Jennifer Sampou - Elephant and I Quilt and Pillow Pattern

Elephant and I Quilt Finished quilt: 50 56 I was inspired to make this quilt during a visit to the Elephant Nature Park in Thailand with my sister, and I created it to help raise awareness. Paper piecing is a new exploration for me, and I hope you have as much fun creating your own work of art as I did! Its about the process of having fun and exploring color. Thank-you to Lek Chailert, the founder of this award-winning park, for creating a sanctuary and rescue center for Thai elephants. The graphic elephant was inspired by a design by Alex Clark. Quilted by Jocelyn Marzan MATERIALS FOR QUILT Yardage is based on 42-wide fabric. Colorful fabric scraps (for appliqu) : 3040 pieces of fabric, at least 5 8 each (I used my Studio Stash yarn dyes, Kona solids, and a few simple prints from my Color:FULL collection.

Because this quilt design was inspired by an experience I had in Thailand, I also added a few Thai silks I brought home.) Light- to medium-value neutrals (for background) : yard each of 11 different fabrics, to total approximately 3 yards (I used 4 different prints, 3 yarn dyes, and 4 different whites/light solids.) Heavy twine : 8 pieces 7 long for tail Tracing paper or foundation paper : (I like Carol Doaks Foundation Paper by C&T Publishing for this project.) Lightweight fusible interfacing : yard (I used Wonder-Under.) School glue stick Binding : yard Backing : 3 yards Batting : 58 64 (I used lightweight 100% cotton batting.) Add-A-Quarter ruler (optional) Cutting Colorful scraps Cut strips at least larger on every side for the paper-pieced elephant body, legs, trunk, and head, and the woman. See the for size and layout. NOTE The scraps do not need to be cut perfectly. I often took a random-shaped scrap and stitched, flipped, pressed, and trimmed. Its okay if you dont follow the lines exactly, too. As long as you have one clean, straight edge to sew to the next fabric, you will be okay.

This is a fun-construction type of quilt that can be created with a whimsical attitude in mind. Light- to medium-value neutrals Cut the following strips using your choice of fabrics (listed in order they appear in the quilt background from left to right): Strip 1 : Cut 2 strips 4 width of fabric. Strip 2 : Cut 2 strips 1 width of fabric. Strip 3 : Cut 2 strips 2 width of fabric. Strip 4 : Cut 2 strips 5 width of fabric. Strip 5 : Cut 2 strips 3 width of fabric.

Strip 6 : Cut 2 strips 3 width of fabric. Strip 7 : Cut 2 strips 4 width of fabric. Strip 8 : Cut 2 strips 3 width of fabric. Strip 9 : Cut 2 strips 1 width of fabric. Strip 10 : Cut 2 strips 2 width of fabric. Strip 11 : Cut 2 strips 8 width of fabric.

Strip 12 : Cut 2 strips 2 width of fabric. Strip 13 : Cut 2 strips 2 width of fabric. Strip 14 : Cut 2 strips 2 width of fabric. Strip 15 : Cut 2 strips 8 width of fabric. Strip 16 : Cut 2 strips 2 width of fabric. Strip 17 : Cut 2 strips 1 width of fabric.

Binding Cut into 6 strips 1 width of fabric. NOTE You can piece any of the background strips with multiple neutral fabrics. On the fourth strip from the right, I added a pop of color and some dark-value scraps to echo the appliqus and bring your eye around the quilt. Construction Patterns are reversed for paper piecing. Seam allowances are unless otherwise noted. If you are new to paper piecing, check out one of the many paper-piecing books from C&T Publishing.

Paper Piece the Woman Either trace the foundation pattern and numbers onto tracing paper or photocopy onto foundation paper. (If youre using tracing paper, make sure to mark the right and wrong sides, as they can be hard to tell apart when you first start.) Flip the paper pattern over to the wrong (unmarked) side. Starting at the head (piece 1), lightly glue down the first fabric strip, wrong side toward the paper, overlapping the stitching line between pieces 1 and 2 by about . (If you cant see the line through the paper, hold it up to the light to check the placement.) With right sides together, align the second fabric strip with the first over the line between pieces 1 and 2 and pin or hold it in place. Flip the pattern over to sew on the line through all 3 layers. Note Use the lines on the pattern as a stitching guide, but it is not necessary to be exact.

Shorten the stitch length to 1.21.5, which will make the paper easier to remove later. Press the second strip open. Fold the pattern back on itself along the line between pieces 2 and 3, and trim the second strip to a seam allowance, using the Add-A-Quarter ruler. Repeat Steps 35 to add the third strip in the same way. Continue this process, adding strips in numerical order, to fill the entire pattern. Trim around the edge of the shapes, removing the excess paper and fabric.

Do not remove the remaining inner paper yet. Paper Piece the Elephant The elephant is made of 7 paper-pieced units: trunk, head, body front, body back, left front leg, right front leg, and back legs. Seam allowances have been added to the patterns where needed so that the units can be sewn together after paper piecing. TRUNK Follow , to paper piece the trunk. Note that pieces 2 and 3 will be sewn to the head, so you may want to match the fabrics on the bottom of the ear and neck on both foundation patterns. Trim the trunk shape on the outer line, noting the seam allowance.

HEAD Follow , to paper piece the head. Trim the head on the outer line, noting the seam allowance included on 2 sides. BODY FRONT AND BACK Refer to the quilt detail to lay out all the strips for the body front before sewing to make sure you have lights, mediums, and darks in their proper places. You will want a nice balance of color and value in the overall body when the body front and back are sewn together. Start from piece 1 and follow , to paper piece the body front. Dont worry about making the points perfect.

Use the stitching lines only as a guide. Repeat Steps 1 and 2 to paper piece the body back unit. Trim on the outer line, noting the seam allowance included on 2 sides. FRONT AND BACK LEGS Follow , to paper piece the left and right front legs as 2 separate units, working from the toes up. Choose your fabrics carefully at the top of the legs, paying attention to value, if you want to create a shadow look of the left leg behind the right leg. Trim on the outer line, noting the seam allowance where the legs will be joined.

Repeat Steps 1 and 2 for the back legs. Assemble the Elephant Sew the trunk to the head. Press. Sew the body front to the body back. Press. Trim any extra bulk from the seam allowances at the points.

Sew the right front leg to the left front leg. Press. Sew the front and back legs to the body. Press. Sew the body/legs to the head/trunk. Press.

Trim any seam allowances that extend beyond the appliqu outlines.