Marina Blues Quilt Pattern (an Eight Hands Around Design)

By Janet Wickell

Quilting Expert

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Make a Marina Blues Quilt

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Marina Blues Quilt. Photo Credit: ©

Use Eight Hands Around Blocks to Sew the Marina Blues Qult

Marina Blues is a square quilt pattern that finishes at about 68" x 68", a size that can be used as a wallhanging, a lap quilt, or to decorate your home in any way you wish.

The quilt pattern includes instructions for two quilt blocks, Eight Hands Around and a variation of Country Crossroads.

All quilt blocks finish at 12-inches square and are arranged on point.

Setting and corner triangles fill in the gaps around the edges of the quilt blocks and two borders complete the top.

I love blues and teals of all shades, from dark to light and everything in-between. The blues in this quilt don't necessarily "match" each other, but they blend in an scrappy kind of way.

Quilt Block Close-ups

Quilting Fabrics & Other Materials

Change fabrics to suit your needs.

Darkest Blue Print

Used in large star points in Eight Hands Around blocks, and in outer half-square triangles in Crossroads corners. Also used for the quilt's inner border
1-3/4 Yards

Medium Blue Paisley or Other Print

Used in the outer rectangles of the Crossroads variation.
3/4 Yard

Medium Blue Print (make this lighter than the paisley if you wish)

Used in half-square triangles of the Crossroads variation's outer corners and block center.
Also used as the center square and as small star backgrounds in Eight Hands Around.
7/8 Yards

Light Blue Batik

Used to surround the large dark star in Eight Hands Around. Could also be used in half-square triangles of Crossroads block centers if you do not want to use a separate fabric for that position.

5/8 Yards

Bright Green Mottled Batik

Center half-square triangles of the Crossroads variation; outer corners of EHA
5/8 Yards

Pale Green Print

Used to create small star tips in Eight Hands Around and for the quilt's setting triangles.
1-1/2 Yards

Light Blue "Dotted" Print

Used in half-square triangles of Crossroads variation.
1/4 Yards

Blue Print for Outer Border

1-3/4 yards

Binding: About 300 continuous inches of doublefold binding to sew on the quilt with a quarter inch seam allowance (see How to Make Quilt Binding Strips).

Backing: 2-1/2 Yards to make a panel about 74" x 74" (see How to Make Quilt Backing)

Batting: About 74" x 74"

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Eight Hands Around Quilt Block Pattern

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Make the Eight Hands Around Quilt Block. Photo Credit: Janet Wickell

Sew the Hands Around Quilt Blocks

Make four Eight Hands Around quilt blocks. Cut patches for one block before cutting all fabric.

Light Blue Batik

Cut one 3-7/8" x 33" strip; cut eight 3-7/8" x 3-7/8" squares from strip
Cut one 6-1/2" x 42" strip and one 6-1/2" x 18-1/2" strip; cut sixteen 3-1/2" x 6-1/2" rectangles from strips

Green Mottled Batik

Cut one 3-7/8" x 33" strip; cut eight 3-7/8" x 3-7/8" squares from strip

Darkest Blue Print

Cut two 3-1/2" x 42" strips and one 3-1/2" x 30" strip; cut thirty-two 3-1/2" x 3-1/2" squares from strips

Pale Green Print

Cut one 2" x 42" strip and one 2" x 23" strip; cut thirty-two 2" x 2" squares from strips

Medium Blue Print

Cut one 3-1/2" x 15" strip; cut four 3-1/2" x 3-1/2" squares from strip
Cut one 2" x 33" strip; cut thirty-two 2" x 2" squares from strip
Cut one 3-1/2" x 42" strip and one 3-1/2" x 23" strip (use remaining fabric leftover from cutting 3-1/2" squares); cut thirty-two 2" x 3-1/2" rectangles from strips

Block Assembly

Pair a 3-7/8" x 3-7/8" mottled green square with a light blue batik square of the same size. Use my quick pieced half square triangle method to sew six units that 3-1/2" x 3-1/2".
Using the quick flying geese method, sew a dark blue 3-1/2" square to each end of a light blue batik 3-1/2" x 6-1/2" rectangle. Make 16 geese units.
Make sixteen small geese units using the 2" pale green squares and 2" x 3-1/2" blue print rectangles.
Make inner star with small geese, one 3-1/2" blue square and four 2" blue squares as shown. Sew pieces in each row together. Press seam allowances towards squares. Join rows. Make four identical units.

Arrange components into three rows to create block. Sew pieces in each row together. Join rows. Make four identical blocks.

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Country Crossroads Quilt Block Pattern

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Make the Crossroads Variation Quilt Block. Photo Credit: Janet Wickell

Sew Country Crossroads Quilt Blocks

Make nine Crossroads quilt blocks. Cut patches for one block before cutting all fabric.

