Hi there! Long time no blog....Many things have been going on behind the scenes around here: sewing, knitting, living life. Also I have new blog design and a new blog platform. Switching everything over has been a little bit of a challenge and I know that there are some hiccups, especially with the tutorials. Please hang tight. I am making my way through the list of things that need attention all while helping the girls get through year-end exams and gearing up for Jane's high school graduation. If you have specific questions or need help with something, please email me. There is a contact form in the top navigation bar of the new website and I will email you back within a day. Pinky swear. Now on to some fun sewing!

I was lucky to be one of the testers for Erica Jackman's new pattern, Even Steven. As soon as I saw her version, I knew I wanted to make this quilt. And I am thrilled with how it came together.

The Even Steven pattern is designed for beginners and is fat quarter-friendly! It is simple to construct and sews up quickly. If you can sew a 1/4" seam, you can make this quilt! I tested the block construction as written (it's perfect!) and then decided to strip-piece the parts of the blocks that I could which made the construction even faster.

I chose a very bright, cheerful group of fabrics that I had purchased on impulse back in March. While I love sewing with ALL THE COLORS, I wasn't sure how I was going to use these Tula Pink dots and stripes until I saw this pattern. If bright and crazy isn't your thing, don't be deterred - this pattern looks just as amazing in a more subtle palette. It's definitely one I will revisit in the future.

You can buy a PDF or paper pattern of the Even Steven Quilt from Erica's shop. She has many other great patterns worth checking out, too, as well as an inspiring blog, Kitchen Table Quilting, chock-full of gorgeous projects.

I'm excited to be today's stop on Melissa Mortenson's Derby Day fabrics blog tour. Not only is Melissa an amazing fabric designer for Riley Blake, but she is an avid and productive blogger over at the Polka Dot Chair. You definitely need to check out her blog as it is chock-full of great tutorials and cute ideas. And, just so you know, she took these amazing photos of my quilt with the horses! I mean, really. How cool! (The other quilts shown can be found on her blog.)

But, back to the fabrics.... Melissa and I share a hometown and, as such, it is no surprise that these fabrics hold a soft spot in my heart. They are all about the feeling, excitement and pageantry that is the Kentucky Derby and they are in the happiest shades of blue, pink and green! I am particularly smitten with the large scale florals and those hexagons that remind me of vintage bathroom tile. I can see so many uses for all these great prints.

When Melissa asked me if I would make a quilt using her Derby Day fabrics, I immediately said yes. This was the perfect opportunity to demonstrate how to design a medallion quilt using one of the center medallions and a variety of blocks that are included in Make Your Own Medallion. When I decided to write this book, it was important to me that the book was more than a collection of quilt patterns. I wanted it to be a resource that you could use to create a medallion design of your very own. It's the book that I was looking for when I set out to make my first medallion quilt and didn't know where to start. Make Your Own Medallion gives you all the tools you need to mix and match blocks to come up with a unique quilt of your own. That's exactly what I did to make the Derby Day Medallion Quilt and today I am sharing the pattern so you can make one, too!

To make the Derby Day Medallion Quilt, you will need:

Make Your Own Medallion

Fabric A: 1 1/2 yards White with Navy Pindot (for background and binding)
Fabric B: 1/2 yard Floral Garland Pink (hexagon)
Fabric C: 1/4 yard or Fat Quarter Horses Navy
Fabric D: 1/2 yard Derby Main Green (floral)
Fabric E: 3/4 yard Haberdashery Blue
Fabric F: 1/4 yard or Fat Quarter Accessories Green
Fabric G: 3/8 yard Ribbon Blue (periwinkle color)
Fabric H: 1 1/8 yard Cross My Heart Pink- from Shine Bright Fabric Line

Finished Size: 52 1/2'' x 52 1/2''

Instructions:

Center Medallion: Cut and sew the Spinning Star medallion on page 82 of Make Your Own Medallion using Fabrics A, B, C and D.

Border 1:

1. Cut (2) strips 2'' x WOF from Fabric H. Sub-cut these into (2) strips 2'' x 12 1/2'' and (2) strips 2'' x 15 1/2''.

2. Sew (1) 2'' x 12 1/2'' strip to each the left and right sides of the center medallion. Press the seams towards Border 1. Sew (1) 2'' x 15 1/2'' strip to each the top and bottom edge of the quilt top. Press the seams towards Border 1.

