Streak of Lightning: A Totally Tubular Pattern

    

          Streak of Lightning Photo Tutorial

by Michele Bilyeu

 

 

Needed to make a 42" quilt:

Quilt Top:   
Eight 4 1/2" strips-2 each of 4 different fabrics  
Four 1 1/2" strips...inner border
 Four 4 1/2"strips..outer border  
Backing Fabric: 47" x 47"

  Instructions: Cut the strips for top as described above!  

 
Then...... 1. Arrange strips in order of your fabric choices.... 
1 to 4, then repeat. 
1234..... then 1234..... 
for a total of eight strips.
 

   
2. Sew strips, in order, together from selvedge to selvedge. Then trim top edge, as shown below.
 

Press first seam up, then down and so on, alternating seam pressing direction. I'm showing the top pressing, in the photo, of course! I'm showing the top, here, but do the other' seam' side, first of course!

                                                                                 
3. Sew top edge of pieced strips to bottom edge of pieced strips, creating a tube.      








4. Lay tube out, carefully lining up all of your seams. You must be sure it is straight, as you will be cutting through multiple seam layers.     














  5. Cut eight 4 1/2" strips. These will be actually creating your blocks!    













6. Now..believe it or not, use a seam ripper (we actually used a new pair of batter powered 'trimmers' or 'groomer's but.... affectionately known as 'nose hair clippers, to zip through our seams in record time!  

  7.  Moving down the rows, remove the seam between block 1 and block 2 on the second strip. Then remove the seam between block 2 and 3 on the next set..and so on. You are simply using the streak of lightning diagonal pattern to remove the little seams to create your larger pattern!  

8.    You should now have 8 strip sets, each 8 blocks long.

If laid out correctly, in order of the fabrics, it will make a diagonal design. Check the patterning, row by row, as above.

Now, again...double check each diagonal row to make sure you maintain the patterning...before you stitch the rows together!!!  Any irregularity is because you goofed in your previous cutting. Check the diagonal pattern, and clip and reposition to correct yourself if you goofed ;)



  9. Press again and finish your quilt, as usual!

To finish your quilt:

    Add strips for inner border,  (measurements suggested above in list of strips)   Add strips for outer border (measurements suggested above in list of strips)

 

Pin batting between quilt top and backing fabric,  quilt and bind your quilt as usual!




  Once you figure out just how truly easy this technique is, you can create multiple little 'Streak of Lightning' quilts using this tubular method, very quickly and efficiently! Have fun!








Michele Bilyeu blogs With Heart and Hands as she shares a quilting journey through her life in Salem, Oregon and Douglas, Alaska and all of her AAQI Quilting. Sharing thousands of links to Free Quilt and Quilt Block Patterns and encouraging others to join in the Liberated Quilting Challenge and make or donate small art quilts to the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative (AAQI) Help us change the world, one little quilt at a time! Michele Bilyeu blogs With Heart and Hands as she shares a quilting journey through her life in Salem, Oregon and Douglas, Alaska and all of her AAQI Quilting. Sharing thousands of links to Free Quilt and Quilt Block Patterns and encouraging others to join in the Liberated Quilting Challenge and make or donate small art quilts to the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative (AAQI) Help us change the world, one little quilt at a time!