 2" WOF strips and 2 - 3 1/2" WOF strips

Purple (color 7):  Cut 1 - 2" WOF strip and 1 - 3 1/2" WOF strip

When cutting strips, I use a couple of different methods which I will show here using the white. 

For BOTH methods, I lay my fabric on the cutting table with the fold at the top.  Bring the bottom (selvage) up to the top, creating a fold along the bottom edge.  Now choose one of the two following ways to do the cutting.

First choice:  Using a large square ruler (at least 10-12 inches), determine how many cuts you can get on your ruler.  For example, I am using an 11 1/2" ruler.  That means I can get 7 - 1 1/2" cuts from it.  I have to put it on the 10 1/2" line for the first cut.  (That cut has been already taken in the photo below.)  Next move the ruler over 1 1/2" (in this case to the 9" line) and make the next cut.  Continue in this manner until all the cuts from this piece have been made.  The purpose for this is that you are always working from that straight edge on the left.  When we cut, we NEVER keep a straight edge after a few cuts.  This does.

Repeat this method until all the required strips have been cut no matter what the size is.

The second method that I use is a strip cutting ruler and just follow the slots every 1 1/2".  Easy Peasy.  Now, I know that many of you are using Accuquilt cutters.  Consider yourself lucky as not everyone has one.  Including me.  Enjoy it and this part of the clue will zip by for you.  Note:  One of my testers wants you to know that you will likely need 6-10 inches more of fabric if you use an Accuquilt fabric die due to waste.

Here are the SECONDARY cutting requirements for THIS CLUE: (Remember that if you are going scrappy --- mix it up here)   CUT ALL PIECES UNLESS TOLD OTHERWISE.

White (color 1):  Subcut 16 -  2 1/2" squares from your 2 1/2" strip
Yellow (color 2):  Subcut 32 - 1 1/2" x 2 1/2" bricks from your 1 1/2" strips.
Yellow (color 2):  Subcut 8 - 1 1/2" x 7" bricks from your 1 1/2" strips.
Orange (color 3):  Subcut 60 - 1 1/2" x 2 1/2" bricks AND 60 - 1 1/2" x 3 1/2" bricks from your 1 1/2" strips.
Orange (color 3):  Subcut 8 - 1 1/2" x 7" bricks from your 1 1/2" strips
Red (color 4): IF DOING SCRAPPY:  Cut 4 - 2 1/2" strips and then subcut those strips into 60 2 1/2" squares.  We didn't cut these above since people who are doing scrappy may just wish to get into the 2 1/2" square buckets and see what they can come up with.  Just make sure you wind up with 60 squares.
Red (color 4):  IF DOING CONSTANT:  Subcut 60 - 2 1/2" squares from the 2 1/2" WOF strips
Red (color 4):  Subcut 8 - 1 1/2" x 7" bricks from your 1 1/2" strips.
Pink (color 5):  Subcut 8 - 1 1/2" x 7" bricks from your 1 1/2" strips
Lavender (color 6):  Subcut 8 - 1 1/2" x 7" bricks from your 1 1/2" strips
Black (color 8):  Subcut 40 - 1 1/2" x 7" bricks from your 1 1/2" strips.

Onto UNITS A and B:

If I show two pictures of parts, please note that it is because I am showing both constant and scrappy, not because you need to have two separate sets.  This will continue throughout the mystery.  

UNIT A (make 60):  

You will need the red 2 1/2" squares, and both sets of orange bricks that you cut above.  Sew a 1 1/2" x 2 1/2" brick to one side of a red 2 1/2" square using a 1/4" seam.  Please, please, please check your 1/4" seam.  We will be measuring each unit as we go.  Press.

Once those are on, make sure the orange is at the top and sew a 1 1/2" x 3 1/2" brick to the left side.  HERE is where you will rapidly discover if your seam allowance and/or cutting are accurate.  If they don't fit perfectly, something is off.  Your final unit should be 3 1/2" square.

Unit B (make 16):  

You will need all 16 of the white 2 1/2" squares and the 32 yellow 1 1/2" x 2 1/2" bricks that you cut above. Sew a 1 1/2" x 2 1/2" yellow brick to any side of a white 2 1/2" square.  Press.

Sew a second 1 1/2" x 2 1/2" brick to the opposite side of each unit.  Press.  Your unit should measure 2 1/2" x 4 1/2".

You should now have 60 Unit A's and 16 unit B's.  What a delight these are to look at.  Don't you agree?

Moving on to UNIT C (make 40 - 8 of each color)

You will need the 7" bricks that you cut - 8 of each yellow, orange, red, pink, lavender along with the 40 black ones.  

Sew a black strip to each one of the colored bricks.  They should measure 2 1/2" x 7" when finished.  Press.

That's it for this week.  You should have a bundle of beauty that just radiates.  Even now, it should remind you of either a sunset or a sunrise.

See ya next week and I can't wait to see your progress.  Please post it in the Facebook Group - Chasing the Sun Mystery OR send me an email to mystery@dhayter.com.