Mini Mondays - Free Patchwork Cactus Mini Quilt Pattern

I have been a lover of the desert and cacti for as I can remember. There is just something so solitary and romantic about the desert in my mind. Weird? Maybe! But, I got an idea to add to our Free Patchwork Mini Series with this little cactus! 

Materials Needed

• assorted green scraps
• 1/8 yard of light blue
• scrap of light brown
• 1/8 yard of green stripe for binding
• 10” x 12” scrap for backing

Cutting Instructions

From the assorted green scraps, cut:

• twenty-eight 1-1/2" squares

From the light blue background, cut:

• four 1" squares
• four 3/4" squares
• two 1-1/2" x 3-1/2" rectangles
• one 1-1/2" x 2-1/2" rectangle
• one 2-1/2" square
• one 2-1/2" x 3-1/2" rectangle
• one 2-1/2" x 4-1/2" rectangle
• three 2" x 9-1/2" rectangles 

From the brown ground, cut:

• one 2" x 9-1/2" rectangles

Sewing Instructions

To make the first stitch-and-flip units: 1. Layer a 1" light blue square onto a 1-1/2" green square, right sides together. 2. Draw a line down the center. 3. Sew along the line. 4. Cut the excess fabric leaving 1/4" seam. 5. Press the background triangle open.

To make the second stitch-and-flip units: 1. Layer a 3/4" light blue square onto a 1-1/2" green square, right sides together. 2. Draw a line down the center. 3. Sew along the line. 4. Cut the excess fabric leaving 1/4" seam. 5. Press the background triangle open.

Make 4 total stitch-and-flip units like the first and 2 like the second.

Arrange the green squares, blue rectangles and stitch-and-flip units as shown. Sew the cactus arm units together as shown. Sew the cactus main trunk units into twos and press them in opposite directions.

Sew the cactus units into three vertical rows and press the seams towards the background pieces. 

Sew the vertical rows together and press the seams open. Sew a 2" x 9.5" light blue background rectangle to either side of the cactus and press towards the background. Sew a 2" x 9.5" light blue rectangle to the top of the cactus and press towards the background. Lastly, sew a 2" x 9.5" light brown rectangle to the bottom of the cactus and press towards the ground.

Finish the Quilt

Layer the cactus, batting and backing fabric. Quilt a grid of lines 1” apart. Sew the 2-1/4" wide binding strips together on the diagonal. Create your binding and sew it to the quilt in your favorite method. Voila!

Next week we will be featuring our Mini Lombard Street quilt pattern and chatting about fussy-cutting! If you make this or any other Sassafras Lane project, we would love to see it! Send us photos or post them to our Flickr group.