Border 2:

3. Cut and sew (16) 3'' finished Equal-Triangles from Fabrics A and E following the instructions on page 34.

4. Cut and sew (4) 3'' finished Rails from Fabrics A and F following the instructions on page 30.

5. Cut and sew (4) 3'' finished Plus blocks from Fabrics A and F following the instructions on page 31.

6. Construct the left and right borders as indicated and sew to the side edges of the quilt top. Press the seams towards Border 1.

7. Construct the top and bottom borders as indicated and sew to the top and bottom edges of the quilt top. Press the seams towards Border 1.

Border 3:

8. Cut (4) strips 2'' x WOF from Fabric H. Sub-cut these into (2) strips 2'' x 21 1/2'' and (2) strips 2'' x 24 1/2''.

9. Sew (1) 2'' x 21 1/2'' strip to each the left and right sides of the quilt top. Press the seams towards Border 3. Sew (1) 2'' x 24 1/2'' strip to each the top and bottom edge of the quilt top. Press seams towards Border 3.

Border 4:

10. Cut and sew (16) 4'' finished Pinwheel blocks from Fabrics A and G following the instructions on page 57.

11. Cut (4) 4 1/2'' x 8 1/2'' rectangles from Fabric B.

12. Cut (4) 4 1/2'' x 4 1/2'' squares from Fabric C.

13. Construct the left and right borders as indicated and sew to the side edges of the quilt top. Press the seams towards Border 3.

14. Construct the top and bottom borders as indicated and sew to the top and bottom edges of the quilt top. Press the seams towards Border 3.

Border 5:

15. Cut (4) strips 2 1/2'' x WOF from Fabric H. Sub-cut these into (2) strips 2 1/2'' x 32 1/2'' and (2) strips 2 1/2'' x 36 1/2''.

16. Sew (1) 2 1/2'' x 32 1/2'' strip to each the left and right sides of the quilt top. Press the seams towards Border 5. Sew (1) 2 1/2'' x 36 1/2'' strip to each the top and bottom edge of the quilt top. Press seams towards Border 5.

Border 6:

17. Cut and sew (16) 6'' finished House blocks from Fabrics A and E following the instructions on page 55.

18. Cut (4) 6 1/2'' x 12 1/2'' rectangles from Fabric D.

19. Cut (4) 6 1/2'' x 6 1/2'' squares from Fabric B.

20. Construct the left and right borders as indicated and sew to the side edges of the quilt top. Press the seams towards Border 5.

21. Construct the top and bottom borders as indicated and sew to the top and bottom edges of the quilt top. Press the seams towards Border 5.

Border 7:

22. Cut (5) strips 2 1/2'' x WOF from Fabric H. Sub-cut (4) strips to measure 2 1/2'' x 42 1/2''. Sub-cut remaining (1) strip into (2) strips 2 1/2'' x 6 1/2'' and (2) strips 2 1/2'' x 10 1/2''.

23. To make the side borders (2 1/2'' x 48 1/2''): Sew (1) 2 1/2'' x 42 1/2'' strip to each of the (2) 2 1/2'' x 6 1/2'' strips. Press the seam towards one side. Sew (1) border to each the left and right edges of the quilt top. Press seams towards Border 7.

24. To make the top and bottom borders (2 1/2'' x 52 1/2''): Sew (1) 2 1/2'' x 42 1/2'' strip to each of the (2) 2 1/2'' x 10 1/2'' strips. Press the seam towards the side. Sew (1) border to each the top and bottom edge of the quilt top. Press seams towards Border 7.

Finishing:

25. Sandwich, baste and quilt as desired. (I used free-motion loops.)

26. Cut (6) strips 2 1/2'' x WOF from Fabric A for double-fold binding. Bind quilt in your preferred method.

If you make the Derby Day Medallion quilt, I'd love to see your version! Tag me (@houseonhillroad) and Melissa (@polkadotchair) on Instagram and use the hashtags #makeyourownmedallion#derbydayfabrics. This post contains affiliate links.