Blue Paisley

Cut three 6-1/2" x 42" strips; cut thirty-six 3-1/2" x 6-1/2" rectangles from strips

Darkest Blue Print

Cut two 3-7/8" x 42" strips; cut eighteen 3-7/8" x 3-7/8" squares from strips

Medium Blue Print

Cut two 3-7/8" x 42" strips and one 3-7/8" x 28" strip; cut twenty-seven 3-7/8" x 3-7/8" squares from strips

Mottled Green Batik

Cut two 3-7/8" x 42" strips; cut eighteen 3-7/8" x 3-7/8" squares from strips

Light Blue Dotted Print

Cut one 3-7/8" x 36" strip; cut nine 3-7/8" x 3-7/8" squares from strips

Sew Half-Square Triangle Units

All pieced units in the quilt block are half-square triangle units. Use the sandwich method to make them:

Combine 18 medium blue print 3-7/8" squares with dark squares of the same size to make 36 half-square triangle units. Each unit should measure 3-1/2" x 3-1/2". Use in the corners of the quilt block.
Combine 9 mottled green 3-7/8" squares with medium blue print squares of the same size to make 18 half-square triangle units for the block's center.
Combine the remaining mottled green 3-7/8" squares with dotted blue squares of the same size to make 18 half-square triangle units for the block's center.

Assemble the Country Quilt Blocks

Sew two dark blue / medium blue half square triangle units to the ends of a paisley rectangle to create the top row as shown. Repeat to make the bottom row. Press seam allowances towards the rectangles.

Sew two medium blue / bright green half square triangle units and two bright green / blue dot half square triangle units together to create the block center. Press.
Sew a paisley rectangle to each side of the center unit. Press seam allowances towards the rectangle.
Sew the rows together. Make eight more Crossroads blocks.

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Assemble the Marina Blues Quilt Top

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Arrange the Marina Blues quilt blocks and setting triangles to form diagonal rows. Photo Credit: Janet Wickell

Time to Sew the Quilt Top

Cut two 9-3/8" x 9-3/8" squares from the pale green print. Cut each square in half once diagonally to make four corner triangles.
Cut two 18-1/4" x 18-1/4" squares from the pale green print. Cut each square in half twice diagonally to make eight setting triangles.
Sew the quilt blocks and setting triangles into diagonal rows as shown. Press seam allowances towards the setting triangles and Eight Hands Around blocks.

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Eight Hands Around Block Close Up

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Eight Hands Around Quilt Block Pattern. Photo Credit: Janet Wickell

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Closeup Look at the Crossroads Quilt Block

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Crossroads Variation Quilt Block. Photo Credit: Janet Wickell

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Layout Option for Marina Blues

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Marina Blues Quilt - Alternative Layout with Quilt Blocks in Opposite Positions. Photo Credit: Janet Wickell

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Marina Blues Bed Quilt Pattern

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Marina Blues as Bed Quilt. Photo Credit: Janet Wickell

Here's how Marina Blues could look as a bed quilt, with 18 Eight Hands Around quilt blocks and 17 Crossroads variation quilt blocks. This version has three borders and blocks are straight-set, rather than placed on-point.

Finished Size: About 84" x 106"

Quilting Fabrics & Other Materials

Darkest Blue Print

Used in large star points in Eight Hands Around; outer half-square triangles in Crossroads corners; for middle border

2-1/4 Yards

Medium Blue Paisley

Used in the outer rectangles of the Crossroads variation.
1-1/4 Yard

Medium Blue Print

Used in half-square triangles of the Crossroads variation's outer corners and block center. Used as the center square and as small star background in Eight Hands Around.
1-1/4 Yards

Light Blue Batik

Used to surround large dark star in Eight Hands Around. Could also be used in half-square triangles of Crossroads block centers if you do not want to use a separate fabric for that.
1-1/2 Yards

Bright Green Mottled Batik

Used in center half-square triangles of the Crossroads variation.
1 Yard

Pale Green Print

Used to create small star tips in Eight Hands Around and for inner quilt border.
1-5/8 Yards

Light Blue "Dotted" Print

Used in half-square triangles of Crossroads variation.
1/2 Yard

Blue Print for Outer Border

2 yards

Binding: About 410 running inches.

Backing: 8 Yards

Batting: About 94" x 116"

Cut Fabric for the Marina Blues Bed Quilt

Make one block before you cut all fabric for the quilt. 42" strips refers to strips cut all the way across the fabric's crosswise grain.

Do not trim longer strips.

Make 18 Eight Hands Around quilt blocks and 17 Crossroads quilt blocks. Refer to pages 2 and 3 for instructions.

Eight Hands Around

Light Blue Batik

six 6-1/2" x 42" strips; cut seventy-two 3-1/2" x 6-1/2" rectangles from strips
four 3-7/8" x 42" strips; cut thirty-six 3-7/8" x 3-7/8" squares from strips

Darkest Blue Print

twelve 3-1/2" x 42" strips; cut 144 3-1/2" x 3-1/2" squares from strips

Medium Blue Print

two 3-1/2" x 42" strips; cut eighteen 3-1/2" x 3-1/2" squares from strips
three 2" x 42" strips and one 2" x 12" strip; cut sixty-eight 2" x 2" squares from strips
five 2" x 42" strips and one 2" x 30" strip; cut sixty-eight 2" x 3-1/2" rectangles from strips