Floating Pluses: Summer Stash Busting 2020

Five inch squares are the perfect little “sample” of a fabric line, and they’re a fun size to piece, but knowing exactly WHAT to piece can still be a bit tricky. Join me as I turn several charm packs into “Floating Pluses” by Jane Kelly.

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I think five inch squares are just perfectly yummy— big enough to piece together quickly, but small enough to be a fun “taste” of a fabric line. I loved that Floating Pluses was an amazing opportunity to show off a bit of my Alison Glass collection, play with color, and piece a throw quilt quickly!

Pattern Review

Floating Pluses was written by Jane Kelly of Jane Kelly Quilts and editor of Make Modern Magazine. It was included in Pretty Precuts as a 5 inch square (sometimes called charms) friendly pattern. It uses color and fabric to create a collection of “pluses” nested together and framed by background fabric.

This quilt top went together SUPER fast and was a lot of fun to lay out on the design wall. it works well with 3-4 charm packs plus a bit of background fabric or a set of ten inch squares (layer cake) cut into quarters. This quilt top lends itself to “webbing,” and is a great opportunity to practice webbing if you’re new to the technique.

Design Ideas

Jane’s original design uses a contrasting “constant” fabric for the center of the pluses. I used this idea and put a neutral square in the center of each of my pluses. I also think it would look good to make all 5 squares of the plus the same color.

This quilt would also lend itself to specific color play: making the center squares a contrasting color or creating a color wash across the quilt. Floating Pluses would look very sophisticated in all neutrals, too!

Quilting Plans

Less is more when it comes to a color-rich quilt like Floating Pluses. Because it works up quickly, it’s ideal for practicing FMQ, but all the prints means you don’t have to worry about “perfection” to have a gorgeous quilt in the end. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

Honestly, this quilt would lend itself well to a simple all over meander, but if you want to “take things up” just a notch, pair continuous curves in the floating pluses with a meander in the background. Not sure about FMQ? This quilting plan is perfect for you because the continuous curves can be quilted with a walking foot, leaving just the meander to provide a bit of FMQ practice.

Also quite simple, this quilting plan focuses on stitch in the ditch to highlight the plus shapes, complemented by swirls in the center and switchbacks around the edges. Let the fabric do the talking!

Lest you worry that I’m no longer my extra self with my quilting, if you want to let the fabric shine but also add some gooooooood yummy texture, bust out a feather meander. Sooo yum!

Conclusion

Floating Pluses is a super fun excuse to play with color and fabric, and plow thru some 5 inch squares. If you’re excited to try your hand at one of the quilting plans above, but you’re not a confident free motion quilter, be sure to check out my free guide, 3 Steps to Confident FMQ, to get you started:

Looking for the rest of the Pretty Precuts Stash Busting? Click here!