I made this Mini back in February when I was VERY pregnant, VERY impatient about everything, and needing a little extra color in my life. I sat down with my trusty pencil and graph paper and quickly sketched this up. It’s a very satisfying, quick finish, and a great way to practice piecing and quilting. You can also make multiple blocks and turn this into a super cute quilt! This is a great stash buster and the color combinations and quilting possibilities are endless!
CLICK HERE to download the pattern for free & make your own!
Be sure to use the hashtags #aprilgracequilts and #twotulipsmini — I would love to see what you make!
But, you don’t HAVE to download the pattern — I’ll just show you how to make it here!
Green fabric is “I Heart You” for Moda.
I’m unsure of the pink gingham.
Of course, your first step is to choose your fabrics. You will need a fat quarter or 1/4 yard for the background/border/sashing color, and an additional fat quarter for the backing. The tulips and stems/leaves only use less than a fat eighth each.
From your background fabric, cut the following:
Cut 6 of 1 ½” x 2 ½”
Cut 8 of 2 ½” x 2 ½”
Cut 4 of 2” x 2”
Cut 4 of 2 ½” x 3”
Your borders and sashing pieces will be cut from the same fabric as your background.
Cut the following:
Sashing: Cut 1 of 12 ½” x 1 ½”
Borders: Cut 2 of 16 ½” x 2”
Cut 2 of 12 ½” x 2”
Next, Cut out your tulip pieces:
Cut 2 of 5 1/2″ x 6 1/2″
Cut 12 of 1 1/2″ x 1 1/2″
And lastly, your leaf and stem pieces:
Leaves: Cut 4 of 4 1/2″ x 3″
Stems: Cut 2 of 1 1/2″ x 6 1/2″
Background, sashing and borders. 
Tulips, leaves and stems.
I use the “stitch and flip” method to piece most of this mini quilt. This means you start by lining up a small, square piece of fabric with one corner of a larger piece of fabric, sewing across the corner diagonally, trimming the excess fabric, and pressing the new block flat. Your new block should still be square, but with a different color corner. It’s easier to just show you this, so here goes….
I start by making a total of six little flying geese. Each little “goose” uses
1 of 1 1/2″ x 2 1/2″ tulip piece and 2 of 1 1/2″ x 1 1/2″ background pieces:
First, take one of the little squares and, on the wrong side of the fabric, draw a diagonal line from one top corner to the opposite bottom corner. (I use the edge of a ruler & a regular pen — just be sure to keep your line thin & light so your pen doesn’t bleed or show through the fabric. You can also use a regular pencil.) Repeat this with the other little square, so both of your squares have been drawn on.
Place the little rectangular piece right side up. Lay one of the little squares right side down on top of your little rectangle. Line up your square with one side of your rectangle, so the diagonal line is slanting toward the middle of the rectangle. Pin the two pieces together and sew along your drawn line. Make sure to sew JUST to the outside of your drawn line. This will account for the small amount of fabric that is “used” when you fold your open, and will help keep your block square.
Trim the excess and press your block open. This is the “stitch-and-flip” method.
Repeat those steps with the other side of your rectangle…
Remember to sew on the outside of the line. 
This is one of your flying geese!
Repeat all of that to make a total of six little flying geese. Next, you will sew three flying geese together, horizontally. Sew the remaining three geese together horizontally, and you will have your two tulip tops! I press these seams open on the back.
You will use this same stitch-and-flip method to make your tuilp base and leaf blocks.
For the tulip base blocks, use one of the 5 1/2″ x 6 1/2″ tulip pieces and
2 of 2 1/2″ x 2 1/2″ background squares.
Repeat to make a total of 2 tulip base blocks. Then sew 1 tulip top to 1 tulip base, and you have a flower! Repeat, and you will have two flowers!
To make the leaves, you will make a total of 2 left leaves and 2 right leaves. Their construction is the same, except they are mirror images of each other.
Each leaf block uses 1 of 3″ x 4 1/2″ leaf piece, 1 of 2″ x 2″ background square and
1 of 2 1/2″ x 2 1/2″ background square.
Be sure to put the smaller 2″ square at the top corner of your leaf, and the larger 2 1/2″ square at the bottom opposite corner of your leaf. And remember to sew on the outside of your drawn lines!
Trim and press open. Repeat to make a total of 4 leaf blocks (2 left and 2 right).
Now you should be ready to sew your whole tulip together! Attach 1 of 2 1/2″ x 3″ background pieces to the top of each leaf block. Then sew one left leaf block and one right leaf block to either side of your 1 1/2″ x 6 1/2″ stem piece. Last, sew the flower to the top of your stem and leaves, and you have a tulip! Do that again to make two tulips.
Just a little note, you can see in the above picture of my completed tulip block, my block is not completely square. This happened because I was a little aggressive with my iron. For best results, it’s better to press with a hot iron. Keep your iron still on top of your fabric for a few seconds, then lift. If you do move your iron around, do it gently, or this will happen! I was still able to piece the block together nicely with some careful trimming.
Once you sew your two tulips together, it’s time to sew on your sashing piece and borders. The sashing piece (between the two tulips) is the more narrow, 12 ½” x 1 ½” background-color piece. Sew that piece between your two tulips first. Then sew the two 12 ½” x 2” border pieces to either side of your tulips. Lastly, sew the 16 1/2″ x 2″ pieces to the top and bottom of your block, and your done!
You can then finish the quilt like you would any other quilt: choose your batting and backing, baste your quilt, quilt and bind.
You can also attach little pockets to the back of your quilt if you plan to hang your quilt. You would do this after you are done quilting, and before attaching the binding. To do this, use two 4” squares pressed in half diagonally. Use a ⅛” seam allowance to attach them to the top two corners of the back of your mini quilt. Then attach your binding as usual. This will allow you to hang your quilt with a dowel.
For a detailed demonstration on how to do this, the National Quilter’s Circle has a fantastic video tutorial HERE.
Don’t forget to use the hashtags #twotulipsmini and #aprilgracequilts so I can see what you make! It makes me so happy to see how other people interpret my patterns. If you Instagram account is private and you still want to share what you make, you can email me a picture (aprilgracequilts@gmail.com) or DM me on Instagram!
Happy sewing!!
April Grace Quilts 